Life in Korea

A few people have asked me about my job. I’d almost forgotten I didn’t come here to go walking.  Well, when I arrived, The British Council was in the process of moving out of the main centre they’d been in for some time and into two new centres. They had also decided to split the Adult and Young Learner programmes so that each centre only taught one of these groups and the teachers specialised. I chose adults so, for the first time in 18 years, I’m not teaching children. Although I miss some of the songs and silly games (or was that games and silly songs?) I played with the children, I’m very pleased with my decision and really like where I work; the adult students are wonderful and a lot of fun to work with. I also have a more academic challenge, especially with my Upper Intermediate academic writing group – their level is very high and they make me think every lesson. Like the children though, adults occasionally bring their teacher presents. One student brought me a chocolate bar the other day. It was green.

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The other day, I asked my Upper-Intermediate students what they listen to or read at home. 

One said ‘The BBC News’. 

Another said, ‘TED talks’. 

The next said, ‘Big Dick’.

 I don’t think my students noticed, but I nearly laughed. ‘Err … what was that?’

 ‘Big Dick,’ she said again.

 I had to work really hard to stifle a snigger now: ‘Err … could … (gasp) … you … spell … that …’

 ‘B-I-G  T-H-I-N-K,’  she told me. 

I was greatly relieved. Here it is, should you be interested. It looks good:  http://bigthink.com/

I really must do something about her pronunciation …

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Having failed to learn Polish or Vietnamese to any decent level, I’m working hard on my Korean. I’m pleased to be able to say (at this stage) that it’s fairly easy to pronounce – after Vietnamese, anything is – and the grammar so far seems OK. I’ve worked on learning the alphabet (see below) and some phrases. Of course, one thing you need to learn as soon as you arrive in a country is ‘Where’s the toilet?’. Usually, when you don’t know how to ask something, acting works well but that is a bad idea in this case so I made sure I could say it from the outset. I now have a bank of useful phrases and I’m building my vocabulary. By some coincidence, this country is full of people who speak Korean so you’re never far from someone who can help.

 Hangeul - the Korean alphabet - might look like Japanese or Mandarin but it is in fact, much easier and can be learned in a few hours. Unlike the other languages, in which there are thousands of characters, each representing a word or idea, Hangeul is an alphabet and can be built into syllables like English. I'll do my best to teach you a few things about the language over the next few blogs. Here's lesson 1 ...

콜라    This word is made up of two syllables. The first is a stack of three sounds:

ㅋ     sounds like ‘k’

ㅗ     sounds like the ‘o’ in ‘owe’

ㄹ     sounds like ‘l’

The second syllable is two sounds next to each other:

ㄹ     ‘l’

ㅏ     sounds like ‘ah’

Put all that together and you get kol-lah, or Cola to you and me.

Korean has borrowed a lot of words from English and other languages and adapted them to fit Hangeul. Once you can decipher the symbols, you find they are often familiar words. Here’s another one:

바나나

ㅂ     sounds like a cross between ‘p’ and ‘b’

ㄴ     sounds like ‘n’

So we get pah-nah-nah, or banana.

I am surrounded by print of course and try to make sense of it. This sign is about a bank. I at least know the word for bank:   은행

Some signs rather helpfully write a translation underneath. I love the last line on this one – a whole line to say ‘No pets’.

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I catch the bus or underground almost everywhere these days. I have come to the conclusion that the 143 bus that takes me to work is the best bus service in the world. I rarely have to wait more than a few minutes for it at most times of the day. The buses get a bit crowded at peak times but I never have too far to go so that’s OK. As well as that, people tend to be very helpful; on two occasions, when I was carrying a lot of shopping but had to stand, someone who was sitting took my bag onto their lap. I have never seen that before.

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One problem I have is that in lots of cafes and supermarkets they play Korean rap, hip-hop or whatever it is. LOUD. It sends me nuts. Must be my age. I made the mistake of sitting in one café to have a coffee and then realised that I would be deaf before I finished it. However, I came across this place on holiday and it was playing soft jazz. Felt I deserved free coffee here ...

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I have continued to go walking of course, concentrating my efforts on Buchansan, the mountain to the north of the centre of Seoul. I have now criss-crossed it from several directions and I’m getting to know the area reasonably well. 

Autumn was a lovely time to be in the hills … 

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The Koreans have to be commended for their commitment to keeping fit. The mountains get very busy at weekends but what is unusual is the number of outdoor gyms. They can be found everywhere in the city but also in the mountains. In some cases you have to walk into the hills for at least half an hour to get to them. That’s keen. They all have the usual step machines, weights, bars etc., but I came across this contraption too. Any doctors out there who can explain the benefits of being inverted?

These hula hoops (one with bumps on to presumably give you a massage at the same time?!) were left lying around for anyone to use. Not sure they’d still be there in Britain.

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I’m currently on holiday in for a week in Sokcho, on the north east coast of Korea. It has the advantage of being right next to Seoraksan, a mountain range.

 

I came across these three girls on a staircase between the hills. They were having a party, complete with coffee, beer, soju (a bit like Japanese sake but not as nice) and snacks. I chipped in with biscuits and Doritos and tried my best to communicate. As ever, when a camera is pointed at them, girls in Asia love to put fingers up – usually in a V sign. I’ve explained to my students that one way of doing this is seen as rude in Britain and they find that really funny!

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There are no interesting bike pics to take here alas, so I’m switching to ‘Food photo of the month’

This is Bibimbap. It comes in many forms but this one is vegetables on rice, with a fried egg and seaweed on top. It arrives at the table sizzling away. You mix it all up and munch. It’s very tasty.

As with all food in Korea, it’s best to check how spicy it will be when you order. Koreans love spicy food and I’ve had my tongue burned out a couple of times (it grew back).

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That’s all for now. If I don’t speak to you before – have a lovely Christmas. 

Seoul

Well, there was no bride waiting for me at Incheon airport, just some bloke with a taxi. He was a very nice chap however, and he whisked me off to a hotel which became home for the next two weeks.

During those two weeks the pressure was on – I had to find a flat in that time. 

That sounds simple enough but the catch is that my company had to pay about 

£10,000 ‘key money’ (deposit) up front for the year so there is no moving once 

you’re in. I received an email from one ‘Wonho Kwak’ and almost deleted it as 

spam. Luckily, I looked closely before doing so. I’m glad I did - he was the estate 

agent assigned to help me to find somewhere to live.

I found my flat on the first day of looking … a bright and airy new flat in a quiet 

area. I’ve never known a place to be so quiet at night. It also has an amazing view 

of the local hill from the roof  (assuming you don’t mind looking at the neighbour’s washing). It came completely empty. Most flats are let unfurnished here so I had to go looking for a bed and well, absolutely everything. Spending a day in IKEA is a joy I can barely describe.

It’s in a very hilly area called Itaewon. The hills here would make a Cornish

village proud. To avoid the worst of it, most roads have been built snaking 

around the side of the hills but some just go straight up, making the map of the 

area look like a plate of spaghetti. Just getting to and from home every day is 

getting me very fit.

... which is very handy as I’m back to climbing and walking up hills. This is the 

view from the centre of Seoul looking north. 

I decided to head for the one in the background and have been there three times 

so far. The views over the city are amazing.

    

                                                                                                                                        From this mountain you can look across at a 200m rock face that is very popular with climbers. If you look closely at the ‘bird’s beak’ feature you’ll see a climber having a particularly exciting time.   

 

I also headed to another mountain 

It has a huge rock perched on the top which is just begging to be climbed.

          

I can get to all of this in about an hour from my flat. I’m getting to like Seoul.

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I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you a Happy Chuseok. This is the Korean

Thanksgiving and I’m particularly thankful for a 4-day weekend. During this 

time, families get together and give each other gifts.

And what is the gift of choice at this time?

Spam.

Spam?

Yes, spam.

You can buy gift sets everywhere and a small fortune is spent on them every 

year.

It’s not the only gift of course. There are other gift sets with tuna, salmon and 

various sweets, but spam seems to be popular. Apparently, it was introduced 

here by the Americans during the Korean war and caught on.

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I have been issued with an Alien Registration Card. I know many of you have 

thought that I am for years, but now it’s official.

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All things considered, my move to Seoul has gone smoothly and I’m enjoying life 

here. I’ll be back with another blog soon. 

Moving on

Well, I’ve lived in Vietnam for four years now and the time has come for me

to move on. However, before I start writing about my new home, I’d like to share 

my final thoughts and observations about Hanoi …

A while ago I had to have a medical to get an extension for my work permit. Some of it was carried out at the swish, modern health centre but the government insisted that some was carried out at a local hospital too. A few of the checks were the fastest I’ve ever had: the dentist had a quick look in my mouth; Yes – you’ve got teeth – PASS. The ENT specialist did the same and yanked my head around to get at various parts of my head; She looked in one ear, then the other. Yes – you’ve got ears. She looked up my nose. Yes – you’ve got a nose. Then she looked down my throat. Yes – you’ve got a throat – PASS.

OK, that’s not what she said but I was there for about a minute so it felt that way…

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I had never seen a shop dedicated solely to milk until I came here. True Mart has carved out a niche selling milk that people appear to trust more than your average milk and there are shops everywhere.     

                          

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I’ve had a few leaving ‘do’s. One of the staff events was held at a Bia Hoi. They’re a bit of an institution in Vietnam. Basically, they’re outdoor pubs that serve one drink – a rather watery but very refreshing lager that costs about 40p a pint. They get very busy and rather loud and even rats pop by to join in the fun. In one place a live goat was carried through the middle while we were eating - goat is on the menu in most places. At least you know the meat is fresh.

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I was given a wonderful send off by the staff at REACH – the charity I’ve helped at for the last few years. They made a big fuss of me and even bought a cake, the likes of which I doubt I’ll ever see again.

While I was there, the ‘Food & Beverage’ students were being assessed on their 

ability to make good cocktails. I was asked to be a judge. Me? I don’t know the 

first thing about cocktails. I was given one to sip and it tasted jolly nice is all I can 

say.

I have a rather confused expression as I was probably thinking something like 

What am I doing here? I’m an English teacher for crying out loud!!

Luckily, after my one sip, I was whisked off to lunch.

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I was given flowers by my students at the end of my last lesson at the British Council too. As ever, several photos were taken.

One thing I’ll certainly miss in Vietnam is the students. They are endlessly cheerful and appreciative and I’ve enjoyed teaching here a lot. I’ll miss my colleagues too – it’s great to work with a bunch that are so easy to get on with. I’ve made some friends and look forward to keeping in touch.

And another – the badminton crowd. A very patient bunch, given that my game is not at the same level as theirs. I played my final game and we went for dinner on the street:

A few things that I won’t miss: the hot and humid weather, and the traffic. Oh, the traffic – it drives you crazy. I feel fortunate to have survived four years in it.

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My new home will be Seoul, South Korea. I’ll be starting there in mid-August so I now have a couple of weeks at home. Getting a visa for Korea was a bit of a challenge – they want a lot of documents. I had to send the originals of my degree and TEFL teaching certificates there + the usual police checks, health checks + miscellaneous other paperwork. We finally got there and I was issued with a visa code. I had to go to the embassy to collect it. I took my ticket from the queueing machine and was surprised to see (turn upside down at this point - I couldn't get the picture to!) …

International marriage visa?!!!

I felt sure I’d applied for a working visa. So, either the machine hadn’t been reset that day or my new bride-to-be will meet me at Incheon airport in a few days’ time.

Why Seoul? Well, there’s a thriving British Council teaching centre for a start. In fact there will be five teaching centres when I arrive – two for adults and three for children. The teachers are asked to choose which they want to teach and I chose adults. This will be the first time in eighteen years that I haven’t taught children, but I enjoy teaching adults just as much.

Another reason to go to Seoul is probably best understood by looking at the pictures on this website:

http://www.hikekorea.com/trails

There are mountains actually in Seoul and countless more up and down the country. I expect I’ll nip up a few.

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So, that’s it. I’ll continue the blog when I get to Korea. It’s hard to imagine anywhere as interesting as Vietnam but I expect I’ll find a few things to write about. One thing that will be absent of course is the bike photo of the month. Korea is a little more orderly I believe.

There are some photos that I wish I’d taken but either didn’t have a camera handy or didn’t move fast enough. I hope you like the ones I did get. Here’s the last one:

Final bike photo of the month

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I’ve decided to start learning Korean before I get there. It’s worth getting ahead a little I think. One surprising fact that I’ve discovered is that the script is remarkably easy to learn. It might look like something a Martian would write, but it’s just an alphabet like any other. Another advantage is that there are no tones. Vietnamese has six tones and, as mentioned before, if you say it slightly wrong, it can come out horribly wrong. It takes a lot of work to get to the stage where you can be understood. Pronunciation is not as big an issue in Korea and this gives me hope.

I’ll write another blog once I’ve been there for a while so until then, I’ll say goodbye. Or, as they say in Korea,

안녕히계세요