Sunday with mom and cousins

On Sunday, I met my mom and two cousins. Previously, I had met one cousin, but today her younger sister came along. I met them at a subway station. I was looking around for them, but they were sitting in my mom's car. She drives a Hyundai and she is a pretty good driver.

First, we went to Changdeokgung Palace with a Secret Garden. It is a Palace in the middle of the city. It is one of the few preserved palaces in Korea. It is over 100 acres in area. They require following a tour guide when visiting, partly to get understanding of the history and probably for better care of the area. It has many beautiful buildings and the back half is a wonderful tree-lined area with a couple ponds.

Afterwards, we drove to my mother's house. Sundays happen to be the day for demonstrations in the downtown area. Traffic was terrible even though it was Sunday. My mother lives just outside of Seoul, but it is similar to living in a suburb of Seoul. Her place is new because she just moved into her place in July.

The apartment is 2 bedrooms, den, living room, kitchen, and some other balcony type areas. She has well furnished house. She lives alone and seems to live comfortably. She doesn't have a computer, but is considering because of email and keeping contact with her relatives in Atlanta, GA.

For dinner, my mom bought a couple ducks with Korean side dishes. Since she thought I would be hungry, she had my cousins and I eat before my mom's oldest brother and wife came. It was quite delicious and didn't have to strong of a game flavor.

After awhile, my mom's oldest brother and wife came. He also is in education. He is a principal of a high school in Seoul, so he has a very good job. My uncle can speak a little English, but his wife can't really say anything. Also, I figured out that my mom can say a few things in English and she understand somethings that I say.

Once it was late enough, my mom called Atlanta where her 2nd older brother lives with his wife, my grandmother, and son. I was given the phone and talked to all of them. It was very interesting talking to my grandmother. She has lived in the US since she was about 65 years old and now she is about 85. She still struggles saying things in English and she was a little disappointed that she couldn't say more. I probably should have been able to say more in Korean, but my Korean is so, so, so poor. It was nice to know that I have relatives in Atlanta, New York City, and somewhere in NJ.

As usual, I received a few more gifts. For gifts, I received a scarf, cake, and chocolates. Oh, my cousins and I were all given 20 dollars from my uncle. So, my cousins and I were happy to have some "pocket money" (Konglish).

My mom asked me a few questions. Also, I asked a few questions, but I didn't really have any good questions. I did find out that David was born about 9:30pm and I was born about 9:45pm with a natural delivery. My cousins thought it was a little bit of a strange question since it isn't that much difference in time. At the end of the night, my mother home. My mother is so happy to seem, but I feel so bad when I have to leave. Before I leave for SF, I will spend a night or two at my mother's house.

Jejudo/Udo trip

Last weekend, I asked my father if wanted to go to Jejudo. Jejudo is a small island off of the southern coast of Korea. It is kinda like the Hawai'i of Korea. It is also the place that my father was born and where a few relatives live.

After the short 50 min flight, I met my father's cousin. He was our personal chauffeur; he also is a taxi driver. We drove to Seongsan (volcanic cone). We hiked up Seongsan to get a good view of the east side of Jeju. My father enjoys hiking, but doesn't really inform me to wear proper shoes. I guess I should realize this by now. He would go up at a quick pace, but his cousin and I enjoyed a few breaks on the way up. It isn't that high, but still quite a few stairs to climb.

After Seongsan, we took a ferry to Udo, an even smaller island. On the ride over, we could see ladies in the ocean who dive for various shellfish. They wear wetsuits, but use no breathing devices. They have been trained to hold their breath for long amounts of time. I am not sure how deep they dive, but they are a long swim from shore. The only thing they have with them is a big floatation balloon.

First, we went to the coral sand beach. The beach is snow white. On the beach, there was one of the divers selling her shellfish, so we ate some raw "unknown" shellfish. Afterwards, we drove around the small island. We stopped at this very small house. I was exactly sure where we were until my father's cousin said, "amoni", which means mother. This is when I met my father's aunt. She was a cute old lady. I presume she lives alone on the island. She served various raw shellfish, not exactly sure what it all is. She showed me some pictures she had hanging on the wall of my relatives. We ate, took a couple photos, and before we left she hands me an envelope. Yep, I received 100,000 Won ($108).

In the afternoon we visited gravesites of different relatives. On Udo, we visited what would be my father's great, great grandparents and great grandparents. Back on Jejudo, we went to my father's grandmother's and grandfather's graves. It was your typical sightseeing, but I guess my father wanted to do the traditional Korean thing and for me to know where my Korean family is.

On the second day, we visited Jeongbang Waterfall. It is a small waterfall on the south side of Jejudo, but it is right on the coast. Yep, there were more stairs, but beautiful area. Next, we visited Seogwipo World Cup Stadium (cap. 50,000) and wasted some time at the Agricultural Expo. It was quite boring because everything was in Korean, but my father was trying to explain things. He has a lot of difficulty with English, so it wasn't too enjoyable.

After an hour or so, his other cousin came by. He is the older brother of taxi driver cousin. We went to a nice restaurant. I met the older cousins' wife, daughter, and two grandkids. They didn't speak any English, so I just focused on eating and letting my father talk to them.

Two weeks ago, I met some more relatives. My great uncle's daughter, husband (dentist), and two sons (4 and 6 years old) came from Busan area to meet for dinner with me and great uncle's son. They have on other daughter, but she is young, so they didn't bring her. We went for dinner in Gangnam area. They live near Busan and I am guessing that they flew up to Seoul for the day to meet me. It was interesting to meet another relative and her family.

Meeting Korean Mom and ...

On Thursday, November 1st, 2007, I met my biological mother. SWS, adoption agency, arranged for us to meet at their office with a translator. It was all so fast. I didn't find out until noon the day before that SWS had been able to contact my mother. So, they emailed me and I suggested a time ASAP.

I arrived at SWS early because that is how like to set it up. As I was waiting, In Heiryung, translator, told me that my mom was on her way, but was stuck in traffic. Also, she mentioned that I would be meeting her younger sister, her husband, and daughter. So instead of just my mom, I would be meeting aunt, uncle, and cousin. Ah, I was getting quite nervous.

Not much longer, they arrived. I had no idea what to expect. My mother came over to me, hugged me, and was crying. I don't know how to say it, but it was a relief to finally meet her. I was in shock and my emotions didn't really know what to feel. It is an experience that is so unique. Sometimes, it seems like this person is totally a stranger, but you look at them and think, "I look like her."

My mother is an elementary school teacher. She lives about 25 minutes away from me on the subway, so actually pretty close. She lives alone. She comes from a family with 4 children. She was the third child. She has two older brothers and a younger sister. The second son lives in Atlanta. The oldest sons' children attend universities in NY. One of the brothers is also a teacher. Their mother wanted them to be teachers since they were a somewhat poor family and teaching is a very good job in Korea.

On this meeting, I met my mom's younger sister. She is a middle school teacher and is married to a high school teacher. They have two daughters, who attend university. The one I met, Ye-Seul goes to Yonsei University (one of the three prestigious universities of Korea) for interior design. She can speak pretty good English. She did study English for a semester or so in Atlanta. To further her studies, she is planning to go attend a school in the UK next year for six months. The younger one had an exam, so she was unable to attend.

She always thought about us and if she would be able to see us again. In the past, relationships between her and my father were not good. I didn't ask any of the difficult situations of the past, but she wondered why "adoption" was decided, when she would have liked to try taking care of us. I don't know all of the answers to the questions or when I will ever be able to know what story is correct. She said she had lots to say, but since she can't speak English, it is difficult for her to say either because of language or translator.

After chatting at SWS, we went to a nice restaurant. We had Korean food because I suggested it to the translator before they arrived. The translator picked a very nice restaurant that had private dining rooms. It was a little expensive, but nice to have a conversation without any distractions. They asked more questions about David, my twin, and American family. They were happy to see that both us were well educated and seemingly successful.

Health was also a concern. My mom asked about my leg and to see if I needed surgery since she knew that I had a bad left leg as a child. She also wondered if I would be tall and skinny like my father. She said that I looked very similar to one of her nephews. I guess one of her nephews is a little (ok, a lot) bigger also.

They asked a lot of questions. It was a little difficult to answer the questions about my father. I didn't really know what to say because I didn't know if she would still be upset. Afterwards, she said that she wasn't upset anymore at my father and asked how he felt about her. I haven't asked him, so I didn't know what to say. I talked to the translator and she said translating most of it would be ok.

Even though, I am planning to leave Korea soon, I am thankful that I have had this opportunity. I will try to spend as much time as possible with my mother and father. This weekend, I will go to Jejudo with my father and I already have plans to meet my mother next weekend.

My Korean Mom

Last week, I met my father. I had contacted him about finding my mother and possibly going to Jejudo (Jeju Island). This is the origin of my father's family. When we met, he took me around to a couple offices (education bureau and police station) to search for my mother. He didn't get any results, so I wasn't sure if I would be able to meet her. I knew that I could find her without his blessing, but I wanted to wait if he would use the adoption agency or other search method to find her. I guess that he contacted the agency because they contacted me.

On Oct. 30, SWS (adoption agency) contacted my mother. Oct. 31, they contacted me to find a good time to meet. November 1st, we will meet at SWS for the first time. It should be interesting to meet her. I will have more this weekend.

Fireworks Festival

Saturday, October 13th

I attended the Seoul Fireworks Festival. It was held near the Han River with ideal viewing in a green space on Yeoido (an island considered mini-Manhattan) near the 63 building. I ended catching a bus from near Pagoda. I happened to meet a few foreigners on the way. One guy was wearing a jacket with "Minnesota" embroidered, so we talked a little while. He was going to the fireworks with his friends from Samsung. The bus was quite so because everyone trying to get near the 63 building. We ended up meeting a few other Samsung employees, so we had a diverse group. The group was two German ladies, an American, an Uzbek, an Indian, a couple other people, and me.

The fireworks show was really good. It had three separate shows. The first group was from Japan, next the Americans, and finally Korean group. Each group had music choreographed with the show. The Japanese group had quite traditional and conservative music. The American had a wide variety of new and old Rock-n-Roll songs. The Koreans also chose a variety of songs. Even the individual shows were shorter than traditional Fourth of July shows, New Year's, Seollal, etc., the groups definitely wanted to display the newest and best fireworks that they created. The shapes and colors were some of the best I have ever seen.

Afterwards, it was quite an adventure to try getting home. The attendance probably had over 100,000 people, so it was quite difficult to find any buses, taxis, or non-jammed subways. The closest subway station was actually closed due to safety. We ended up walking a long ways and couldn't find anything. After a long time, we ended up outside the Noryangjin Fish Market. This is the best known fish market and great place to get anything and everything from the sea. Outside of the market, Sonja (half-Korean, half-German) managed to get a van to stop and negotiated a ride for all six of us. Normally, the van receives calls to transport people, so we were lucky that he was starting his night and stopped to offer us a ride. He took a roundabout route to get back to Gangnam. At the time, we were south of the river, but he took us north of the river to avoid all of the traffic and it only cost $20 for the six of us. Two taxis probably would have cost $20 each.

Wedding

This last weekend, I went to another wedding for a classmate from my Korean class. The two previous weddings that I attended were typical weddings. They took place at wedding halls with dinner afterwards.

This is last one was a little different. It was held at a church (of some sort). Afterwards, they took pictures inside and outside (group photo). Next, we went to a restaurant across the street for dinner. Usually, the wedding festivities end here, but instead the bride and groom invited us to a nearby bar. At the wedding, there was about 100+ guests and at the bar, it was the younger generation (25-40+). It was a lot of fun meeting different guests. Some were from Japan because my classmate is Japanese and married Korean guy. Most of the guests spoke Japanese or Korean only, but a few spoke English. At the bar, there was plenty of beer, soju, and snacks (fruit, soup, dried fish/squid). After drinking plenty, we went to a Noraebang (Karoake room). We sang some songs and drank some more. Koreans definitely like to drink a lot on any occasion, but it was a fun time, even if I had to work early the next day.

Chuseok Weekend

Chuseok Weekend (Sept. 22-26)

Last major holiday of the year, I have Saturday to Wednesday off. On Saturday, my father visited me at my house (Mr. Han’s). Mr. Han told me that my father would like to take me to Busan (2nd largest city) for Chuseok to meet some relatives. That afternoon, we went to the Folk Village which had displays of real and some replicas of Korean history. It had different houses, tools, equipment, games, etc.

On Sunday, my father said we start around 3pm from my house, but he came by around 2 pm to start our trek to Busan. Let’s just say I was having a lazy morning chatting with my girlfriend online, so I wasn’t finished packing. Also, I didn’t know how to open the door with the intercom system, so I ended up getting a visit by the security guards. Oops, but they realized why, when I couldn’t speak any Korean to them.

Normally on non-Chuseok weekends, the trip is about 400 km (nearly 250 miles) and takes about 4.5 hours. Well, on Chuseok weekend it is more like a slow trail to boredom. The first one-third of the trip took about 4 hours and the last two thirds took about 4 hours, so it was definitely one long and difficult journey. My father thought we should make a couple extra pit-stops, but I did drive for one stretch. Yep, the first time I have driven in Korea or for the last 10 months. We finally arrived in Busan and it was late, but we drove around a little bit to see some various landmarks. Busan is a large container port city, so there are many loading docks for containers and also a few shipbuilding yards.

We stayed in a motel the first night. It was ok, but definitely an old style motel and more set-up to be “love motel”, which are very common in Korea, since children sometimes live parents until getting married.

On Monday, I met my great uncle, his wife, and son. One note, my grandfather was the oldest son in his family and the great uncle is the youngest and only remaining child of his generation. My great uncle is 62 and my father is 58 (Korean age), so it is more like brothers in looks. The great uncle’s son (31) is only one year older than me, but is a cousin of my father.

First, we ate breakfast and talked awhile. Afterwards, we went to their home and relaxed. Another of my father’s cousins stopped by, but he seemed closer to my father in age, maybe 50’s. My father (176 cm) is quite tall compared to my great uncle (165 cm?) and older cousin (162cm?); the younger cousin (175cm) is almost as tall.

In the afternoon, we went to Haeundae Beach. It is the most famous and busy beach during the summer in Korea. On weekends, approx. 500,000 people visit the beach on a single day. For lunch, we stopped at Outback Steakhouse. Let’s just say I ate a lot of beef and other food. Next, we walked along the beach path and looked at some sites. Later, we visited the location where they had an APEC meeting. This is a location where George Bush and other Asian-Pacific leaders met with the location rotating countries every year.

In the evening, we just went to my great uncle’s home and relaxed. I ended up going to bed early since I have been fighting a cold. It doesn’t help that my father occasionally smokes and it doesn’t help with my allergies and cold. Oh, I figured out that my father and I were given the master bedroom to sleep. It is a big bed, but rock hard, almost like sleeping on a pool table. The “mattress” is some sort of marble looking material than has a heater underneath for the winter. And they only have a blanket covering that as padding. Definitely, it was the hardest bed that I have slept on in some time.

In the morning, I was happy because I was able to use wireless Internet while everyone was sleeping and getting ready for Chuseok ceremonies. To begin the Chuseok preparation, they have this screen that has some Chinese writing on it and they have a small table prepared where they put food and drink. First, they put a lot of different foods (fish, meat, shrimp, rice cakes, ddok, apples, pears, persimmon, dried items, vegetables, kimchi, rice, and soup, etc.). My great uncle than pours some alcohol for the ancestors.

After that, in a large bowl, he takes some rice and soup from each persons bowl and puts into the large bowl. He also placed a small portion of all of the other food. I am not exactly sure what they do with afterwards. Also, great uncle and son say a few things and do a formal bow. Once that is all done, we ate. Breakfast consisted of all of that food plus pork ribs.

After eating, they talked some more and then my great uncle gave me some money (about 100 dollars). Normally, this might be given to young children, but I think he thought that I should get some money because it was my first Chuseok.

The whole family was happy to get to see me and that my twin brother and I have to come back soon. Also, I guess a great aunt living in Jeju heard that I was in Korea and that she was very happy.

At 11 am, my father and I started are long road trip back to Seoul. If I thought 8 hours to get to Busan was bad. I wasn’t prepared for the trek back. The first stretch getting out of Busan city limits took at least 3 hours. My father is definitely a bumper-to-bumper driver. He showed obvious stress from going so slow.

When we reached the Daegu toll booth at hour 5, traffic had all, but stopped. It took over 2 hours to get past the log jam at the toll booth.

Other things of note:
11 hours to get halfway home
Luckily, my girlfriend called and killed about an hour of the trip
Sent many, many text messages trying to kill time and wish Happy Chuseok to everyone
Janet (friend/fellow teacher) sent many text msgs back to help kill time
Saw a lot of cars pulled over to side to make bathroom breaks for all to see
Had to stop for full Korean meal, where dad thought I didn’t eat enough
Traffic getting better after rest stop
Dead car battery at rest area
Longest road trip for only 400 km distance
Couldn’t believe the number of headlights and taillights burnt out
Once in a lifetime opportunity with Korean father even though we don’t talk that much

Overall, it took 19 hours and arrived at my house at 6 am. I don’t know how long my father stopped on the side of the road for a break and to smoke, but I know that it was the longest most miserable ride. Normally, I would have been complaining until the end of time, but it isn’t too polite, especially in Korean culture. I managed to survive, but my father probably had another 45 minutes to his house.

On Wednesday, I had plans to meet some friends and co-worker, so I couldn’t even catch up on rest. It was a lot of fun because I met Ah Rong and two of her friends for lunch. We went to Samcheong dong (cute old-style Korean area) and walked around the area. Afterwards, I met a co-worker in Daehangno, which is another college area, so many places to eat and drink.

update

Well, I am still doing the same stuff. Starting to wonder how long I will be teaching and if I will change to something else by the end of the year. There are a lot of "what ifs" between now and then. My contract has some small problems (more like big), but I won't worry about it until I need to do so.

Many of the teachers are leaving or going on vacation, so it seems a little different at work. I have been making a lot of calls abroad to keep in touch with someone, so my journey might take a new direction by January 2008. Just trying to keep busy, beat the heat, and save some money.

Hot/Humid Summer

Well, summer is definitely different than back home. Hot and humid is normal with me sitting and sweating anywhere I go or anything I do. So far, it has only been about 85-90F, but the humidity is the killer. It doesn't disappear and if does, it means that it is raining since the rainy season is just finishing.

This last weekend, we had five days off because Wednesday was Independence Day. I didn't have to teach, but I still ended up doing some work for the TOEIC R&D department. I guess it kept me occupied. Most people travel outside of Seoul to get some fresh air or do something new, but I didn't. I guess I was feeling a little lonely because a "certain" someone left last Thursday.

Now, since it is my eighth month of teaching, I am considering how long I should teach or if I work for one year. My contract doesn't stipulate that I have to work one year like most foreign teachers. However, if I want to avoid paying US taxes, I need to be outside the US for 330 out of 365 days. I am considering moving back to the states to find a business job, but I won't be heading to ND any time soon. I would be going to SF, but I am not sure exactly when (maybe December or January).

Cafe/Jongno Tower

This weekend, I went to a Dr. Fish Cafe. It is a coffee/tea shop that also has small tanks of fish. You put your feet in them for 15 minutes. The fish then eat all the old flesh off of your feet. It tickles a little bit, but the fish are so small that it isn't too bad. Most of them are mini-minnow size. The cafe also has many places to sit with magazines and books to read. Unfortunately, I can't read any of the books, but I can look at the pictures of the Korean version of GQ, Men's Health, and other magazines.

Also, I went to Jongno Tower. It is a unique building that is triangular shaped. It has a glass exterior and near the top there is a big opening. On the 33rd floor, there is a restaurant/bar. I went with a "friend" and we enjoyed a cocktail (a little expensive), but it has a nice view of downtown Seoul at night. It would be a nice place to have a romantic (and expensive) dinner with someone special.

It is almost of the end of July. Work has been crazy. This is the busiest month of the year because university students are on summer break. Most students choose to travel in August. I haven't had many extra students, but I did have more hours of class. So, my working hours still are inconvenient. I have to work early mornings and late evenings. Also, I am doing some TOEIC writing and proofreading for R&D, so I will get paid a lot this month. Even with the bigger paycheck, I will be ready for the month to be over.

Geoje Island

I went on a day-trip (Mon./Tues.) to Geojedo (거제도). It is a island of the southern end of Korea, so it takes about 4 hours or so by bus. I went with a "friend." Since I had never heard of it,my "friend" arranged and paid for the tour. The tour left at 10pm from Seoul. As part of the package, we spent a couple hours at a sauna, which was my first experience with a Korean bath. After the sauna, we went to have breakfast at 6am and we ate seafood jjigae (soup, slightly spicy). It isn't exactly the breakfast of choice, but it was part of the package. Afterwards, we could walk around the marina to wait our boat ride. We took a ride on a boat around some islands and then stopped at Oedo (외도). It is a small island, but it is a botanical garden with many people taking care of it and manicuring the landscape. From the island, there are so many wonderful views. For the rest of the day, we went to different beaches on Geojedo. It was a wonderful day since the weather was nice and there is a lot less pollution. Fresh air, scenic views, and a "friend" made it for an amazing day away from the "rat race" of Seoul. We arrived back in Seoul the next day at 8pm.

Aside: Tuesday (July 17th) is Constitution Day, so it is a national holiday and Pagoda took Monday off also, since we only work 20 working days per month.

Korean Wedding

Last weekend, I attended my first Korean wedding. They are a little bit different than American weddings. Before the wedding, the bride is taking pictures with her friends in a side room. My friend, a former teacher, even had me come take a photo with her. We can't communicate too well because she speaks only a little English and my Korean is still terrible. I did meet her husband for lunch a few months ago, so since I knew them both they invited me. It was kind of unusual because all of the other teachers that attended were women and they kept asking me how I got invited.

As for the wedding, it was in a wedding hall, which is very popular in Korea. The wedding started with the mothers being escorted down the aisle and having them light two candles. Then, groom walks down, and finally the bride. She wore a white wedding dress. Someone gives a message (in Korean), then they had some special wedding singers, friends of the couple. After, the groom read a message to his bride and next played a song on guitar with two other guitarists. The bride and groom are pronounced married (I guess) and they walk down the aisle. Afterwards, they take group pictures with parents, family, extended family, and finally, friends. So, I was in a group picture with about 80 other people.

For dinner, this wedding was a buffet. They served all kinds of different Korean food, but no wedding cake. It was nice to go and see the wedding because the teacher taught at my first teaching location (Sinchon) and I hadn't seen many of the teachers for a few months. All of this finished in about 2 hours, so Korean weddings are notorious for being over in a short amount of time.



P.S. Congratulations to my sister and brother-in-law for making me an uncle for the second time. Sorry that I can come visit any time soon, Congratulations anyway.

Local Knowledge/Language Study

This weekend, I went shopping in Myeondong, which has a lot of trendy and some expensive stores. I went with a Korean teacher, so she showed me around and saved me some money when I wanted to purchase a pair of shoes. I guess for certain stores you can buy money vouchers. On the street in little kiosks you can exchange won for a voucher that give you a 20-30% discount. I saved 50,000 won when buying a pair a of shoes that were nearly impossible to find. Brown shoes with a decent tone or style are very difficult to find. Black shoes are ubiquitous and come in every possible style wanted or not. I guess this voucher system gives locals a discount, but allows for the stores to make a greater profit on the tourists or unknowing expats.

This week, I will start visiting the Ewha Woman's University campus, specifically Ewha Language Center. Yes, the university is women only, but the language center is co-educational, so it won't be for sightseeing purposes only. I received a scholarship through the G.O.A.L (Global Oversees Adoptee Link) organization. So, instead of studying 2 hours/day, 5 days/week and spending nearly $400/month, I will study less, 2 hours/ 3 times a week and pay nothing. One drawback is that I will have to commute nearly one hour each way to the University. If I was still working in my first location (Shinchon), it would have only been a 10-15 min. wall.

My Korean is still poor, but I am hoping that I can start at a pre-intermediate level. It should be nice to learn at a new location with different teachers. It will allow me to get away from Gangnam area for part of the day, which is always nice, because it is a very "rat race" type area.

Another update

Well, the last couple weeks have been pretty uneventful. Work, work, study a little bit of Korean, work, and more work is all I have been doing. I am still teaching on Saturdays which isn't too fun. I am hoping that I won't have to teach Saturdays in July because that is the start of summer break and there will be more students during the regular workweek. My classes are still a challenge because I am constantly needing new material unlike most other teachers who can use most of the same material month after month.

For socializing, I went to an adoptee organization picnic. It was a long ways away from where I live, but it was at a campground near the Han River, which runs throught the middle of Seoul. I managed to meet quite a few different adoptees and some of the people who work or volunteer for the organization (G.O.A.L.).

Also, I found out that I received a scholarship to attend Ewha's Women's University Language Program (yes, the program is co-ed). For ten weeks starting at the end of June, I will be taking Korean classes for free, which will be nice because currently, I am spending about $350/month for Korean lessons. There is a trade-off for the free lessons. I will have to commute about one hour each way to get to Ewha and the classes are only three days a week. Limited days might be good because I have reached a point where language acquisition is difficult and not a novelty.

Last week, I have been given a couple more hours of work at Pagoda. I am finding out how good my English proofreading and writing skills are. I spend a couple hours a day in the R&D office helping with developing TOEFL material that can be used for Pagoda written textbooks to be used in the classroom. The work is different and challenging. It will definitely help increase my pay this month since I am only working about 25 paid hours a week. Normally, I have closer to 30 paid hours and too many hours of preparation that don't get paid, but that is the life of a teacher.

Music 101

Well, another month has passed. I am still teaching business English and still can't get a month off from teaching on Saturdays. They don't have enough business teachers, so I got stuck teaching again. The money is so, so because it is dependent on the number of students enrolled. I just wish that I could have a full weekend to relax and prepare for the normal week. June is supposed to be the calm before the storm (July). Summer vacation starts in July and there will be many more students. I doubt that my class numbers will change much, but I might be given a normal Speaking, Listening, and Expression class.

As for my social life, I don't have much of one, except this weekend. One of my Korean language classmates called and said she had an extra ticket to a classical music concert since her boyfriend had a family matter. So, on short notice, I joined her at the Seoul Arts Center and listened to Yoonyoung Kim play a cello with Eun-Ok Kim accompanying on piano. The concert was quite good even though I am not an expert. She played music by Beethoven, Stravinsky, and a couple other composers.

On Sunday, a former student invited me to a concert for the Seoul Jazz Festival 2007. To start, there was a Korean jazz group that played. For the main performance, it was the Pat Matheny Trio. They are from the States and Pat is an amazing jazz guitarist. If you have a chance to see him in concert, I would definitely recommend him. He plays a variety of different types of guitars, which provides for an interesting show.

5 months

Ok, the blog has been neglected lately. My life hasn't been too exciting. I have been working, studying Korean, and trying to catch up on rest. My schedule isn't too good for sleeping, so during the week, I am always feeling tired. I try to catch-up on the weekends, but it isn't a good method, especially if I want any kind of social life on the weekend.

My Korean studies are still going slow. I am attending class every day and doing the homework, but my progress is slower than other students. I hope that is due to the fact that none of the other students work and they either married or have a Korean boyfriend. I will continue studying Korean even though it is expensive. It has been fun taking lessons because the teacher is very nice, even though she speaks too quickly and the fact that she is very beautiful (doesn't hurt). After class, my classmates and I usually go for lunch, so it is nice to have company. It helps that my classmates can speak English, even though they are from Russia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Japan.

My exercise plan has taken a vacation. Since my gym closed, I haven't joined another one since most of the others are expensive. I am not exactly sure if I have lost any weight lately, but I can say that my clothes are starting to be looser in the waist and neck. I am walking more here than my life in USA, so I think that also helps.

I am not sure what my long-term plans are, but every day, it seems that I get more questions and pressure to find a "regular" job. Don't most people realize that I have a job. It might not be the best job for me, but it is ok for now. I don't know how long I will teach, but I don't think that I will last more than a year. I would really like to get a business job in Seoul, but I also need more Korean language skills. Hopefully, this summer or fall, I will be able to switch to something different, but for now, I will teach and enjoy my time in Korea.

Birthday

Saturday, April 28th,
I attended a social event organized by G.O.A.L, an adoptee organization. At the event, I met adoptees from Switzerland, Denmark, France, and Italy. It was interesting to see how they had European and Korean characteristics. We met in Hongdae, which is near Hongik University, so it is a popular eating and drinking area. We ate Korean BBQ, which consists of Samgyopsal (like bacon) and another cut of pork with side dishes. After, we went to a bar for some more socializing.

Sunday, April 29th
For breakfast, Mr. Han's wife made a big breakfast since it is the only day that I eat at home. She served a variety of Korean dishes, so I was full afterwards.

For lunch, I met Ah Rong 아룽(Ellie). I took the subway to Bupyeong station in Incheon. I ate lunch with her and her friend, a high school classmate. Near the subway station, there are many restaurants, coffee shops, and bar. They took me to a Chinese restaurant for a very nice meal, but once again it was a feast with multiple dishes. We walked around the area and stopped for coffee before I had to leave to meet my father.

For dinner, my K-father invited Mr. Han, his wife, his son, son's girlfriend, and I for dinner. We went to Bennigan's. I guess that he should treat me to an American meal. I ordered filet mignon since steak is probably the only thing that I miss from American food. In Korea, they like to order multiple dishes and share. They also ordered ribs, pasta, chicken salad, and another steak. I was given the opportunity to try all of the other dishes. They all tasted great, but I definitely ate more in one day than maybe two normal days of Korean eating. Mr. Han said that I needed to gain 2 Kg when celebrating a birthday and I think that I managed to do that with my all day eating.

Bennigans is a very good restaurant her, but customers pay a premium price on most menu items since it is an American restaurant. Mr. Han mentioned it was my birthday to the waitress, so at the end of the meal, four of the staff sang "Happy Birthday", Korean version. Two cakes were purchased one by my father and one by Chan Nyoung/girlfriend, so I still had birthday cake and candles to blow-out.

Monday, April 30th
My actual birthday was quite lackluster until after 10pm. I had to teach, which was ok, but I also had to sit through five hours of training. It was quite boring, but should help improve my teaching skills. Classes weren't too fun, but I managed to finish out the month. After my last class, a couple students were talking to front desk and they knew it was my birthday, so we decided to go for a beer. We went to a bar that served German beer and had a relaxed conversation, which was very different from class discussion. They definitely made my 'actual' birthday more enjoyable.

Workout gym

I guess I will have to find a new place to continue exercising. My gym closed suddenly last Tuesday. Monday, I went to the gym and the next day, a teacher, who also exercises at the same place, told me that I better hurry and get everything out of my locker (shoes, socks, shampoo, etc.). When I arrived the place was empty. All of the workout equipment and weights had been removed. Unfortunately, I had only used 6 weeks of my 6 month membership. I was better off than some people. Another teacher paid her 6 month membership a week ago. The gym was still accepting people's membership fees until the last days. Rumor has it that the owner didn't pay his rent and kept membership fees to take a long trip. There were about 10 Pagoda teachers that had memberships, so we were all quite shocked and upset. The day after closing they did take people's names for possible refunds, I highly doubt that I will get any money back.

New place

I have moved to new Korean home. I live with my father's friend, wife, and son. It is a 4 bedroom place in a 23 story building. It is a gated community with multiple buildings. It is a lot closer to work, so it is convenient for commuting because I only need to take a 5 min. bus ride and 10 min. subway ride. My hours at work are still the same, so I start early and end late. I am not sure if I will ever get more convenient hours, but I will continue for awhile at least.

For the most part, my Korean lessons are going well. I don't have enough time to study as much as I should, but I have learned the Hangul alphabet. This means that I can read letters, but have little or no clue what they mean. Grammar is quite different from English, so it is tricky to remember which order the words belong.

Last weekend, I went to a park with a teacher friend. She showed me the cherry blossoms. It is quite pretty because the trees will have pinkish-white petals. For a couple weeks each April, they blossom. After, the trees will have normal green leaves. During the couple weeks, thousands of people go to the parks to walk along the the cherry blossoms.

yellow dust/Nike/housing

Hello again, sorry for not blogging for awhile.

I have been still trying to get rid of my cold that just won't disappear. Last week, the air quality was not good in Seoul. "Yellow Dust" from China/Mongolia came over to Korea. The air has a yellow haze from all of the sand and other particles picked up from the Gobi Desert. It makes breathing a little uncomfortable and really difficult when having a cold.

I did get a chance to shop in the Nike Employee store. One of my K-father's friend who translates for us works at Nike, so she could get me in the store. Everything is 50% off, but it is still expensive. I only managed to find a pair of shoes because most of the clothing is in sizes for "normal" Koreans. The store is pretty small since it isn't for regular customers, but it was nice to get the discount.

I will soon live closer to work. I have decided to live with Mr. Han, who is my K-father's friend. It will be a lot cheaper to stay with him and it should take about 20 minutes to get to work. He is around 60, married, and has a son, who is finishing his university studies. Hopefully, everything will work out well. I will move this weekend.

Also, it is another new month of teaching. It has been a little more difficult adjustment teaching Business English. I thought it would be simpler to teach this subject, but it is equally difficult because the students are quite demanding and the teaching materials are not very organized. I am trying to adjust to the students desires, but they can be very challenging.

This month, I have started my Korean lessons. I am going to a private hagwon that focuses on Korean only. The teacher speaks 99.9% Korean in class, so I sometimes have difficultly understanding the explanations. It is an immersion class, but so far so good.

Dilemma

I survived another week of class and cold. Teaching with a cold is miserable, especially with long days and no chance to catch up on rest. I probably should have taken a day off work, but it seems like a hassle.

I am trying to decide where I will live. I have homestay, key money, and location questions. My Korean father has given me a huge dilemma. He is strongly suggesting that I live with his friend, Mr. Han, because he lives near the Kangnam office. I don't really want to trade homestays and have the same problems/inconveniences. I am still unsure if Pagoda will give me "key money" (like a deposit). If I take the key money, it means that I have more obligations to Pagoda, but it also shows that they have a little longer outlook for me teaching. If I don't use key money, my monthly rent will be a substantial amount higher and it will also mean that I will have a lot smaller place. I will most likely get an "officetel" (office/hotel) or read as studio, but I don't know what location. Kangnam is a very expensive location, so I might be better off finding a place a few subway stops away. I really need to make a decision quickly because the current commute is wearing me out and probably the reason that I get sick every month.

Long and busy week

Another week of classes has passed. My daily commute is starting to take an effect on me. I leave too early in the morning and arrive at home too late to get an adequate amount of rest. I am starting to check my options of moving, but all of them are resting on if I can get "key money" from Pagoda. Key money is necessary for most housing to either pay the whole cost up front or reduce the monthly payment. Housing in Seoul is very expensive. I am not sure how soon, but I can't take commuting forever, when it takes 45-70 minutes to work or socialize.

On Friday, Pagoda had an anniversary party at the Grand Inter-Continental Hotel. It was a day off from teaching, but a mandatory luncheon and conference for foreign SLE/PIP teachers. Fortunately, I am a PBA (business) teacher, so I didn't have to sit through an extra two hour speech. The party started with a religious prayer and sermon and followed with an update on Pagoda's future. They also had some music after that and finally lunch was served. They served a nice three course meal. For attending, everyone received a 1 Gb USB flash drive. It was interesting to see how much effort was put into the party when it seemed that no managers knew what was happening. Overall, it was an interesting day, but probably boring for anyone that has been to prior year parties.

On Saturday, I taught another session and had plans to meet my father. The plans were to meet at a subway station near Gyeongbokgung, which is a famous palace during the Joeson Dynasty. Initially, I figured that we would visit the palace and maybe find a place to eat afterwards. I was a little off on my assumption. My father planned to take a side trip before seeing the palace. First, we needed to climb Inwangsan, a small mountain. I came straight from teaching to meet my father, so I was really prepared for a trek. I was wearing a shirt, khakis, sport coat, and dress shoes. My father was wearing similar clothing. We started the journey, which was uncountable amounts of steps, granite footholes, and dirt trails. It take too long, but it wasn't an easy walk. Many sections had a railing or rope to hold onto while climbing. Now, I understand why so many people in the subway are dressed like they are on a trekking expedition with their walking sticks. My father thought that this is an easy 2 km climb, so it didn't matter what I was wearing or the fact that I hadn't eaten since 9AM. We reached the summit in about an hour and from the top, you could see most of Seoul. Later, I found out that he would climb this mountain with his mother, so it meant a lot for me to climb with him.

After climbing down, we went to Gyeongbokgung. This is an old palace location that has been rebuilt a few times due to Japanese invasions. It was interesting to see there was some Japanese and Chinese influences on certain buildings. They also have guards dressed in traditional clothing.

For dinner, we went to Itaewon, which is very close to a US military base and has many foreign people. Mr. Han, my father's friend, joined us. He can speak a little better English, so he did some translating. He has been friends with my father for many years and told me a few stories, but also told me that as my father's friend he couldn't tell me everything. He has some knowledge about my mother and father's relationship, but I will have to wait until my father is more comfortable dealing with the past. Mr. Han knew my grandfather, while the two were both working in Tokyo. I guess that my grandfather lived apart from my father and grandmother for most of his working life. I am not sure why, but I think that it had a great effect on my father and how he feels about my twin and me. In time, I will learn more, but I will need to learn Korean for easier telling of stories. It was an enjoyable meal of bulgoggi, side dishes, rice, and mandu guk. They worried about me eating dinner at a traditional table after challenging hike up the mountain. My body isn't accustomed to sitting for long periods of time and my legs and hips give me problems. Lately, my back has been feeling worse than usual, so sitting for a Korean meal can be a challenge.

Chairman Go

On Saturday, I had another weekend class. It was the usual lesson with students arriving late and some students being more enthusiastic and active in the class. After class, I went to the faculty lounge to get my things. I didn't realize at first, but Chairman Go was there talking to some of the teachers. Chairman Go is the owner of the institute that I work, so he is very rich and respected. We talked for a little while and then he asked if we had lunch. He invited two other teachers and me for lunch. Peter, who has been with Pagoda for five years, said that this is quite rare. At first, we were at a Chinese restaurant nearby, but the other teacher is vegetarian, so Chairman Go decided that we had to leave the first restaurant and go to one that specializes in healthy vegetarian food. The food was good and I did have fish in my soup. Chairman Go said that I probably didn't get the best food since I am bigger and probably expected a meal with meat. After lunch, he took us to Starbucks for coffee, which is very popular and it is normal to go for coffee after lunch at another location. We walked across the street back to the Pagoda building and his car was waiting. He has a Korean car, but it is a limo. It isn't that long, but the back seat is definitely made to have more room. The "B" pillar is about 6" wide. Considering how wealthy he is, he rides in a fairly affordable car. I was a little surprised that he didn't have a foreign car like most other super rich Koreans.

First week work and workout

Well, my first couple days have been quite challenging. I have been trying to determine exactly what I am supposed to be teaching and the difference between classes. Some students are expecting writing and other things, while some are here since it is a Speaking/Listening/Expression class. The managers really never told me what the difference is or what I should use for teaching. Right now, I use a lot of my 9 hour break between morning and night classes to figure out what I should teach. I am still not used to waking up a 5AM and teaching at 7AM.

During my break, I have been trying to exercise. The good part of my gym is that there are trainers. The bad part is that there are trainers. I was given a body composition test. I was weighed and they calculated my muscle and fat mass. The numbers weren't good and my leg muscles are lacking compared to my upper body. They have me stretching, lifting weights, ab exercises, and cardio. I definitely not very flexible anymore. Obviously, I am out-of-shape, so all of the exercises are challenging. Hopefully, I can last long enough, so that it becomes a little more enjoyable.

This week, I finally managed to sign up for health insurance. The national health insurance is pretty cheap, but I am in no hurry to see how much it covers in medical expenses. I will pay about 55 dollars a month, but the bad part is that they are making me pay for all of the time that I have been a registered alien. It means that I have to pay for an extra month of coverage that I didn't use.

My classes are going. I am still learning the ropes on what to teach and making classes interesting. My students are ultra-demanding and I have had a few quit on me. Either I have really large classes or really small classes. I had one class cancelled by management, so they filled in the time with a tutoring clinic. I won't have a complete loss of payment, but not the full pay for the hour of tutoring.

Teaching in Kangnam

Last week, I changed locations and my teaching subject. On March 2nd, I started working at the Kangnam branch of Pagoda Academy. This location is the main branch of Pagoda, so there are many more teachers and students. This month, I will be teaching 6 classes from M-F and one class on Saturday. I have the dreaded split shift, which means I teach from 7-10AM and 7-10PM. Since most of my students have business jobs, they have to attend class before or after work. I am not excited about waking up at 5AM every morning and not getting home until 10:30 or 11 PM, but I will get adjusted eventually. I do have a nine hour break in the middle of the day. I will use this time to prepare for the next day, eat lunch, workout, and eat dinner.

My morning classes have about 5-10 students and my evening courses have 10-15 with 15 being the maximum in a class. This is quite different and challenging for me because my previous classes were 1-10 students in size. The students' English skills are better, so communicating is a little easier. Some students are disappointed that classes are too big because they want to have more opportunities to speak. At least, I can have small group discussions and it will allow me to speak less in class. Surprisingly, many of my students are fairly close in age to me with a few exceptions.

I was asked to teach a Saturday course, so I decided it would be a good idea for my teaching review. I teach from 10:30AM-1PM and have 15 students. It is definitely different have such a long class and trying to keep discussions interesting. My other classes are 50 or 100 minutes. It is only four weeks unless I sign up for another month. Pagoda does try to make it worth my time to work on the weekend. I get a percentage of the class tuition. Since the class is full, I should about 2-3 times more per hour for the Saturday class than my normal hourly wage.

Earlier, I mentioned that I will workout during my break. I found a fairly nice gym to workout that is located across the street from where I work. Hopefully, I will have enough drive to workout a few days a week. I need to start losing some weight because I have had enough physical problems with my body.

My Korean is still poor. Pagoda decided to start offering Korean, but they only offering intermediate and advanced classes, so next month, I will have to find another "hagwon" to take a class. There are some organizations/universities that offer scholarships to Korean adoptees, but my schedule unfortunately doesn't allow me to travel across the city for the classes. Starting in April, I will start taking classes because I am starting to get frustrated and embarrassed that I can speak simple phrases and words.

Another weekend

Saturday, February 24th,

I decided to go to the COEX mall again. I like the Bandi and Luni's bookstore there since they have a big selection of foreign books, especially teaching material. They have quite a few other stores and it is quite popular with Koreans and the foreign crowd.

I needed to find a business English book since Pagoda doesn't have any materials for the highest level, "real business" class. Next Friday, I will transfer locations and start teaching "real business" with my curriculum. I figure that it should be fun, but require lots of work planning my classes.


Sunday, February 25th,

I decided to switch churches, since I am learning Korean at a snail's pace. Dr. Kim directed me to the MyungSung Church since it is nearby and has an English service. The English service was ok, but it seemed strange being at such a large church. The English service isn't even in the main church building and there was maybe seating for 400 or so. When I arrived, I was greeted by a welcoming staff that had me fill out a newcomer form. I was a little nervous because they had sectional seating for various cells. I guess the cells meet in smaller groups since it is a large congregation. As a newcomer, I was seated near the front. Towards the end of the service, all newcomers were asked to come up front so we could meet the pastor. As we were greeted, he handed us a gift, which happened to be two pens. After the service, I was introduced to a gentleman who asked if I had any questions. He asked me some basic information about me. I was the only "foreign" newcomer, so the other newcomers were with another person. I am not sure why, but every person that asked me questions at church didn't seem to understand my answers. I guess none of my answers are simple because of where I live, how I found my job, how long will I be in Korea, etc. I am not sure if they are worried that I am in Korea for a short time and won't visit their church for long or what. There reactions were strange, but maybe it will be different next week.

After church (services is from 1:20pm-3pm), I went to meet Ah Rong (Ellie). For those who don't know, she is from Inchon and came to UND to study English from March to December 2006. Today was the first time I had seen her since we flew to Korea on the same flight.

We met at the City Hall subway station since it is about the halfway point for each of us. It takes her about 40 minutes to get there and I took about 35 minutes. First, we went to an old palace, Deoksugung, which was of importance only when Japan invaded in 1593. The area was nice with a few different old wooden structures. After, we walked around downtown and then took the subway to Insadong. This area is in the middle of downtown, but it still has the traditional Korean look. Many of the shops sell antiques and other traditional Korean items. We stopped at a noodle shop where a man in the front window shows how to make fresh hand-made noodles. It involves a lot stretching, pulling, flouring of the dough. It was delicious and cheap. We walked by various shops and stopped for tea. Conversation wasn't too great since we both are listeners. She is going to be a teacher and I am a teacher, so it should seem that conversation starting would be easier, but it wasn't. Last, we walked along Cheonggye Stream. It is a nicely lit area that starts as a waterfall and continues as a stream and it is about 20 feet below street level. It provides a nice area in the middle of the city to walk and talk.

Korean New Year Weekend

Saturday, February 17th,

At noon, I met my father at the Lotte World complex. Dr. Kim accompanied me because my father invited him to translate for us. We ate a nice Chinese restaurant and had "Shanghainese" food since it was all sweet. My father told Dr. Kim about the situation when I was young. Dr. Kim did find out that my grandmother passed away from cancer. He also told me that my grandmother was the "May Queen" of Ewha University, so one of or the brightest student at the time. My father said that he told his wife that I was in Seoul. Due to the situation he would not be able to have me stay with him. In November, when his son finishes his military service, my father will tell his son/my half brother.

After lunch, we went to a coffee shop in the mall. We talked some more and after we finished, Dr. Kim said that he would go home and my father will spend some time with me. My father can speak some English, so we did ok. He told me that I would meet a friend of my grandmother. He has a Daewoo Leganza, which is a nice 4-door car. He drove us to the friend's apartment/condo.

She lives on the 8th floor of a building with her daughter. She is 80 years old and my grandmother was the same age as her. She can speak some English. Her daughter can speak very well, probably near fluent. Her daughter said that her English is good because she attended an international school as a young child while the family was in Egypt. The daughter's sister and brother live in California. Also, she works for Nike. They both would have seen me as a small baby. The mother was surprised that I had grown so much because she remembers me being smaller than my twin brother. It was interesting to hear the daughter say that my father was quite a shy man. He was a little emotional and didn't talk too much.

After visiting, my father drove around Seoul a little bit and then we went to Namsan Tower. Namsan is a small mountain in the middle of the city. On top, there is a TV tower skyscraper. It stands 350+ meters above sea level. Seoul is only 40 miles from the sea. Thankfully, we took the easy way up the mountain. They have a cable car ride. On the observation tower, you can see most of Seoul and more. Korea is very mountainous, so parts of the city have grown around the small mountains in the area. After viewing the city and getting a better idea where each of part of the city is, we walked down the mountain. There are many steps, so I was glad that we didn't walk up the mountain.

We drove around and looked at the different city gates. He wanted to take me to a good restaurant, but it was closed due to Seollal (Korean New Year). We went to a noodle place, but they served a cold noodle soup. It was light and supposed to be good for a healthy diet. Afterwards, we went back to Lotte, so he could buy Dr. Kim a gift. I didn't know that until he had me carry it asked if I wanted a ride back home or take the subway. I took the subway since I knew that my father probably had a fair distance to travel in the other direction to get home. It wasn't exactly convenient since the fruit was heavy and I didn't realize how expensive. My father spent about $100 on the fruit box, but the fruit is very large.

At night, I went to Sinchon to socialize with some of the teachers. We went to a few different bars, but I wasn't really in the mood. I felt I needed to go since they invited me and that I will be heading to Kangnam to teach in 10 days. They all thought it was disappointing that I will be switching so soon. All of the teachers were foreign at this event. Some times, I have a hard time determining which group I fall into at Pagoda. I am a foreign teacher, but I am Korean. Many of the teachers (foreign or Korean) expect me to speak Korean, so it makes for some embarrassing and uncomfortable situations. I feel I fit in better with the Korean teachers, but they are sometimes shy since not all of them have great English proficiency. As for the foreign teachers, I don't always associate with their situation. Some are in Korea to teach and make/save a lot of money. I am not in Korea for that reason alone. Also, they teach the main PIP course, so I am not teaching classes like them. I have more freedom and different schedule. I guess I have the luxury of being in the middle and have the best of both groups of teachers.


Sunday, February 18th, Seollal (Korean New Year)

In the morning, I was woken up by Dr. Kim to tell me that they will be doing the New Year's Day tradition. They preform a "Saebae" to their parents since they are the eldest. The grandfather was dressed in traditional Korean clothing, which is a short silk jacket and loose pants that are also tied at the ankles. The grandparents sat on the couch and everyone took a turn bowing. The boys bowed and the grandmother handed them a envelope with money.

Afterwards, we ate breakfast. It is tradition to have "ddeok-guk." It is a soup with glutinous rice cakes that are sliced. It is always eaten on the first day of the year. We all ate in the living room on the floor. This was the first time that I have eaten with everyone at one time. All seven of us ate together.

For dinner, Dr. Kim's sister (Mrs. Kim), brother-in-law (Mr. Kim), and niece (Eunhye) visited. I had met Mrs. Kim and Eunhye before, but not Mr. Kim. He was a older gentleman, maybe closer to 60. Eunhye informed me that she found a job as a middle school math teacher that starts the beginning of March. She is excited because it is difficult for young Koreans to find jobs anywhere. Unfortunately, she will have a very long commute to and from work. If her mother doesn't drive her, she will walk/ride the bus for three hours each way. By car, it only takes one hour. In a few years, she would like to buy a car, but cannot right now.

For dinner, everyone ate except Dr. Kim's oldest son. We had more ddeok-guk and many other side dishes. The only thing that I didn't eat were the oysters. I have tried them before, but I don't like them too much. The food was delicious. They stayed for awhile and we talked about Eunhye's job and my changing locations. Most of the conversation was in Korean, but I understood what they were talking about a few times since Korean uses some English words.


Monday, February 19th,

I was informed that many people would be visiting today because it is Seollal and Dr. Kim's mother's birthday. Around 11 AM, Dr. Kim's father's brother visited with his wife and two sons. The sons are Dr. Kim's cousins and one of them spoke English. Dr. Kim said that he will go to Qatar to work for his Korean construction company. Everyone visited and had coffee. They left around noon.

At the same time, Dr. Kim's mother's brothers arrived since today is her birthday. Dr. Kim's mother is the oldest and she has three brothers. The oldest brother has passed away, but his wife came to visit. The two younger brothers and their wives visited. The youngest brother could speak a little English. He told me that he was a captain of a large fishing boat. He has traveled around the world to many locations such as Hawai'i, Los Angeles, Atlantic Ocean, North Sea, and Indian Ocean. One of the brothers also brought his son, who works for a marketing company and is only 33 years old. Dr. Kim's cousin is 22 years younger than him.

After everyone arrived, they did the Korean tradition, "Saebae." First, the oldest generation, which would be Dr. Kim's mother's brothers bowed. Next, the wives bowed. After, the oldest generation sat in front of Dr. Kim's parents and the younger generations took turns bowing. I bowed with Dr. Kim's sons. After bowing, the sons received envelopes from their great uncles. One of the great uncles even gave me a "man won", which is about ten dollars.

Lunch was almost ready. Once again, we ate in the living room. At my small table, I was with Dr. Kim's sons and cousin. We were definitely the youngest with me being only older than Dr. Kim's sons. It was another feast as usual with many side dishes, soup, and rice. It was an interesting day with all of the guests. Dr. Kim's mother doesn't have the greatest of physical health. She has some problems walking and isn't too active. For what I have seen, she only moves from her bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom. She is still able to eat sitting on the floor, which is more than I can say. My back and hip joints definitely hurt after sitting on the floor for too long. My flexibility is a lot less than in the past.

Teaching in March

Thursday, February 15th,

Today, I met with the HR Director. She talked to me about switching locations and teaching role. In March, I will start teaching "Real Business" English. I believe that I will only teach that course. It does mean that my schedule will be quite different and not exactly ideal. I will teach from 7AM to 10AM and 7PM to 10PM. It would be nice if I could live closer to work, but for now, I will continue to live with Dr. Kim and have a 45 minute commute. It will be nice to only teach one subject, but I was told that there isn't a formal book. The previous teacher has built up a collection of material that I hope he will pass onto me since he is leaving for a regular corporate job. I will observe his class next week and receive some formal training. This class will be challenging because I will teach business people with English levels that should be closer to fluent. To begin, I will receive an hourly wage for the first three months. After that time, Pagoda will determine if I should go to a commission-based pay rate based on student enrollment. If I do a good job and I am able to retain and recruit students, then I should earn a better salary by working on commission.

On another note: Dr. Kim's wife passed her driver's license exam. She and Dr. Kim went car shopping. Dr. Kim was kind enough to inform me that they were shopping for a used car because he expects that she will have a few "bumps and scratches" when she is driving to work. Many of the roads are quite narrow in Seoul, so driving is quite a challenge. I see many cars that have bolt-on extras to protect from minor bumps and side-swiping, but there are still numerous cars that have visible damage from scratching other cars.

Teaching/Korean New Year

Monday, February 12th,

This last few days of teaching have been quite amusing. Last week, one of my students came to class a little under the influence of alcohol. Class isn't until 5pm, and I found out during class that her graduation was earlier in the day. Afterwards, she went to dinner with her family and drank some beer and soju. During class, she said she had a headache. It was quite interesting to hear that she drank some alcohol and still made it to class.

Today, I found out a different student missed class on Friday because she was still hungover. She was a little embarrassed, but we laughed it off because she was the only student to attend today. The students are still on winter break since Korean New Year is late this year. Many students travel to other parts of Korea for vacations, so students will sometimes tell me that they will miss class.

Korean New Year is this weekend. I have been informed by Dr. Kim that I will get to see some of the Korean traditions. They will preform a "sebae", which is a little strange according to Western culture, but normal for them. It has to do with bowing and showing respect to elders. After the "sebae", children usually receive money from their elders. I think many people will come to Dr. Kim's house because his mother and father are the oldest people in their respective families. I will get to meet many new people and Dr. Kim says that they are interested in meeting me.

This evening, Dr. Kim informed me that my father had contacted him. He asked to meet me this Saturday at Lotte World. My father invited Dr. Kim to be our interpreter for the day, so I think that Dr. Kim is also excited for Saturday. Lotte World is a recreational complex with amusement park, shopping, ice rink, movie theater, hotel, and more. We will meet for lunch around noon. Afterwards, I am guessing that my father will take me shopping to buy something. During our first meeting, he said that he wanted to buy me something, but he wasn't sure what to get. I am guessing that he will use this location as a chance to socialize and shop. I am really looking forward to meeting again. I told my fellow teachers that my plans for the weekend are uncertain if hear from my father. A couple teachers are planning a social event for Saturday, but I guess that I will have to arrive late.

Being a Korean adoptee

In my life, I have faced many situations that are very unique to me and my twin brother that are not faced by the people around us. Especially, since meeting my Korean father and interacting with more people in Korea, I have realized more and more about myself. Some things are good and some are not so good. I am still searching to find whatever I can. There isn't anything specific, but this is something that I am doing to discover who I am. Some days, I really question myself and what I am doing. Even though I am in my late 20's, I sometimes feel that my maturity isn't always at the same level. My career is just starting and I am taking a path that most people wouldn't even dream. I have issues that I am working on and trying to understand my how my values and beliefs have developed. Until this year, I haven't had much interaction with other Koreans and/or Korean adoptees. Prior to my arrival and now that I am living in Korea, I have been doing more research about Korea and other Korean adoptees. I found an article in the "Minnesota Monthly" that is quite interesting about the life as an adoptee. I recommend that you check it out. Some things in the article may seem anti-American, but I think that a lot of it applies to my life. I hope that it gives you a better understanding of Korea, history, the culture, and adoption.

http://www.minnesotamonthly.com/media/Minnesota-Monthly/January-2007/Asian-Fusion/index.php?cp=1#artanc

For the Critics

Wednesday, February 7th,

This is for the critics who think that things could and will go wrong in Korea for me. I have had a couple bumps in the road with my health and pay this month.

So far, my health hasn't been the greatest in Korea. Hopefully, it is only stressed related with change in environment and work. My back pain has become more noticeable and I hope that I can rest it more now. Since the weekend, I have not been feeling well. I don't have serious symptoms, but my digestive system is giving me problems. I can't eat too much and have some heartburn. I am not sure what is causing it, but I am not in a hurry to find out how good Korean medicine is.

Well, I am a week into my second month of teaching. I have a little different schedule, so I teach for six hours straight without a break. It is good and bad. I don't have to wait for classes, but my voice gets tired by the end, if I have to do a lot of explaining. My classes are very small this month. I only have one, three, and three students in my three classes. This means that I don't have classes with enough students, so I won't be paid by the hour. I will be paid the student's tuition fee. I found out after my meeting with the branch manager that my pay will be less this month by a large amount. Next month, I will move to the Gangnam (main branch) location to teach. At that location, I should have more students and possibly teach another class, so my pay should be better.

I am finally getting used to teaching my classes and socializing with some of the teachers in Sinchon. At Gangnam, I will probably teach a different course level with a new book, so I will have another challenging two months with learning a new book and meeting new teachers. It should be better for my commuting time. I should have about 40 minutes instead of 55 minutes on the subway each way.

Even though my classes are small, I really enjoy my students this month. Their atttendance is good, so far. They participate better when there are fewer students, so I don't have to pull teeth to get them to talk. Sometimes, it can be challenging because I can have group activities or games, but overall, I think this month is off to a good start.

First Month of Teaching

Wednesday, January 31st,

Well, my first month of teaching actually finished on Monday. It was a very challenging and exciting month. The start was definitely rocky with some administrative problems, but overall, I survived. I learned a lot about teaching styles and how well it works with various students. My classes were quite different. One of my classes had very low attendance for the last week, so I am not sure exactly how well each student learned. Another class had fairly good attendance after some students were determined to move up. On the test, the students struggled, so I am not sure if I prepared them properly or if the test was overly difficult for their level. My last class all preformed well and the ones that attended class showed the most improvement, which is promising.

It is definitely a big change to be on the other side of the teacher/student relationship. In normal life, most people would never guess that I would be interested in speaking in front of 1-15 people that are strangers. When I am in a classroom, the nervousness doesn't seem to be a problem. I enjoy being in front of the students. I worry a lot about my preparation and how well the lesson plan will work, but overall, I enjoy teaching. Many of the students think that I am pretty smart considering I have an MBA. They are surprised when I can speak any Korean, since every other Korean teacher can speak Korean. Even the other Korean-American teachers can all speak Korean to a certain degree of proficiency.

My second month of class started today (Wed. Jan. 31st). I arrived at Pagoda Academy early to prepare and make copies. I learned that no students signed up for my first class. I did learn that I would have another class later, which means that I will have six straight hours of class with no break. It means that I will teach from 3 PM- 9 PM every day. Last month, I had a break between one of my classes, which was a nice time to eat and prepare for the evening courses. Now, I will have to do all of it before class, but also leaves me with the dilemma of what to do in the AM without tiring myself out. I need to find the right mix of work and rest, since last month I spent about two weeks trying to get rid of cold.

Enrollment this month is definitely down since it is no longer winter break. My classes, so far, have four, two, and three students enrolled. Attendance will be another story. It will be interesting to see how diligent the students are about attending class. Having small classes are nice for speaking time, but too small can also seem to make activities more challenging. Nothing I can do, but teach as best as I can.

Soju Night

Friday, January 26th,

On Thursday, I decided to join a few teachers for a night of food and drinks. Joseph, James, Hee Young, her friend (not a teacher), and I went to a bar. Joseph and James grew up in the states, but they can speak Korean. I was the only with a Korean language problem. Hee Young's English is ok, but she struggles with conversation in English. They ordered Makkoli (unstrained rice wine) and Soju (alcohol made from sweet potatoes). For food, we had the "Korean pancake." It has onion, egg, octopus, and a flour based crust. In Korea, while drinking at bars, you almost always have to order snacks.

At the next bar, we had more Soju and more snacks. This time, they ordered Kimchi chigae (soup), another soup with silkworm larvae, and another dish. Hee Young likes silkworm larvae which seems to be popular in Korea. I didn't try it because I had drank enough by that point and didn't want to test my digestive system with a strange looking and probably unusual tasting food. At about 1:15 AM, they decided to hit up another place. I told them I should get home, so they found a taxi that would be able to find Dr. Kim's house. I had his address written down, so all the driver had to do was put it into his dashboard GPS. It took about 45 minutes and 27,000 won ($28), so it was a long and a bit expensive end to the night.

I did inform Dr. Kim at the beginning of the night that I would be out late. He still wanted to make sure that I would be able to get home ok. I told him that my friends would be able to tell a taxi driver the directions. When I did arrive home, Dr. Kim was awake watching TV and asked how my night was. It seems strange to be 28 year old and still have someone waiting up for your arrival home, but it is the Korean way.

Earthquake

Saturday, January 20th,

Around 9 pm, I experienced an unusual feeling. I felt the house shaking for a brief moment. Yes, I experienced my first earthquake. The epicenter was on the eastern side of the Korean peninsula. Seoul is close to western edge. Don't get too worried. The earthquake was 4.8 on the Richter scale, so it wasn't too strong. I have been told that they are a rare occurrence even if we are in close proximity to Japan. On the news, Mrs. Kim said that has been 30 years since Korea has felt such an earthquake of this magnitude.

Language and Eating

Saturday, January 20th,

I survived another week of teaching, while still having a cold. I gave my first test and the students did well. Lessons are starting to get easier and hopefully more interesting for the students. They did fill out an evaluation of the course and teacher, so in a week or two, I could be getting some advice on how to improve.

On Thursday, I started talking with a couple of the Chinese instructors in the teachers' lounge. I joined them for lunch and somehow through my poor Chinese, their ok English, and little or no Korean, we had a nice conversation. I actually could remember a few things and they guided me through on things that I could really say. It helped that their English was better than my Chinese.

On Friday, I went to lunch by myself. I decided to check out the food court at the Hyundai Department Store. It is a 14 story complex, but four stories are underground. I went to the food court and walked around to see what was available. Like any food court, there was about 10-15 different types of food. One problem was that all of the signs were in Korean with most places having pictures. The big problem was that I couldn't just point at an item, pay, and have them make it. I recognized the "system" that they used. All food was paid for at one central location, but the sign was only in Korean and no pictures. I didn't want to have the problem of trying to point to the board and not able to receive what I wanted. This was a frustrating situation and another reminder that I need to start learning Korean quickly.

F4

Wednesday, January 17th,

I went to immigration yesterday. I picked up my passport with F-4 visa and my alien registration card. With my F-4 visa, I can stay in Korea for two years with possible renewal. I don't know how long I will be here, but this visa will make it easier for me to change jobs if I want and stay a little longer. Most American English teachers get an E-2 visa and they are contractually obligated to their institutes, which are one year visas.

So far, Pagoda Academy and teaching is good. I will be giving my first quiz/test this week. It should be interesting to see how many students show up and how many pass. Only 12 days until my first month of teaching is over. Since February is short, they start it on January 31st and I get Tuesday, January 30th as a day off.

In other news, Mrs. Kim is attempting to get her driver's license and has been going to a private driving school on Saturdays. She took her test on Tuesday, but failed, so she will have to practice for another five hours before trying again. Many of my students have their driver's license, but Mrs. Kim is the second person that I know that is older than me and learning to drive. A person in China that I know also was practicing to get her driver's license when I was living in Shanghai.

Meeting my Korean father

Saturday, January 13th

I had a meeting arranged to meet my Korean father at Social Welfare Society (SWS). The manager agreed to facilitate this meeting since my work schedule doesn't allow for a weekday meeting even though SWS is only open Monday thru Friday. Dr. Kim accompanied me to SWS because the location isn't too easy to find, but now I could find it, if I need.

I arrived at SWS and talked with the manager briefly. She asked if I had any questions, but I didn't know what to ask. After a little bit, she left and my father arrived. They talked in the other room and I waited nervously.

In a couple minutes, they entered the room. I didn't know what to say. My Korean father is quite tall. I would say that he is two or three inches taller than me. Now, he is about 60 years old and he looks very healthy. The manager said that it unusual for someone of his age to still be so tall.

He came over to me and greeted me. The first thing he did was check out my physical appearance. First, he felt my legs. He remembered that I had problems with my legs as a young child, so he had to make sure that they were okay. For those who don't know, I had problems with my legs and they were quite bowed as a child, especially my left leg.

We sat down and talked. The manager translated, so that we could communicate. He told me about the situation that was the reason for my twin and I to be adopted. He worked at a low level in a local government office and earned a small salary. My grandmother took care of us, but she fell ill when we almost three. He wasn't able to afford care for us and my grandmother wasn't able to take care of us.

Later, he told me what happened to my mother. When she was pregnant with David and I, the two mother-in-laws had many arguments and the two families were not in good relationships. My mother went to her parent's home to give birth. She stayed home for four months after we were born. At that point, she brought us to my father's home. Afterwards, my father didn't hear from my mother. The relationship was poor, so he decided to divorce her. The two families sued each other and it took one and a half years for the courts to resolve the issues.

He said that I could maybe search for my mother in ten years or so. He wouldn't mention any more details. In ten years, my mother should be about 65 years old and she would be retired. I don't know what I will do about it, but only time will tell.

He showed me pictures that he had kept. He had pictures from when we were two and three years old. Also, he had some photos from when my American parents sent some to the adoption agency. My mother had written a note to someone (can't remember the name), but I easily recognized my mother's handwriting. He gave me a few of the photos, but I don't have any memory of when they were taken. In one photo, it shows that I definitely have some problem with my leg because it looks severely bowed.

He also brought a church bulletin for me. He is a faithful Christian and he thought I might like to attend church. He attends a Presbyterian Church. The church is over 100 years old. They have a service with English translation.

My grandmother was an amazing lady. She was a very beautiful women. She attended Ewha Women's University. This university is 120 years old and a very prestigious university in Korea today. While attending, she was elected the "queen" of the university. My father said that she was very smart and beautiful. She took care of my brother and I from four months old to three years old. He said that we were very well behaved boys when my grandmother was present, but we would fight often when she was not. My father and grandmother also could not understand us some times because David and I had our own language. She had given us nicknames, but the translator could not translate them. He said that she loved us very much. My father said that she fell ill when we were three and passed away shortly after we were adopted.

He didn't mention a lot about his father or grandparents. He said that he had studied in Japan and had reached a quite high level in Judo (a form of martial arts). His father grew up on Jeju Island. Jeju Island is a very popular location because it has a sub-tropical climate. He had a good business on Jeju that did something with trading and going to Osaka, Japan and Qingdao, China. After the war, business changed, so my grandfather and grandmother moved to Seoul.

Most of my father's relatives live in or near Seoul. Next time we meet, he will introduce me to them. My father is an only child, but he has many cousins and other relatives. In one of the pictures, David and I are with my father's cousin's daughter. She would be about 40 years old. My father almost brought her along for the meeting since she speaks English, but decided not do it. She works for foreign company, so she and some other relatives will be able to translate the next time we meet.

He told me about his current situation. He remarried a couple years after giving us up because he was lonely. He thought hard about remarrying after his first marriage. He said that his wife may have an idea about my twin and I because he told the matchmaker. He thinks the matchmaker would have mentioned this to her. He never talked about it with his wife and she never talked about it. So, he isn't sure exactly. He said that he is considering to tell them, but I told him that he shouldn't feel pressured to tell them. He thought that his son, age 24, might be interested. His son always said that he wanted a brother or sister.

My half brother is fulfilling his military service. In Korea, all able bodied men ages 20-35 have to serve two years in a military branch. My half brother studied music at a university. I told my father that I didn't have any music ability and he laughed because he doesn't either. He said that his wife has musical talent and his son must have learned from her.

Overall, this was a great day. My father was quite relieved to know that David and I are doing well. I am glad that I had the opportunity to meet him. I am looking forward to the day that I can meet other relatives. I hope that is soon and I will have more pictures and stories.