The Lotus Lantern Parade: Buddha's Birthday

On Sunday, May 15th I had a chance to take part in the greatest event I have experienced in Korea thus far: The Buddhist Street Festival and Lotus Lantern Parade. Every year, this festival is held the Sunday before Buddha's Birthday. One of the main streets in Seoul was shut down for the entire day and lined with tents where you could eat traditional food, make lotus lanterns and other crafts, learn about Buddhism, and much more. We were there from 1:00 pm until 10 and didn't even make a dent in it.

We spent the day walking from booth to booth eating food, taking part in craft activities, watching street performances, and meditating in a temple. There was a huge temple right in the center of the festival. The outdoor area surrounding the temple was covered in colorful lotus lanterns: forming a ceiling for people to walk under. It was incredible. We spent some time sitting silently in the temple; watching as many people bowed to Buddha.

In the evening we attended the Lotus Lantern Parade that lasted 2 1/2 hours. Seoul, one of the most densely populated cities in the world, practically shut down for this parade. It was the longest parade involving the most people that I have EVER seen. Approximately 100,000 lanterns were used in the parade and more people than you could ever imagine. It was absolutely amazing!

In the park!

Lanterns in the park

Beautiful lanterns covered the entire city!

In the park.

Eating traditional temple food: rice and veggies wrapped in a lotus leaf.

Walking into the temple. It's hard to tell, but this is the area outside the temple. Lotus lanterns covered the entire area.

This is a Buddha magnet that I painted. It was just plain gold when I got it!

One of the many traditional street performances.

The Lotus Lantern Parade!

Beautiful!

There were so many people, beautiful dresses, and lanterns.

One of the floats!

I really think every person in Korea participated in the parade- at least that's how it felt! :)

The dragon was my favorite part!

Luckily for me, Buddha's Birthday celebrations did not end at the parade. The following Friday was Buddha's actual brithday which meant no work for me (or anyone else in Korea for that matter) . It allowed me to travel down south with some friends to explore the city of Busan!

Teacher's Day!

Two weeks ago all of the Teacher's in Korea celebrated a very special national holiday: Teacher's Day! The actual holiday was on a Saturday May 15th, so Friday was a very exciting day at school! Every Teacher in the school had their desks piled high with flowers, food, and presents. Many Teacher's received gifts such as designer purses, perfumes, lotions, and jewelry. My desk was filled with hand-made cards from most of my students, hair pieces, cakes, jewelry, lotions, tea, and much more. The day was unlike any other. Now, I do not tell you this to brag about all of the presents I received. Rather, I tell you this to highlight the ever so prevalent dark cloud that looms over my head as a teacher at LCI Kids Club: money. Don't get me wrong: the attention and love that was shown on Teacher's Day was indescribable. But, I have learned over the past 9 months that while some gifts are given out of pure love and appreciation, many are used to persuade us to be great teachers...or favor certain children. Ultimately- money runs every aspect of our school, we just happen to notice more on days like Teacher's Day! Like any job or situation there are always downfalls and this is the big one I have experienced here over the past 9 months. However, the small faces I get to spend time with every day make the icky stuff worth it. There are no tangible gifts that could ever replace the gifts I receive from my students daily: hugs, smiles, laughs, and learning! My one and only Teacher's Day has come and gone and I enjoyed every second of it!

Time and Time again

For the past 8 months we have had a running joke about to the fact that everything that happens in Korea or everything we do/like in Korea is completely different from everything we have ever known about ourselves prior to this experience. Comments such as, "I would NEVER have eaten this in the US," or "I have never enjoyed this before," or "My friends and family would die if they ever knew I was doing this or enjoying this," are constant. Time and Time again our response to one another is the same- "Dang Korea." :) It's gotten so out of hand that we usually just have to laugh, but it is also a little scary. Over the past 23 years of my life I felt (note the past tense) as though I knew myself so well; food and activity likes and dislikes and how enjoyed spending my personal time. Now, in Korea, almost EVERYTHING I do, EVERYTHING I eat, and EVERYTHING about my life is not only different but it involves things that just 8 short months ago I would have told anyone I hated. Will this change back when I go home or is this who I am now? I don't know. Only time will tell.

Because our Korean food days are numbered, our serious Bibimbop addiction keeps me, Britney and Christine going back to our favorite little Korean restaurant multiple times a week (some weeks it's almost every day). We call it Tomato Place. We have grown to love the older couple that owns the restaurant, and they love us; calling us by name and serving us extra treats that most customers don't relieve. They even know that I don't like mushrooms in my bibimbop and will make a point to leave them out!:) People often ask me about the foods that I miss from home or the restaurants I am excited to go to in 4 months and my honest answer is...NONE. I wish I could eat at Tomato forever.

The weather in Korea is finally starting to catch up with the weather in Minnesota; slowly but surely. I feel a little bitter about the fact that I have been wearing my winter coat up until recently while my brothers have been running around outside, and playing sand volleyball with their friends! Either way, the weather here has been beautiful lately and I am thankful for that. Unfortunately, it makes it very difficult to teach indoors for 9 hours a day, but it makes the weekends much more enjoyable. The cherry blossoms are in full bloom, and old, hunched-over, Korean women with their long-sleeves, hats and face masks (no one in Korea allows any part of their body to see the sunlight) are frantically planting flowers in the very few spots where pavement and buildings don't exist.

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With the beautiful weather in store and the realization with every paycheck that 4 more weeks have gone by pushing us closer to the end of our contracts, we have been out n' about trying to experience the millions of things still left for exploration in the Seoul area and Korea in general. A couple of weekends ago we headed to the Noryangjin Fish Market. It was inside a huge warehouse right on the river, and it consisted of more slimy, disgusting, and unidentifiable sea creatures than I have ever seen in my life. The fish were not the only thing disturbing about the market, however, the people were too. I would never recommend anyone to ever go alone, especially not a female. As three American girls walking through the fish market, we felt as though we were walking through a not-so-fun Fun House! I don't know how to describe it other than it felt like every single person at every stand (there were hundred's of stands) were in on playing one big joke on us. We were in a different part of town than usual; a part that probably doesn't see a lot of foreigners, and I felt more out of place than I have since I came to Korea. We didn't walk by one person that didn't try to talk to/harass us. Like usual, some people just asked if we were from Los Angeles or New York, but most were not so friendly. Workers would pick up an octopus and act like they wanted to just show it to us and then try and throw it on us or at least pretend. They were flashing their huge fish killing tools pretending to hit us. Bloody hands, tools, and fish were being shoved in our faces while multiple people stood around and laughed at us. One man actually tried to use his bloody hands to try and shove food in my mouth. At one point he even grabbed the back of my head to try and use force. I closed my mouth tightly and put my hands over my face. When he couldn't get me to eat it he walked over to Christine and put her in a HEAD LOCK (no joke) while she covered her face, squirmed, and yelled "NO." It was one of the most interesting places I have ever been, and frankly speaking I am glad we made it out alive.

Walking into the market..

This is just one of MANY stands that looked exactly the same: fish, fish, and more fish.

Octopus! It is actually one of my favorite foods here, but I could never eat it like this:)

Who knows..

A large table full of octopuses

I will add a link to the "photos" section of my blog if you are interested in seeing more..

Adding to the list of 234023497 things I have never done and never thought I would do is: staying out until sunrise on a Friday or Saturday night. It seems to be a frequent occurrence for many reasons: bars, noraebong's, and many restaurants are open all night here. I live an hour outside of Seoul so when we make the trek into the city we want to make it worth it, and most importantly in our attempt to fully immerse ourselves into a new culture that's just the way it has to be done. Two Friday's ago, I enjoyed a delicious galbi dinner with some co-workers. After dinner Britney, Christine, and I were not feeling as ambitious as everyone else and decided not to venture in to Seoul. However, that did not mean we were ready for bed. We ended up putting on sweats and enjoyed an evening of snacks, Soju, and good conversation. But of course the night did not end there. I am sure you all know where I ended up next...noraebong!! At about 2 in the morning, just the three of us headed to the local noraebong and sang the night away. We only paid for one hour and the owners just kept adding extra time on the clock (about 2 extra hours). Number 1 rule for noraebong: you NEVER waste free minutes. We generally go with a bigger group, so we tried to take advantage of our opportunity to choose songs we wouldn't normally sing. We spent a lot of the night bringing back songs from our younger years; Hanson, Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, N'sync, etc. It was fabulous. I made it back to my bed as the sun was rising at 5:30 am. It's hard for me to believe that for the first 23 years of my life I had never stayed out past 1 or 2, because now I can't imagine ever being home before 4. Number 2 rule of Noraebong: when someone is in the mood to go, you NEVER turn down the invitation.

Last weekend started off with one of our favorite Friday night pastimes: we headed to the movie theater (another thing I never did at home). Instead of going to the theater close to our houses, we ventured to the COEX mall for nothing other than... the popcorn. Sorry to keep saying this, but my family will for sure attest to the fact that I do NOT like popcorn before I came to Korea. I never have. I THOUGHT I never would. Now, the thought of going to a movie without a big bucket of popcorn is just absurd. The COEX mall has 4 flavors: butter, cheese, caramel, and garlic. You can make and combination that you want. It was fabulous. This is the one habit I think I will leave in Korea and not bring home, but who knows. We saw the movie The Hurt Locker: highly recommended.

On Saturday we headed to the Kyungdong Oriental Medicine Market which was nothing short of a small city. The atmosphere was much more inviting than the fish market, and we enjoyed strolling down aisle after aisle looking at all the herbs, medicines, fish, and meats. I even bought some loose leaf tea. The only really disturbing thing I saw was dog-for sale as a food item. It was presented in a way that looked like they just sliced the dog in half and laid both halves out on a table. The feet were still attached and on some I could even see partial faces and a snout. I had been contemplating the idea of trying dog (since most of my co-workers have) and I changed my mind after seeing that. Overall, though, the Medicine Market was fabulous and I can't wait to try my new tea.

Right in the heart of it all..

What is all of this?

Anyone want some dried frogs to nibble on?

All the parts of a chicken...separated so nicely.

Loose Tea

Every day in Korea seems to be an adventure for me, and I wouldn't have it any other way:)

Sending you all lots of love!

안녕히계세요 (Good-bye)

THE Alligator!

I can't believe it has taken me so long to show you my most prized possession...EVER! My old 6 year old class had to make props to go along with their story they recited during the end of the year festival. The told the story, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. In the end the lady swallows an alligator and dies. I came up with the idea to make one huge alligator and have each kid hold up one part of the alligator's body at the end of the story. I drew the alligator, the kids designed their own piece, and then I spent many late nights (staying up until 3 or 4 am) finishing them since the kids didn't have time to do it during class. It really was a team effort, and it turned out pretty darn cool. I have it hanging in my new classroom!

“Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going.”

Paul Theroux

uff-da

A lot has happened since I wrote last, so lets get right down to it..

Work

If I would have written 3 weeks ago you would have read something similar to this:

I don't like my job. I don't like 4 year old children. I don't want to be a teacher anymore. I don't think I will survive teaching 4 year old children for the next 6 months. I might be coming home early.

And that is WHY I refrained from posting a negative and irrational post a few weeks ago. That is WHY I waited until now to update you on my recent happenings. I am thankful that I waited because in such a short time my heart has changed completely and I can now say this:

I love my job. I love 4 year old children. I love being a teacher. I can't imagine saying good-bye to my students in just 6 short months. Do I really have to go home so soon?

During the first two and 1/2 weeks of the school year I cried, at least a little, every single day after Kindergarten was over. They were the most stressful and most difficult weeks I have had since stepping foot on Korean soil. The one part of my experience that has been a constant since I have gotten here is that fact that I love my job. When that was called into question, my quality of life here started spiraling downward. It may sound ridiculous to some, but I ask that no judgments be made until you have tried teaching a second language to 4 year old Korean children. :)

I will try to set the scene of what my classroom was like for the first few weeks...

My students are 5 years old in Korea which makes them between 3 and 4 in the United States. None of them had ever spent any time away from their parents prior to coming to LCI. None of them had ever even been in daycare or a play group type setting, let alone a school setting. Playing with other kids, sharing toys, and using textbooks were completely foreign concepts. Things such as sitting in a chair, making a line, changing from outdoor shoes to indoor shoes, getting on a toilet, using a urinal, buttoning/zipping pants, wearing a backpack, and listening to a teacher had never been done without a parent nearby. I am sure you are thinking- well, of course- they are only 4. But now throw the fact that they can't communicate with the only person expected to help them with all of these things into the mix. The outcome = scared, sad, out-0f-control, violent, very wild children, and one distraught teacher who wanted to curl up in a ball and die.

I had one boy scream- literally scream- for four hours of Kindergarten every single day for 2 weeks. Korean teachers came in and out of my classroom to try and comfort him, but when they were busy he just sat in the classroom and screamed. As a teacher of the "baby class," I had to follow certain rules and guidelines that other teacher's did not. I had to teach, act, and discipline according to what the parents wanted. That meant- NO discipline, not making them participate in anything they didn't want to do (which was everything), and making sure all of their needs were met at every second of the day even though I couldn't understand them.

I was expected to be in the boys bathroom and the girls bathroom at the exact same time; helping every kid get up on the toilet, wipe their bums, and put their clothes back on. I had at least one kid crying at every second of the day. I had kids asking, telling, and re-telling stories and problems in Korean all day long. When I didn't understand they would cry or lash out at me using violence. I had 2 boys put another student in the blocks box, put the cover on, and sit on top so he couldn't get out. The muffled, death-curdling scream was almost enough to put me on a plane back home. Every day, EVERY kid would spill their cup of milk all over themselves and the floor. I was getting constant phone calls from worried parents : a girls tights were crooked when she got home from school so the Mom thought I needed to be more attentive, I made a kid wash her hands twice because I couldn't understand her when she told me she already washed them, a boy wet his pants on the bus ride home, and so on. It was like a nightmare that I couldn't wake up from.

And then one day...everything just clicked. Ryan stopped crying. Rachel's Mom stopped calling and being overprotective, Diego stopped being violent toward me and the other students, the kids felt safe with me, and they learned how to say their names, feelings, colors, classroom rules, animals etc. They could understand my basic directions. I was able to discipline them and it meant something. I gained control of my classroom and they became the joy's in my life rather than my living nightmares. We just clicked.

I now see them as being the most adorable children in the world, and I get excited to see them every day. Watching them go from not being able to even say hello to hearing English words, phrases, and questions coming out of their little mouths is remarkable. Teaching is such a rewarding profession.

Ryan: the boy who used to cry every day now tells his Mom he likes school more than home:)

Daniel

Diego

Waiting to go home

Rachel and Jenny

Hannah

Working hard!

Victoria with her kid-friendly chopsticks

Jenny

Rachel, Jenny, and Daniel

Play

Even though work takes up a lot of my time here, there is always time to play...

Everland

The biggest amusement park in Seoul!

Getting ready to ride the bumper cars

Feeding the birds

St. Patrick's Day

Seoul Zoo

Britney, Christine, and I spent the day at the largest Zoo in Korea! Luckily, the many problems we encountered trying to get there paid off in the end.

Riding the chair-lift just to get to the entrance of the Zoo

My favorite! :)

Twins Game

The Seoul baseball team is called the LG Twins, seriously! Britney and I met up with my friends Brock and Lauren from Minnesota, and went to the game in their beautiful, outdoor stadium.

There were no hot dogs, nachos, or peanuts. Only dried octopus, fish, and kimbap.

Britney, Me, Brock, and Lauren!

Easter

Easter day consisted of: church, brunch, coffee, good friends, and good conversation. It was a little sad feeling like we were the only people in all of Korea celebrating Easter, but we made the best of our day. When we were walking from church to try an find a nice westernized brunch (that ended up being terrible) we encountered something that made us all feel a little happier and a little more thankful. We ran in to a group of the most adorable children, dressed in animal costumes, and handing out home-made Easter bags to every passerby. The moment was priceless.

Easter brunch: processed eggs, un-toasted toast, and a lone bratwurst on the side.

Exploration

Lately, I have spent a lot of time finding new areas, eating new foods, and exploring one of the largest cities in the world.

Street snacks: silk worms..yum!

Night life

A typical bar of soap in the bathroom: gross.

The only Starbucks in Korea with a Korean sign

The foreign district: Itaewon

Thinking of you all daily and missing you like crazy!

Stay tuned for more in the next couple of days..