Lion Monster and Strange Tiger

I have a class of two second grade boys that is the only class I teach every day (the others are MWF or TTh--or something like that). These boys are funny and (usually) sweet--when Dragon is not biting Jason and Jason is not throwing chairs. On Tuesday, they asked if they could draw pictures instead of working on English. I told them that if we got through the lesson first AND they wrote an English story to go with their pictures, it would be ok. This is what they came up with:

Dragon. lion monster. lion monster eats other monster. lion monster is friends with tiger monster. they like to eat meat.

a Jasons. strange tiger. strange tiger eats meet and fish. strange tiger likes a fights red dragon.

I was inspired by these lovely tales and decided to try a story game with my other class of all boys after they finished their lesson (these five are fifth and sixth graders and while they are really great, they make a lot of noise and sound like they are killing each other--it doesn't really help that their favorite English word is "die"). We played the game where I write the first sentence and then each student adds a sentence to it. When I played this with my high school students at Roosevelt, we inevitably made stories that caused me to pray my boss didn't walk by at the wrong time. Apparently, Korea is no different (although at least one of my bosses reads this blog... hi Gwen!):

Once upon a time, there was a boy. The boy was a crazy boy. The boy killed a girl. So the police came to arrest the boy. The girl was Diana teacher. The boy died and went up to the sky. The boy fights God in the clouds. God dies. The boy fights Diana teacher. Diana teacher dies one more time. Diana teacher fights God. Diana teacher wins, but she dies. There is a nuclear explosion. Everybody dies. Except Diana teacher. But there is no food, so Diana teacher is hungry and dies. The boy is happy. Finish.

I'm the star of a bizarre, sacrilegious, anime-inspired, post-apocalyptic, coming-of-age tale. At one point, the weakest student in the class was confused when it was his turn, so the other boys jointly translated the story for him into Korean. It was all rather funny, but I'm not sure I shouldn't be a little worried for my life... Hm...

Korean Dramas and Ghettorific Banyawol

Well, on Monday night I felt like I was back in good ol' PG county for a day. You see I was crawling into bed, finishing off the Anne Perry Victorian murder mystery by lamplight, and enjoying the crisp coolness the night air has taken on in the last two days when all of a sudden I hear a woman shouting in Korean and some loud fighting sounds.

What is happening?

I try to ignore it, since I can't understand a word of what's being said. The loudness continues and I get up to go peek outside. There was a 30-something woman shouting at an older man who had his cell phone out and was trying to get her to calm down. They were right outside Samantha's apartment! Oh no! I said a little prayer hoping she was still asleep (I found out later that she wasn't... eek).

I watched for a little bit (it was rather voyeuristic of me, I'll admit... but hey, I'm just really into other people's business--not gossiping, just knowing it), trying to figure out what happened. The woman seemed crazy. The man was very calm. She started hitting him. He pushed her off him. She threw something at him and started storming off down another street. A few seconds later she came back.

I contemplated shouting "Shut the fuck up" in English out the window, to see what would happen. I thought about dialing 119 (the police) and simply holding the receiver out the window. I thought about calling Gwen and asking her to have Samson call the police (if it had seemed more serious, I would have done so).

But the really scary thought dawned on me that in this particular situation, I was relatively useless to help. I don't understand the culture. I can't communicate in the language. I didn't even see how it began to know what was right and wrong (maybe he hit her first, how would I know?). Being unable to help out others and resolve a situation like that made me feel powerless and afraid.

That feeling subsided quickly into humor and amusement at the ridiculousness of the situation. I found out later that Samantha had called Gwen (after all, being a floor up and a block away is a much different vantage point than seeming to be in the midst of it all) and Simon (Samson's brother who lives a block or two over) came over and called the police.

Luckily for me, Simon also found out what really happened! Since I'm sure you want to know the juicy dirt, here's the story, as good as any Korean drama on TV, I'm sure: The old couple who lives on the second floor of Samantha's building have a son who no longer lives with them. This son once had a girlfriend who has since married another man. However the ex-girlfriend is still in love with the son. When she gets drunk, she comes looking for her old lover. His father told her that he didn't live there anymore and that she should go back to her husband. That's when she went crazy.

And apparently, in Korea, you don't fight drunk people, even if they are beating the crap out of you. It's sort of like what we would think about someone who hit a person in a wheelchair or a child. They're impaired, so it's not ok. Or something.

Hahoe Village

Samantha and I visited the Andong Mask Festival and Hahoe Folk Village on Sunday. The mask festival was much bigger than I expected (as many "international" festivals in Korea turn out to be local festivals where they hope to attract foreigners). There were artisans and performers from all over the Asian continent (and a few shout-outs to other continents in colorfully informative booths). We probably could have spent a lot longer wandering around the festival and seen some of the shows or tried some of the crafts demonstrations, but we didn't want to spend too much money (as it was I bought a beautiful necklace and a colorful scarf and was sorely tempted by some gorgeous pottery) and we wanted to check out the folk village.

Hahoe Village--because you know you love Korean scarecrows at least as much as I do, right?

Hahoe is a living history museum of sorts. The government makes an effort to support the residents of Hahoe in preserving the older customs of Korean country life. The village has both the thatched roof houses of the lower classes and the tiled roof homes of the educated yangban.

Juxtaposition of thatched and tile roofs

The residents have allowed their village to become a tourist destination, so some efforts at preservation are marred by the overwhelming presence of minbaks (hotels) and the fact that tourism is probably the main way many of these "farmers" support themselves.

A lone antenna is evidence of modernization. Yes, Dad. I was thinking of you when I took this picture!

However, wandering even a little bit off the main path, you will find the residents of Hahoe engaged in the daily tasks of Korea of old. Including, apparently, the important one of play fighting with metal pipes and then tossing the hay near a ditch around, at least until you notice the weird foreign lady watching you and run away.

Young Hahoe residents before I frightened them away

Besides looking at the breathtaking scenery and observing the older ways of life, the Hahoe Mask Dance Drama is performed daily on weekends by local actors. The masks are quite unique, with movable jaws that allow for many different expressions. Many of the actors were quite funny and the crowd was huge, so getting good pictures was difficult. I got some that were ok.

Here the drunk dude leans on the narrator (I think he was supposed to be either the scholar or the witty servant... It's hard to tell since I missed the first half of the show)

For great photos of the traditional drama, I refer you to Jane's trip to Hahoe (and just amazing photos in general that put mine to shame). Since it was the weekend of the Mask Festival, the village pavillion also hosted a mask dance group from the small country of Bhutan (don't worry--Shelly and I hadn't heard of it either...).

The costumes were fascinating and the athleticism of the performers was impressive

Since we arrived pretty late in the day, we didn't have time to take the little gondola across the river and hike up the mountain path. That's too bad, but I did get mask decoration Christmas presents for my family (and one for me, of course) and some cell phone tag decorations (very popular here) for Sa Beom Nim. I took some other photos of the performances and architecture/scenery of the village that you can check out on the Picasa album below.

Hahoe Village (Andong, South Korea)

The mask festival is an experience worth having again. It kind of reminded me of the DC Folk Festival around the 4th of July or even the Maryland Renaissance Festival. Many people even dressed up in the hanbok to attend (which is nowhere near as cleavage happy as the rennfest costuming, but still pretty cool).

Yellow Belt!

I don't have much time before I have to leave for work, but I needed to post the awesomely great news: I am now yellow belt in taekwondo! Woohoo! I'm so cool--except that I'm a big dork.

Samantha came to class today and really enjoyed it. That's good. Sa Beom Nim must have really want her to come back because he didn't make her do some of the harder kicks and seemed worried about her hurting tomorrow.

I also had my first telephone call in Korean. I thought I should call Sa Beom Nim to tell him that Samantha would come today, so I tried to do that. I was terrible but Sa Beom Nim bragged about it to May's Mom after class, so I guess he understood the gist of my attempt to speak. Communication is much harder without mime. I will have to study harder.

Andong Mask Festival

Today, Samantha and I went to the final day of the Andong Mask Festival and then to Hahoe Folk Village (a short trip outside Andong, but very worth the bus ride). Met up with Shelly and Rob on their crazy cool tour while in Hahoe. I bought some cool stuff and saw lots of awesome things and got a little bit of a sunburn. I am too tired for a complete update of today's events, so I will share with you my new friend:



I have loaded the best pics from the festival onto a Picasa album for your perusal:

Andong Mask Festival (Andong, South Korea)

Unfortunately you will have to wait for the awesomeness of Hahoe (and oh boy is it worth waiting for!) because I am going to sleep now. Good night!

Holy Tex Mex!

I just got back from a night of forcing Samantha to keep awake until at least ten and making Se Jin have a good time because she is working too hard. We went downtown to find somewhere to eat and ran into a girl from Samantha's YMCA class who was headed to The Holy Grill, a new western style restaurant owned by the same guy who owns Thunderbird. It was incredible. I had a shrimp quesadilla that was delicious even by American dining standards--full of jalapenos and tasty cheese and topped with four tons of salsa (of course). After more than a month with no Chevy's or Mexican food of any kind, this place made my night.

Plus we got Se Jin to eat her first burrito! She liked it. Yay!

The place is more expensive than your typical Korean eatery, but is worth it for the satisfaction of cravings for deliciousness that cannot be assuaged in any other manner.

I had a yummy food day all around because after class this morning I had Indian food for lunch with Tristan. She's a pretty cool person to talk to and she's been here for a bit so she knows a lot of people and places (she was the first person I heard mention The Holy Grill). I forget the name of the Indian food place, but the naan was so good, I ordered extra.

I think I just gained back a couple of lost kilograms. Totally worth it.

Hooray for Friday!

I didn't get my yellow belt today because I choked up on the pomsae a little (darn it, I did so well before--this weekend I will practice, practice, practice!!!). I tried to tell Sa Beom Nim I was nervous, but I don't think he understood this time. It's ok, but it made me a little sad and frustrated.

But when I got to school, the package my parents sent was waiting for me! I have the good chocolate calcium pills now, Vitamin C, two books I did not expect, craploads of bills I don't want to think about--haha, a Vickie's secret IPEX bra, jeans that no longer fit (but I did get a $5 belt today, so I can still wear them for bumming around on weekends), and my sister's senior portraits, which I proudly showed off to anyone who would look at them. Sarah is so ridiculously beautiful it hurts sometimes. I miss my family, but it was neat to see Dad's handwriting and stuff. It made me super happy (I think the Korean teachers suspect I am insane with how much I was bouncing up and down like a giddy little college freshman who just got a package from home...).

School was randomly stressful this week, even though there were only 4 days, because of prepping report cards and grading tests from last week, and because the upcoming tests for middle schoolers means my schedule keeps getting shifted around at the last second which makes it tough to plan. However, stress is always based on a comparative scale. The "stress" of this week, for me, has been laughable compared to my life last year around this time. The Korean teachers and Gwen and Samson are going a little batty, though. I'm forcing Se Jin out to relax since she is now working 7 days/week, including the holiday on Wednesday. After my Andong trip, maybe I will try to make something happy and tasty for everyone.

That dog is still howling in my backyard most of the night. It must be a new pet. They should really let it inside at night--it's going to drive me batty if I can't find some effective earplugs in the next few days.

Now to study Korean or otherwise relax because IT'S FRIDAY!!!

Hoolah and Car Fire

Samantha arrived all safe and sound. Gwen and I spend most of Wednesday trying to keep her awake in hopes that it would stave off jet lag a bit. I get along well with Samantha so far, so it was a very enjoyable day that ended with a rather competitive card game called Hoolah (I don't know how you'd actually spell it) that is kind of like Korean rummy with betting between Gwen, Samson, Simon (Samson's brother who helps manage the school), and myself--Samantha was fading by that point, poor girl. I went home with enough money to pay for dinner tonight (which is more impressive when you realize we were playing for dimes, essentially).

I woke up this morning feeling much less sore, even with the dog across the way that decided to bark from 11 pm until 3 am or so. Good lord I need earplugs!

During one of my later classes today, there was this awful burning smell coming in through the window. I looked outside to see a car on fire on the street! I didn't know what I should do about it, but by the time class was over, it wasn't there anymore. However, on my walk home, I passed the most terrifying vehicle wreckage I have ever seen on a street (the cars they get to park outside American high schools during the week of prom don't really count). I tried to get some pictures of it, but they did not come out well because it was so dark:

Along the bottom here, you can see the extinguisher foam trail that ran all up and down the street.

Here is some detail of the roof--do you see how burnt the metal is?

The car was surrounded by police tape, but otherwise just parked normally by the road side.

It really freaked me out imagining people driving this thing... It was like a skeleton of a car or something... Creepy.

Holidays are awesome!

Today is a mid-week day off for something like Korean Foundation Day (my students were trying to explain the holiday to me in English yesterday). This comes at a very fortunate time for me and my body.

You see, on Sunday, I pulled a Diana signature klutz move that involved carrying an armload of groceries home and not looking at the pot-hole laden street while I was walking (because of course the sky was more interesting). My left ankle twisted in a pot hole and I went down. Scraped up my hand and knee that braced my fall, but it didn't really do more than damage my pride.

However, Monday's workout at TKD was particularly grueling. I was tired at the end of it, but the full intensity did not hit until I woke up Tuesday morning with my ankle throbbing in pain. I went to TKD, but told Sa Beom Nim about my hurt ankle so that if it got worse during practice, he would know why I needed to rest. During the workout I was fine, but about an hour or so later, right before work, it was killing me again. I took a bunch of ibuprofen and made it through work with lots of coffee and other distracting and delicious snacky items to keep me awake through classes, but I was hurting. It was lucky that Sandy offered to drive me home, or I might not have made it.

Well... I slept a lot last night (with another dosing of ibuprofen) and woke up very sore this morning, but it is less concentrated in the ankle. But it did throw off my plans to go hiking this morning. I have deemed that resting and healing is more important for today. So this is a lovely day for recuperation because I don't have TKD or work. I hope to be in less pain tomorrow!

Samantha will be here this afternoon, so I'll see if I can't help her get settled in a bit.

"Hello!"

My life is now full of people gaping openly at me as I walk down the street, turning and giggling with their friends, until the "brave" one steps forward, waves, and shouts "Hello!" I used to respond, "Hello," but I have taken to answering "Annyeong Haseyo" instead. This often results in more looks of shock, but sometimes, as in last night, a bizarre conversation in broken Korean.

Four 20-something Koreans were standing outside a norae bang (singing room--like karaoke), obviously a little tipsy and enjoying themselves. They noticed me and I had they typical "waegukin" encounter. When I answered with the Korean greeting, one of the girls started speaking at me quickly, in Korean. (Translations below are approximate--and only the things she said that I actually understood. She said other things that I don't know what they meant).

"Oh you speak Korean!"

"Korean..." I hold up my fingers with a small space between the pointer and thumb to indicate.

"A little? Ok. Are you a student?"

"No. English Teacher. Oedae Hakwon."

"Your face is very beautiful."

"Thank you."

"Are you American?"

"Yes I am American."

"Where is your house? (she had been telling me where her house was before this... but I only understood like 2 words--house and left)"

I wave my arm in the direction of my apartment. "There. Banyawol."

She then proceeded to make each of her friends come up and say hello, nice to meet you, and shake my hand (the hand shaking thing is a story for another day--since it is not a customary greeting in Korea and most don't have a clue how to do it, but like to try with foreigners).

This story may not impress you, but it is the first semi-successful conversation I've had in Korean with a total stranger from whom I was not purchasing something. My listening, if not my speaking, is improving quickly.

Sa Beom Nim had me break boards today in class. He has these plastic bricks for practicing this skill. I broke 5 and then 8. It didn't hurt (I thought it might), but I was using a fist, not a chop. He then showed off a little and broke the whole stack and then showed me some of the granite bricks he broke. Scary.

I did my first pomsae very well today the last time I tried it (like remembered all the transitions and stuff). I'm starting to feel like when I get my yellow belt, I really will have earned it (definitely wasn't feeling that way last week). This is a good thing.