You Needed Your Daily Dose of Adorable?

Easter anyone??

I hope your Easter Sunday was full of family and food, as it should be. My Easter was practically non-existent, because it's not really a recognized holiday in Korea. Due to the huge Christian population, it is known, and has it's own Korean name, but it's really only recognized by Christians, and even with that community, it does not seem to be a very big deal. Furthermore, the whole Easter Bunny, egg dying, ham eating, basket full of candy giving hoopala that I grew up with is not a part of it. "No egg hunts?" you say, "Those poor children!"

Ah, but that is where the ESL teachers come in. One of the funnest parts about teaching in a foreign country is I get to be the one to expose kids to fun holiday stuff that they don't normally get to do. Korean's have plenty of their own cool holidays, but they don't celebrate Halloween and Easter, two of the best holidays for children. (Although Children's Day, Pepero Day and getting 'bow money' on other holidays are all pretty cool.)

So during the week before Easter Sunday, my kids were busy coloring and cutting little paper eggs, which I then used to do egg hunts. And wow, did they love it! In every class, I had kids begging me to let them go out in the hall and rehide the eggs so they could do it again, and then challenging me to provide several good reasons why not.

And of course I incorporated learning into it, what kind of teacher do you think I am? Each egg had a letter on the back, and after the hunt was over, each child took their eggs and tried to make as many words as they could. Whoever made the most words was the winner. For the prizes, I had a grab back full of candy. One of the items was a Cadbury Egg my mom had sent (she sent two, and I can only manage to eat one each year, so I offered the other one up for a prize.) I just assumed the Cadbury Egg would be the first to go, because it's like the Holy Grail of Easter candy (along with those huge eggs I used to sell for middle school fundraisers.) But no one wanted it. Why? They had never had one before. They all went for the $1 chocolate bar that you can buy at any convenience store, because they knew it was good. Even when I pointed it out and told them it was one of the best candies in the entire world, they passed it up. Finally, in the last class, a girl chose it, but only because one of her classmates had actually tried one before and could vouch for its deliciousness. I won't see the girl until tomorrow, and I can't wait to hear what she thought of the Cadbury Egg.

So while I missed out on the family and ham this year, I did have fun with Easter, and I was pretty glad I could share the joys of the egg hunt and Cadbury with my students. Here are some photos of my youngest and cutest class during the hunt. They are all first and second graders, and just ridiculously adorable.

David, minus a few teeth, shows off his eggs.

Yudam reaches for one of the hardest to get eggs.

NahmJae searching through the stuff on my desk.

NahmJae again, putting together words.

Tommy, Andy H. and David working on words.

Yudam, the only girl in a class of 5 boys, who ended up winning.

What would have been a great group photo if David had not made "scary eyes"

The after party

Stay tuned for Cherry Blossoms!

Bathhouse Fun

I had my first experience with a Korean sauna/bathhouse today, finally, after how many months being here? I've heard all about them, some good and some bad, but most foreigners I know won't go because they get tired of being stared at by naked ajummas. But I still wanted to go just to check it out, but I never got around to it. I woke up this morning, and all I could think was . . . must . . . get . . . massage . . . today! I'm used to getting the occasional massage since my bro is a therapist (www.bigbearmassage.com), and I was about due.

So I wandered around my neighborhood until I found the familiar Sauna symbol, which looks like a bath with steam coming out. However, the one I found also had a barber pole next to it, which in Korea is often an indicator of a brothel. Hmmm...imagine the embarrassment if I tried to walk into one of those and handed them my money! This is a very nice neighborhood, but you never know. So I called Taejin, and she kindly helped me to determine that the place was not a whorehouse, and yes, they did do massage for $40. Ok.

I was totally nervous about going in, because people usually don't see foreigners in places like this. But I got over it, headed in, and I think managed to conduct myself without making any bathhouse faux pas. And, it was awesome. They had a hot pool, a cold pool and a sauna room, plus a dozen or so little mirrored stations where with shower hoses where you can sit and scrub and wash and primp to your heart's desire. One the side, there were 2 ladies with plastic covered tables and shower hoses who would do a full exfoliation for free -- in other words, scrub you with scratchy mitts until your skin was red and raw.

I splurged and went for the whole massage -- I mean, $40? Why not? Let me tell you, this was nothing like the gentle relaxing massage I am used to. You've heard of shiatsu, the Japanese massage? A lot like that, with lots of slapping and pounding and pummeling and pulling. Oh, and lots of hot hot towels and splashes of warm water. The lady tossed me around on that table like a rag doll, so much that I was afraid I'd slip off a few times. She would pick up my arm to work on those muscles, and when she was done she would literally throw it back down on the table. Basically, I paid someone's grandmother to beat me up for an hour. And I know I wasn't getting the rough treatment for being a foreigner, because the Korean lady next to me was undergoing the same thing. And it felt great!
The best part was that it included a hair wash and a facial. I'm not sure of all the different stuff that was rubbed on my face, but I did identify one that I had seen her making -- freshly made cucumber paste. The final stage of the facial was the best though -- strawberry Yoplait, which has been one of my favorite snack foods since I was a child. I eat it almost everyday, but had never thought of putting it on my face. It turned out to be quite a pleasant experience, with the nice smell and cool feeling.....ahhhhh! And in the end, she used soy milk to wash it off. An interesting choice of face products for sure, but my skin feels like a million bucks today.

Afterwards, I went home a took a delicious nap that I had been craving all day. A great way to end the weekend!

Cherry Blossoms

These photos are about two weeks late in the posting; I've been a bit slow lately. A few weeks ago was the peak of the Cherry Blossoms, so Sun, Taejin and I spent a Sunday at the Yeoido Flower Festival. Yeoido is a small island in the Han River, where most of the government buildings are located. The Assembly Building is ringed by dozens of cherry blossom trees, which, if I have my information correct, were a gift from the Japanese in the 1960's as a symbol of improved relations. Surrounding the Korean government buildings with a tree that is one of the national symbols of Japan was quite a controversial move, but who can complain when the trees are in full bloom?

Here's one for you, Mom!

Of course there was no shortage of cute kids posing in the trees. Having none of our own, we had to take pictures of other people's kids.

Some of the other spring flowers on display

Getting my portrait done

The building with the green dome is the background is the Assembly Building.

Sun in her cute bug glasses

The only thing lacking was the grass -- Korea doesn't seem to really be into grass. But some people made due and set up camp right in the dirt.

And of course you have your abundance of sickeningly cute couples taking endless photos of each other.

Crossing the waterway over a tributary of the Han River.

Happy Black Day

Single people rejoice - you finally have your own holiday.

April 14th is Black Day in Korea, a day for single people to wallow in their singleness and hopefully meet that special someone while doing so. On Black Day, single people are supposed to go to a Chinese restaurant and eat 짜 장 면, or jachangmyeong - a noodle dish with black bean sauce. The idea is, singles can identify other singles, and then the meetings can begin. It's like a nation wide singles bar.

Actually, Korea has 3 holidays that all celebrate relationships and love in various ways. First, there is Valentine's Day on February 14th. On this day, the girls give chocolates to the boys. Then on March 14th is White Day, where the boys give chocolates to the girls. I love how the girls have to go first, that is so not fair.

And then, for those who got left out, there is Black Day. Isn't inclusion nice?

Dr. Nicole's Cure for Depression

The next time you are feeling bummed about your life, try this:

Spend the day at a huge museum devoted to war. If you can do this on a rainy day, all the better. Be sure to spend plenty of time walking in the rain looking at memorials to the victims and trying to grapple with the sheer number of people whose lives have been destroyed by war. Then, take the time to explore the retired planes and tanks and helicopters, and marvel at man's ability to create machines that are designed to kill. Be sure to note the amount of money that goes into making those machines, remembering that today we use ones that are far more expensive and destructive than the ones that have been retired to the museum. Once you have had your fill outside, spend ample time inside the museum, further contemplating the horrors of war. Walk back out into the rain, past the walls inscribed with the names of thousands upon thousands who died fighting in just one war, being sure to remember that those names only represent one of many wars. And then, go home and watch a three hour war movie, preferably one that involves families being torn apart. After the movie ends, have a good cry, and reflect upon the countless number of people throughout history that have been directly affected by the horror of war, and remember that you are not one of those people. You, at least so far, are one of the lucky ones.

If this does provide a much needed slap in the face to remind you that your life is good, I don't know what will.

This is what I did last Saturday, and the whole day was beautifully depressing. I had been feeling down in the dumps most of the week, for no particular reason at all, expect that somehow my life just did not seem worth getting excited about. The War Museum had been high on my list of places to go for sometime, so when I woke up and saw the dreary rain, I decided there was no better day to immerse myself in war. I spent the morning out at the Seoul War Memorial, a sprawling and beautifully done museum devoted primarily to the Korean War (Or June 25 War as it is called here). The afternoon was devoted to writing in my journal at a coffee shop, and the evening to watching Taeguki, a fantastic movie about two brothers in the Korean War. I was alone the entire day, deep in thought about a subject that is probably one of my least favorite things to think about.

I woke up the next day feeling glad to be alive.

At one point during the movie however, I was haunted by a thought. It is a thought that pops into my mind occasionally and lingers for a few moments before I banish it to the dark recesses of my brain where I keep the things that are too unnerving to think about. The thought was prompted when I was reflecting on the overall picture of Korea's history -- loaded with war, oppression, violence and poverty. When one recalls the hell Koreans have been through for most of their existence, it really blows the mind to see how well the nation is doing today. I was in the middle of thinking how wonderful it is that Korea is so prosperous and secure today, when the thought came. Oh yeah, North Korea.

It's interesting how easy it is to not think about the fact that I am living only about an hour away from the world's most heavily fortified border, a border shared with an isolationist, rogue nation led by a crazy man who starves his people to pay for the military. Not only that, but the fact that this nation may have nuclear weapons. Don't forget that no treaty was ever signed between North and South Korea. If war was to break out again, I am living in what is probably the most dangerous place to be. When I do think about this now and again, I mean really think about it, I do get a little freaked out. Am I foolish to chose to be in a place that could potentially erupt into war at anytime? Just because there has been peace for over 50 years does not mean there will always be. What if the two Koreas do go to war again? What if it happens while I am here?

In the end though, I think it's better to live my life as I want to, without letting fear of the what if's dictate what I do and where I go. There is a choice between letting life be overshadowed by the frightening possibilities, or maintaining that that is all they are -- possibilities. For now, I am thankful that my life so far has been as good as it has, and I can only hope that I am fortunate enough to have it last.

A statue outside the musuem.

The underside of a B-52. (These things are huge!)

A row of tanks lined up peacefully in the rain creates an eerie scene.

The nose of a plane with Seoul Tower in the background.

Inside the musuem are recreated scenes of life during wartime.

And to end on a lighter note -- the lower floor of the museum houses rotating displays. Currently they are constructing one that appears to be devoted to exploring the human body. So underneath hanging model warplanes is a brightly colored area where little kids will soon be running around learning about what's inside their bodies, in a very intimate way.

Look at the middle left -- see the baby butt tunnel??

Kids, hookers and rain

One of the funnest things about being an ESL teacher are the cute, wacky and sometimes unintentionally dirty things that kids write. I had three worth sharing today:

1. The test word was "squeeze." One particular girl clearly had not studied, but she did her best to guess at the spelling. She managed to write "skeezy." As tempted as I am, I'll refrain from explaining to her what that one means.

2. The word was "servant," defined as, "a person who works for someone else in a home." I guess I should have clarified a bit more, because one girl's sentence was, "The best servant I know is my mom." Although these kids are spoiled as hell, so maybe it's not all that far off...

3. The word was "sober," defined as "not drunk."(Why this is on a vocab list for 3rd graders, I don't know.) But I got this sentence: "My mom is never sober, but my dad always is." Hmmmmmm......

No dirty ones today, sorry. But when I get some I'll be sure to share them.

But I do have this - Matt found bought this shirt for $3.00 in a subway station tonight:

I've already claimed it!

Ah, I love shirts with bad English. They are everywhere here, and they never fail to make me giggle. Someday I'll do a post exclusively on them.

And one final note before I head to bed, totally unrelated to dirty shirts and bad English. Virtually every single person from the Bay Area that has emailed me recently has told me about how much rain ya'll have been having. So I know about the rain, no one else needs to tell me:-P Its raining here too, but not as much. My whole life, I have kind of disliked rain because it made driving more dangerous and made me feel depressed. Since I have been living in Seoul though, I noticed that I love the rain. I mean, I really love it. When I see dark clouds, I'm like, YES, its going to rain!!" I am not entirely sure why me feelings have changed.

So when I went to my Tai Chi class this morning, my teacher asked me how I was, and I replied, "Good, good, good!" (or perhaps I said good 4 times) Everyone in the room was surprised, because they were all depressed by the rain, and I said that I loved it. Then it came time to do our "chi readings." (Did you know they can measure your chi with a machine and graph it on a computer? They can, and my Western mind absolutely fails to comprehend how it works, but they do it.) Anyway, my graph is usually waaaay out of whack, indicating various problems that my teacher explains to me -- my liver is off balance, I'm having digestive trouble, my heart and spleen meridian are not in harmony, etc, etc. But today, my graph was nearly perfect. So perfect that my teacher was actually mildly surprised. And the reason she suspected for this drastic improvment over my usual state of inner disharmony? The rain. Apparently it agrees with me. Maybe I should be in California right now.....