I was asked by someone recently "what is the difference between toast and sandwiches?"
Well in the West you usually get toast with butter and strawberry or blueberry jam; simple.
But I noticed about five months ago I walked by a place called Isaac Toast which sells slushes, ice cream, bagels, a few sandwiches, and 31 kinds of toast. Well, what can you get on toast? I asked this to my class and they replied: butter, strawberry jam, blueberry jam, kiwi, sweet potato, ham, bacon, turkey, chicken, several kinds of cheese, beef or steak, lettuce, cabbage, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, sweet cream (difference than butter), kimchee, pickles, onions, tomatoes, various sauces that are unique to Isaac Toast, eggs (and Koreans love eggs might I add), chocolate, or french fries.
Not to mention you could also get salt, pepper, various kinds of oils, green peppers, green onions, korean chili peppers, mango, carrots, strawberry, pineapple, banana, or apples on your toast.
No wonder they were having a hard time discerning toast from sandwiches.
Thanks to Carissa as well who introduced me to Indonesian style toast which has several layers of condensed milk and Dutch chocolate sprinkles. Oh my~
Monday, November 26, 2007
Sunday, November 25, 2007
School Festival II
One of the funnest things of the festival was the outside fair. My biggest complaint is they wanted to sell us food to eat right after finishing lunch....
But anyways there were muffins, cheese balls, candy canes, and what is that? Tortilla chips?
French toast, chocolate cookies, yogurt, and cherry Coke (Coke mixed with Kool Aid and actually pretty good for a few sips). Not to mention the cookies with names and words written on them. I must admit it was a great marketing idea to put "I love Han Teacher" on a cookie or "MiYoung and GyeongShin" on a heart shaped cookie.
The tortilla chips and the Churros can be purchased from Costco. The toaster oven cooking method + frying pan proved to be an interesting combo.
There was also boiled fish as well as chicken on a stick with optional cheese (really good). Turn the corner and you see various small candies, dumplings (pan fried or steamed) and bread with honey inside. The 'dalkona' was really good as well. You take sugar and melt it over an open flame, mix in coffee or green tea if you like, and then pour it out and make it into shapes if you wish.
Walk around a little more and you can get your face painted or you could toss water balloons. Or how about the classic hammering nails into wood?
Surprisingly there was a boxing ring. Several of the teachers got into the ring and as you can see really got into it.
And do you remember that arcade game where you got the rubber mallet and had to hit the things that popped up? Hehehehehe And don't worry, the kids were fine.
On the last night of the festival there was the Dress Party. Now there is nothing like the Prom in Korean culture, so this was huge for the students. They kept telling me this has to be one of the first dress parties at a high school in Korea, ever.
Not really feeling it, I decided to pass until I found out that all of the teachers were dressing in student uniforms. Oh alright, I'm in. This was the first time I have ever worn a student uniform and I found it comfortable. And as you can see not all of the students dressed up really formal. In this end this was the highlight of the festival. I had a lot of fun that night.
But anyways there were muffins, cheese balls, candy canes, and what is that? Tortilla chips?
French toast, chocolate cookies, yogurt, and cherry Coke (Coke mixed with Kool Aid and actually pretty good for a few sips). Not to mention the cookies with names and words written on them. I must admit it was a great marketing idea to put "I love Han Teacher" on a cookie or "MiYoung and GyeongShin" on a heart shaped cookie.
The tortilla chips and the Churros can be purchased from Costco. The toaster oven cooking method + frying pan proved to be an interesting combo.
There was also boiled fish as well as chicken on a stick with optional cheese (really good). Turn the corner and you see various small candies, dumplings (pan fried or steamed) and bread with honey inside. The 'dalkona' was really good as well. You take sugar and melt it over an open flame, mix in coffee or green tea if you like, and then pour it out and make it into shapes if you wish.
Walk around a little more and you can get your face painted or you could toss water balloons. Or how about the classic hammering nails into wood?
Surprisingly there was a boxing ring. Several of the teachers got into the ring and as you can see really got into it.
And do you remember that arcade game where you got the rubber mallet and had to hit the things that popped up? Hehehehehe And don't worry, the kids were fine.
On the last night of the festival there was the Dress Party. Now there is nothing like the Prom in Korean culture, so this was huge for the students. They kept telling me this has to be one of the first dress parties at a high school in Korea, ever.
Not really feeling it, I decided to pass until I found out that all of the teachers were dressing in student uniforms. Oh alright, I'm in. This was the first time I have ever worn a student uniform and I found it comfortable. And as you can see not all of the students dressed up really formal. In this end this was the highlight of the festival. I had a lot of fun that night.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
School Festival I
In Korean culture there is a school festival once a year. This applies to high schools, universities, and possibly junior highs. It is normally one day, all day, with a lot of buildup and time prepping. Our school had ours over a four day span, which felt kind of long.
There were various games of basketball, a kickball competition, and what sports day is complete without multiple rounds of soccer? Notice the black shirts have different characters on the backs so they can spell out things.
The multi-purpose room was decked out quite nicely (although the light crew was amateurish when it came to controlling their lights). It did bring back happy memories of JPS and the various gigs in LA~ A number of parents came for the events bringing along children and siblings. The stage held a number of performances by the students including singing and dancing numbers.
Construction will begin soon on the new building, and with so many parents staying a few nights, it only made sense to hold a groundbreaking ceremony. The ribbon was cut and scoops of dirt were shoveled out by literally everyone and their brother as they encouraged people to come out and take a shovelful.
Among the many posters and signs advertising the various events, one in particular applies to me. Students in teams of 4 would have to give me hints about a secret word, using only English, and I had to guess what they were talking about. Turned out to be pretty fun.
Coffee shop was nice. The staff was fun and the menu was nicely made. I have only had rose tea once before and mixing it with doupookie from a different snack shop didn't improve the taste.
On the next to last evening they held a bonfire. I took a few pictures and was really suprised how well this fire picture turned out. Towards the end sweet potatoes wrapped in tin foil were tossed in. Upon retrieving these goodies the students discovered the abilities of soot and soon began tagging everyone they could. The Chinese teacher got it the worst. And I think mine turned out pretty funny.
There were various games of basketball, a kickball competition, and what sports day is complete without multiple rounds of soccer? Notice the black shirts have different characters on the backs so they can spell out things.
The multi-purpose room was decked out quite nicely (although the light crew was amateurish when it came to controlling their lights). It did bring back happy memories of JPS and the various gigs in LA~ A number of parents came for the events bringing along children and siblings. The stage held a number of performances by the students including singing and dancing numbers.
Construction will begin soon on the new building, and with so many parents staying a few nights, it only made sense to hold a groundbreaking ceremony. The ribbon was cut and scoops of dirt were shoveled out by literally everyone and their brother as they encouraged people to come out and take a shovelful.
Among the many posters and signs advertising the various events, one in particular applies to me. Students in teams of 4 would have to give me hints about a secret word, using only English, and I had to guess what they were talking about. Turned out to be pretty fun.
Coffee shop was nice. The staff was fun and the menu was nicely made. I have only had rose tea once before and mixing it with doupookie from a different snack shop didn't improve the taste.
On the next to last evening they held a bonfire. I took a few pictures and was really suprised how well this fire picture turned out. Towards the end sweet potatoes wrapped in tin foil were tossed in. Upon retrieving these goodies the students discovered the abilities of soot and soon began tagging everyone they could. The Chinese teacher got it the worst. And I think mine turned out pretty funny.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Evening Adventure
I have developed a saying in the last few months; "Every day in Korea, my life is an adventure." I usually say this about once a week when something strange happens or when something catches me off guard. Tonight, it was ADT.
The internet wasn't working in my room so I went to the Teacher Room to finish my lesson plans and surf the web. Most of the teachers don't have their own computer as they have access in this room whenever they want for free.
I was the last one out, locked everything up, set the alarm and the locks, and went outside to change my shoes when all of a sudden the alarm went off. Turns out one of the doors that looked closed was off just enough to trigger the alarm.
I got to it with 10 seconds and was about to leave again when the landline started ringing. Figuring it was one of the staff I picked it up and started the conversation off in English; so they would know it was me. However, much to my suprise, it was ADT - the security company.
Considering how fast this all went down I am proud of myself to get out "Hello. I made a mistake.... I'm a foreigner and I don't speak Korean very well.... I am alone in the office... Yes, this is the right number. Yes this is the school in question..... Hang on a second..." and tried to call someone who I knew would be up. My friend did not pick up and I found out our security guy on the other line gave up. At this point he knew enough to know it was a mistake and also knew enough that there was going to be nothing more he could get out of me.
I've passed word on to the powers that be and now I'm going to bed. Night~
The internet wasn't working in my room so I went to the Teacher Room to finish my lesson plans and surf the web. Most of the teachers don't have their own computer as they have access in this room whenever they want for free.
I was the last one out, locked everything up, set the alarm and the locks, and went outside to change my shoes when all of a sudden the alarm went off. Turns out one of the doors that looked closed was off just enough to trigger the alarm.
I got to it with 10 seconds and was about to leave again when the landline started ringing. Figuring it was one of the staff I picked it up and started the conversation off in English; so they would know it was me. However, much to my suprise, it was ADT - the security company.
Considering how fast this all went down I am proud of myself to get out "Hello. I made a mistake.... I'm a foreigner and I don't speak Korean very well.... I am alone in the office... Yes, this is the right number. Yes this is the school in question..... Hang on a second..." and tried to call someone who I knew would be up. My friend did not pick up and I found out our security guy on the other line gave up. At this point he knew enough to know it was a mistake and also knew enough that there was going to be nothing more he could get out of me.
I've passed word on to the powers that be and now I'm going to bed. Night~
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Lost in Translation
I have heard before that certain things just don't translate from one language to another. The first example of this I saw was at a church service on Yonsei University's campus. There were three of us foreigners each with UN style earphones getting a translation of the church sermon. Then the translator stopped translating for several minutes. When she stated to speak again she apologized and told us the sermon example from taken from a funny story involving miscommunication due to dialects differences within the peninsula and there simply was no way to accurately translate the story.
The next year I saw a word written in Japanese and asked my Japanese speaking friend what it meant. He said "you know when it is autumn and you are sitting in a pagoda enjoying the scenery? What is the word for that in English?" He was dead serious as that was ONE Single Word in Japanese to describe all of that.
As I am learning Korean I have learned some of the words that just don't translate into English. These are the more enjoyable ones:
내숭 (Nae sung) - False shyness (used to be cute). There is a equivalent to this in Chinese as well.
아저씨 (Ah jo shee) - An old man. Not a negative word, simply stating the truth in a respectful way. Whole lot nicer than saying "Gramps" or "Hey Grandpa!" in English.
아줌마 (Ah ju ma) or 아주머니 (Ah ju mo nee) - An old woman. Koreans will say there are three kinds of people: men, women, and ahgeemas. These ladies are often crass and very blunt sometimes with a cackle for a laugh. Not a negative word if used for women who are actually old.
애교 (Ae kyo) - A girl who acts really cute toward her boyfriend.
오빠 (Oh pa) - A term that girls will use for an older guy. He could be her brother, cousin, boyfriend, or even husband. There are a lot of flirty elements with this word; it's all in how you use it.
꾀병 (Kae byong) - Fake sickness to get out of class.
남남 북녀 (Nam nam bok nyo) - This is a play on words which means "In the South (Korea) it is the men who are handsome and in the North (Korea) it is the women."
The next year I saw a word written in Japanese and asked my Japanese speaking friend what it meant. He said "you know when it is autumn and you are sitting in a pagoda enjoying the scenery? What is the word for that in English?" He was dead serious as that was ONE Single Word in Japanese to describe all of that.
As I am learning Korean I have learned some of the words that just don't translate into English. These are the more enjoyable ones:
내숭 (Nae sung) - False shyness (used to be cute). There is a equivalent to this in Chinese as well.
아저씨 (Ah jo shee) - An old man. Not a negative word, simply stating the truth in a respectful way. Whole lot nicer than saying "Gramps" or "Hey Grandpa!" in English.
아줌마 (Ah ju ma) or 아주머니 (Ah ju mo nee) - An old woman. Koreans will say there are three kinds of people: men, women, and ahgeemas. These ladies are often crass and very blunt sometimes with a cackle for a laugh. Not a negative word if used for women who are actually old.
애교 (Ae kyo) - A girl who acts really cute toward her boyfriend.
오빠 (Oh pa) - A term that girls will use for an older guy. He could be her brother, cousin, boyfriend, or even husband. There are a lot of flirty elements with this word; it's all in how you use it.
꾀병 (Kae byong) - Fake sickness to get out of class.
남남 북녀 (Nam nam bok nyo) - This is a play on words which means "In the South (Korea) it is the men who are handsome and in the North (Korea) it is the women."
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Dare You To Imitate Me
Since I am not enrolled in a Korean Language Class currently, I am learning the language through listening and asking questions with vocab to supplement. I am learning new info as well as refining information I have learned before.
The Korean Language always has a flat tone (unlike Chinese, thank you God) unless you are asking a "yes / no" question; then and only then will your tone go upwards at the end of the sentence. I have been told my accent and pronunciation is good except in this area. When I am happy or getting excited I often raise my tone at the end of the sentence.
This obviously stands out as kind of odd. Henceforth when people imitate me they will raise their tone at the end of the sentence. I usually don't understand that they are teasing me and will get kind of excited: "I was right! They are raising their tone! I do that too!" >_<'
Another way people imitate me is by saying 아마도 (maybe) as I often say that word. It is best combined with a raised tone~
Third example I caught in class last week. I was asking the students a cultural question and before I could respond one student very quietly whispered "that's interesting" before the words had a chance to leave my lips. I had to reply, I had to let him know I heard. I made eye contact and replied "you're right, it is interesting." ㅋㅋ
The last really distinctive thing I do is my style of laugh. I have yet to hear people try to copy that :) And I double dare you to try ^^
The Korean Language always has a flat tone (unlike Chinese, thank you God) unless you are asking a "yes / no" question; then and only then will your tone go upwards at the end of the sentence. I have been told my accent and pronunciation is good except in this area. When I am happy or getting excited I often raise my tone at the end of the sentence.
This obviously stands out as kind of odd. Henceforth when people imitate me they will raise their tone at the end of the sentence. I usually don't understand that they are teasing me and will get kind of excited: "I was right! They are raising their tone! I do that too!" >_<'
Another way people imitate me is by saying 아마도 (maybe) as I often say that word. It is best combined with a raised tone~
Third example I caught in class last week. I was asking the students a cultural question and before I could respond one student very quietly whispered "that's interesting" before the words had a chance to leave my lips. I had to reply, I had to let him know I heard. I made eye contact and replied "you're right, it is interesting." ㅋㅋ
The last really distinctive thing I do is my style of laugh. I have yet to hear people try to copy that :) And I double dare you to try ^^
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Dollars and Cents
I have always bought airplane tickets through a travel agent or through a website. The latter of the two is where the cheaper tickets are which is why I shop online. I know the Christmas season is pricey for traveling international but $1,855 for a ticket? That's a bit excessive. Especially when I found out, via MiYoung, that I could buy the same ticket for around $1,100 (1,150,000 Won) after tax. I also found that if I had a few more days off and done this about a month ago, I could have flown for around $700.
I'll take my ticket for $750 cheaper than US websites offer, thank you.
I have known for awhile that the value of the Won is getting stronger. The amount of Won you can buy with a Dollar has been decreasing (in favor of the Koreans) for years. This has been a bummer for me going from Dollars -> Won, but now that my paycheck is coming in as Won, I am smiling all the way to the bank. That coupled with the fact that the value of the Dollar is decreasing, and I realize the paycheck is getting a little more valuable each month, which gets me that much closer to paying off my student loans.
I'll take my ticket for $750 cheaper than US websites offer, thank you.
I have known for awhile that the value of the Won is getting stronger. The amount of Won you can buy with a Dollar has been decreasing (in favor of the Koreans) for years. This has been a bummer for me going from Dollars -> Won, but now that my paycheck is coming in as Won, I am smiling all the way to the bank. That coupled with the fact that the value of the Dollar is decreasing, and I realize the paycheck is getting a little more valuable each month, which gets me that much closer to paying off my student loans.
Monday, November 5, 2007
In Class
I could not pass up this opportunity. The computer in this classroom has a virus so I am playing a song from my laptop and into a guitar amp. I am literally teaching class right now and posting on my blog at the same time. I don't think I will get this chance again soon. At least I sure hope not.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
"All Good Things"
The biggest adjustment has been flexibility. In the US I was quite flexible as I found things changing in my jobs in LA had changes all the time. I never found myself stressed as I was paid by the hour, overtime is nice, and as long as I am on the clock they have all rights for me to work; I'm cool with that.
Asian ideas of schedules are drastically different from that of the West; all things are subject to change. I don't mind this as long as I know things have changed. But finding out hours or days later than everyone else is not exactly okay. I've raised this point several times recently but it has yet to stick.
What has really brought me peace on this issue is that other teacher's are often caught off guard as well. It truly has.
My boss told me it was on the board outside as well as the announcement this morning and a week ago. And things like an announcement on the PA are helpful. Helpful for almost everyone. As are notes on the board; as long as I can understand enough words of it or grab someone to help me understand if it looks important.
I felt rather brass asking him if my job (description) included understand the notes written in Korean posted outside of our office.
Going from two classes to four classes and finding out the late morning of....grrrr
Dizmas helped me get most of it out of my system, but there is still a bit left.
I think for today I will be using the song "All Good Things" by Nelly Furtado....I just need to make a lesson out of it in the next 20 minutes.
By order of my boss it is now up to the people who make the schedules to tell me when they have changed it. hehehehe (wondering if/when she is going to hear since she is not here right now)
Update: The day turned for the best as I was about to go to class I heard an announcement. Purely in Korean (that's fine) but I was in the bathroom so I couldn't hear it. I figured I might as well ask someone and found out the next class (my first class) is canceled as there is a meeting for the school festival. Had a great laugh over the irony of this and happy I still have a sense of humorㅋㅋㅋ I'm going to ride my bike and then hit lunch.
Asian ideas of schedules are drastically different from that of the West; all things are subject to change. I don't mind this as long as I know things have changed. But finding out hours or days later than everyone else is not exactly okay. I've raised this point several times recently but it has yet to stick.
What has really brought me peace on this issue is that other teacher's are often caught off guard as well. It truly has.
My boss told me it was on the board outside as well as the announcement this morning and a week ago. And things like an announcement on the PA are helpful. Helpful for almost everyone. As are notes on the board; as long as I can understand enough words of it or grab someone to help me understand if it looks important.
I felt rather brass asking him if my job (description) included understand the notes written in Korean posted outside of our office.
Going from two classes to four classes and finding out the late morning of....grrrr
Dizmas helped me get most of it out of my system, but there is still a bit left.
I think for today I will be using the song "All Good Things" by Nelly Furtado....I just need to make a lesson out of it in the next 20 minutes.
By order of my boss it is now up to the people who make the schedules to tell me when they have changed it. hehehehe (wondering if/when she is going to hear since she is not here right now)
Update: The day turned for the best as I was about to go to class I heard an announcement. Purely in Korean (that's fine) but I was in the bathroom so I couldn't hear it. I figured I might as well ask someone and found out the next class (my first class) is canceled as there is a meeting for the school festival. Had a great laugh over the irony of this and happy I still have a sense of humorㅋㅋㅋ I'm going to ride my bike and then hit lunch.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Showers of Surprise
I figured that studying Korean culture off and on for seven years would mean I am no longer suprised by things. I am think that I would already know all of the differences between Korean and American culture. The biggest surprise this time around has been the shattering of this belief.
This last weekend I stayed with some close friends down in Busan. As it is getting late they, being the wonderful hosts that they are, offer me the first shower. I brush teeth, wash face, and use the toilet; all of my usual bedtime preparations. A few minutes after I return they discover that I, alas, have not taken a shower. A few weeks ago this group was smaller and I received suprised expressions but nothing beyond that. But now that I call one person in the group "big sister" and another person in the group "big brother," things are different; I have a deeper relationship with them than I did before.
Fast-forward 45 minutes and I have discovered that normal nighttime preparations always include washing your feet; this is a must. People sit on the floor, sleep on blankets on the floor, shoes are left by the door in a sunken area so the real floor of the house will not get dirty, in older days the woman of the house would daily clean the floor, sometimes have dinner or a snack sitting on the floor. As you can see the floor being clean is a very big issue. Even if you take a shower in the morning (like a good Westerner) it is a must to wash your feet at night so they are clean before they get into your bed.
I kind of feel proud that all of the big culture shock items I already know about and respect. I know all of the culture shock items on websites. I know all the culture shock items in books. I am now getting into the unspoken stuff. The things where Westerners never slip-up on because they never get this far into the culture. Honestly how many Americans do you know have spent multiple nights in a Korean's house? And even if they do make a mistake (like the feet thing) they must be in a very close relationship with the people for them to be that honest and open.
Goshdernit, I feel mighty proud~
This last weekend I stayed with some close friends down in Busan. As it is getting late they, being the wonderful hosts that they are, offer me the first shower. I brush teeth, wash face, and use the toilet; all of my usual bedtime preparations. A few minutes after I return they discover that I, alas, have not taken a shower. A few weeks ago this group was smaller and I received suprised expressions but nothing beyond that. But now that I call one person in the group "big sister" and another person in the group "big brother," things are different; I have a deeper relationship with them than I did before.
Fast-forward 45 minutes and I have discovered that normal nighttime preparations always include washing your feet; this is a must. People sit on the floor, sleep on blankets on the floor, shoes are left by the door in a sunken area so the real floor of the house will not get dirty, in older days the woman of the house would daily clean the floor, sometimes have dinner or a snack sitting on the floor. As you can see the floor being clean is a very big issue. Even if you take a shower in the morning (like a good Westerner) it is a must to wash your feet at night so they are clean before they get into your bed.
I kind of feel proud that all of the big culture shock items I already know about and respect. I know all of the culture shock items on websites. I know all the culture shock items in books. I am now getting into the unspoken stuff. The things where Westerners never slip-up on because they never get this far into the culture. Honestly how many Americans do you know have spent multiple nights in a Korean's house? And even if they do make a mistake (like the feet thing) they must be in a very close relationship with the people for them to be that honest and open.
Goshdernit, I feel mighty proud~
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