Visit to Pizza Hut, Korean Style

As most of you know, the first real job I ever had was working at the Buchanan Pizza Hut.  During my three and a half years working there, I served tables, answered phones, and occasionally assembled and baked pizzas.  Good times, good memories, and, rather than hating Pizza Hut pizza as a result, it has actually turned out to be one of my favorites.

So, anyway, I've really been enjoying trying new foods and new food establishments.  I've enthusiastically tried several variations of kimchi, kimbab, bibimbap, ramyeon, and a plethora of other foods whose names I do not know yet.  Even so, I found myself with a hankering for something a bit more like home.  I emailed Lindsey, and we made plans to meet after sundown on Saturday and find us some pizza.  Wondering along the commercial strip near my apartment, we tried to decide which parlor to try.  When we saw the recognizable Pizza Hut logo, we new our search had come to an end.  Of course!  A chain restaurant, it would surely be something familiar...right?

At first glance, we were right:  the dining room looked like Pizza Hut, it smelled of garlic and yeast like Pizza Hut, and it even had a salad bar.  Then we looked at the menu.

Not Pizza Hut.  Sure, there was pizza on the menu.  Black sesame pizza.  Bulgogi pizza. Shrimp Pizza.  Oh, my.  What to do?

We read through the English titles of the menu and finally saw "vegetarian pizza."  Hooray!  We ordered our pie happily, and then thought a trip to the salad bar might be a nice way to start the meal, and ordered that, too.  We really should have looked first.

The HORROR!

Fear Factor:  Korean Edition

There was almost nothing recognizable on the salad bar, aside from some iceberg lettuce.  What's this orange stuff here?  Does this have meat in it?  Oh dear, there are whole miniature fish in this.  Where's the tomato?!

We managed to be brave and try some of the safer looking items.  Wasn't half bad, really.  I was still really looking forward to that pizza coming out, though.  At long last, it arrived at our table.  A bit small for the price, perhaps, but it looked delicious!

A thing of beauty

We prayed a very thankful prayer, then I grabbed a slice and dug in.  Mmmmmmm!  That wonderful, delicious, amazingly satisfying flavor of....SWEET POTATO???

Noooooooooooooooooooo!

Oh, we should have known better than to think Korea would have left that ole' standby Cheesy Bite pizza as is...oh no, it had to give it its own personal twist.  You live and learn.

Actually, that was probably the worst culture shock I have experienced since coming to Korea; such a shock, in fact, that I forgot how much I wanted regular pizza.  That is, until the craving turns up again with a vengeance.

First Week, DONE!

I just finished my first week of teaching here in Daejeon, South Korea!  It was exhausting, but also very fun.  Here's what my schedule looks like:

7:00     English Level 3
8:00     Break
10:00   English Level 3
11:00   Religion
12:00   Break
3:20     Phonics 1
4:05     Into Grammar 1
4:20     English Time A1
4:35     English Time A3
5:05     English Time B3
5:20     English Time B1
5:35     Into Grammar 2
6:05     English Time D2
6:20     English Time D3

It's almost like a university schedule in some ways, with random breaks throughout the day.  Fridays we only teach classes in the morning.

I already love my students.  They are so fun!  The junior classes are just like every other elementary and middle school class I've ever taught; kids are kids no matter where you go or what language they speak.  Something I am not used to, however, is teaching adults.  It is a completely new experience for me to be in charge of a class where I am the youngest person in the room.  Despite this, I've found it to be very rewarding to work with grown-up students.  You can have interesting conversations and be taught be them even as you are learning.  I have definitely taken advantage of conversation time to learn more about Korean culture, which I believe serves a dual purpose as the students must search for and practice new vocabulary as they try to answer my questions.  Another neat thing about the adults is their welcoming spirit and hospitality.  I have already had the opportunity to try several local treats due to the generosity one of my level three classes, and I have plans with a couple other students to take a mountain hiking trip soon!

It was an itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny, yellow polka dot English Classroom!

The classrooms at the Daejeon Institute are small yet cozy, and I get my exercise climbing up four flights of stairs several times a day. In order to teach my Junior classes, I must travel to a second institute located in Kwanju, about a half hour bus ride away.

Apparently there was a miscommunication between the two.

So far I have been using my free time throughout the day to prepare for upcoming classes, call home, learn some Korean, and explore the city.  It's been cool.

Religion classes start up this week, more on that later!  Ciao for now!

It's Daejeon!!

Well, I arrived safe and sound in Daejeon, South Korea.  After that bus ride, which turned out to be only around an hour and half (bad information!), I spent another hour sitting in the bus refueling station waiting to be picked up by someone connected to the institute.

Not much to see.

At first I thought I had arrived earlier than expected and that was the reason no one was there yet, but as the minutes ticked on I began to suspect something else was the case.  I remembered someone in the SDA Academic Office had mentioned that if you ask a Korean to call a phone number for you on their cellphone they will do it, so I searched around for a likely target whom I could ask.  I spotted this friendly-looking ajumma (Korean word for a married, middle-aged or older woman) and made my walked over to her.  With my limited language skills I could only say "handepone?" and hope she got my drift.  To help my case I showed her the sheet of paper with the pastor's phone number.  She smiled widely and nodded her head vigorously, then proceeded to pull me to a nearby kiosk all the while chattering away in Korean (A moment of reflection:  do Americans do the same thing to foreigners who don't speak English?  Babble away as though the poor souls understand a word we say?)  She spoke to the man behind the counter, and he gave me a suspicious look.  Nonetheless, he pulled out his very impressive smartphone and dialed the number.  I don't know what was said, but I imagine it was something like "hey, I've got this foreign girl here looking really lost, are you going to come get her or what?"  After he talked for a moment or two, he handed me the phone.

Me:  Hello, Pastor?
Pastor: Ohhhh!  Lauohra!
Me:  Um, yes, hi...I'm at the bus station.
Pastor:  Ohhhh!  Eh, mmmm...we thought you are coming tomorrow!
Me:  Oh, ha, yeah...surprise!
Pastor:  Okay, okay, wait wait wait wait, okay?
Me:  Okay.

By this point, the man whose phone I was borrowing was impatiently holding out his hand for it to be returned to him.  I bowed and thanked him for his help, then went to wait by my luggage.  The ajumma must have decided I looked like I needed a friend (I did), and proceeded to adopt me for the rest of my time there.  It's funny how, even without any words, one can communicate with others rather effectively.  Even though I could barely pick out more than a word here or there, I understood that she thought I looked tired and should rest.  She pointed out a nice ledge just off the sidewalk upon which I could sit, and then scurried off.  She was soon back, however, with a newspaper which she spread out on the ledge so that I wouldn't get dirty!

As good as a LazyBoy any day, and more creative, too.

The adjumma continued to check on me periodically as I people watched, and eventually my ride pulled up to the curb.  The ajumma ran out to the driver (which turned out to be one of the church elders), and apparently scolded him for making me wait so long (or at least the exchange seemed a little heated).  Happy to finally be going somewhere, yet sad to say goodbye to my friend who had become very special to me in a very brief period of time, I smiled, bowed, and thanked her, then got into the car.

It was perhaps a strange way to begin my time in Daejeon, yet it somehow boded well for what will be my experience here in the future.

Next Stop, Daejeong

*The following was written at around 11:30 am on October 30.

Today didn’t go quite as I had planned…

I knew it was going to be hard leaving all of my orientation group members, saying goodbye to the Academic Office Staff, and traveling to a new place.  However, I thought I was going to be one of the lucky few that didn’t have to be alone on their way to the unknown.  Since Lindsey, Daniel, and I were placed at different institutes within the same city, I assumed we would go on the same bus.  Imagine my surprise then when they got their two tickets to Daejon-Dunsan, and I got my one non-stop ticket to Daejeon, departing at 11am sharp.  Since it was 10:45 at that point, there wasn’t much time to think or fret about it, so as the guys helped carry my luggage, we rushed down the lot to bus 5688.  I gave Lindsey a hug and wished her safe travels, then waved goodbye to the others as the bus pulled away.

That brings us to the present, where I am speeding off to a land I know not.  For the first time I am completely on my own in Korea, very aware of the fact that the support system that has been there for me since the day we landed in Incheon is getting farther and farther away with every mile.  It’s a little scary, but also strangely exhilarating.  I cannot compare this experience to anything else in my life, not even going away to Grand Valley.  When I left for college, it was with friends and the guidance of family, and I knew I would be able to easily communicate with just about everyone I met.  Now I find myself barely able to sound out the words I see on street signs, let alone communicate with anyone using more than a few phrases and hand gestures.

Despite the uncertainty, this over two-hour bus ride is providing me some much needed quiet time in which to reflect.  I did a lot of research in preparation for coming to Korea, and it has definitely helped a lot.  Most interesting, however, are the situations and events I now recognize God was using to prepare me for my mission here.  Some are personal, and just between Him and me, but one example is that I worked in bilingual education for a year.  I didn’t notice at the time, but I was learning to be comfortable around people whose culture was different from my own.  Even though I speak a little Spanish, I often had to take risks in speaking the language when I would have preferred not to in order to get an important message across to students or their parents.  Now I find myself unconcerned that I am the only person who speaks English on this bus.  Every Korean is a unique individual, but they do as a whole seem to have a great desire to be helpful and hospitable.  Another way that I can see God working in my life was through all the opportunities that I have had to make and deliver Bible studies in small groups and one-on-one.  We prepare our own materials for religion class and Sabbath School clubs, and as a result of all my experience, I have a great collection of Bible studies I can draw from, as well as the necessary skills to build new studies as the Holy Spirit guides.

God really is amazing.  He has been calling me to Korea since 2008, and it is becoming more and more apparent why.  Some of you have had various misgivings about the program here, and I thank you so much for sharing them with me, and I assure you I am still taking your cautionary words and advice to heart.  However, if it eases your mind at all, there is currently a movement among some of the leadership here to bring about reform of a spiritual type.  I want to be a part of that reform, to return this institute’s purpose to its original roots of saving souls for Christ’s kingdom.

 There is a lot more to think about, so I will end this already long post. 

Gyeongbokgung Palace Tour

On Sunday we took a day trip to Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul.  What a thrill it was to step out into a place filled with so much history!  Somewhere around six centuries ago, the founder of the Joseon dynasty designated Seoul as the capital of Korea.  It was the perfect choice because of its central location on the peninsula, and it has remained so ever since.  As I understand it, Gyeongbokgung is the largest of five preserved and restored palaces in Seoul.  It is also the birthplace of the Korean alphabet, Hangul.  The palace itself and the view beyond it is breathtaking.  I'll let the photographs speak for themselves.

One of the gates

Traditional drum

Wow

Ornate eaves

This is a "Heavenly Deer."  It looks like nothing like a deer, nor is it very heavenly.

I loves me those mountains

Yet another scenic view

A place where affairs of state were attended to

Columns and ceiling decor

Peaceful Reflecting Pool

Can I live here, please?

The guardian mountains

A part of the king's personal quarters

Ceiling detail

Little carved animals sitting on an eave

Young girls wearing traditional hanbok

Garden

Can't lie...I'm really proud of this picture 

Colorful painting inside the gate

The Main Gate

Busy, Busy, Busy

We definitely hit the ground running here in South Korea!  Lindsey and I were the last to arrive of thirteen new teachers.  Thankfully, we didn't miss too much, and have easily caught up with the rest of the group.  Each day we follow a very packed schedule.  It starts with a yummy breakfast, after which we have worship.  Then it is teacher training until lunch, then more teacher training!  Somehow we have managed to find time to open bank accounts, deal with some policy matters, take care of health screenings, and have a very inspirational and uplifting testimony time.  For an exciting turn of the tables, the English "All Day Club" (a group of students that spend all day learning English together), provided us with a Korean language lesson.  I picked up some valuable phrases that will certainly help me to communicate with the people I meet.

Like the Korean Colonel Sanders, of course

Most of our free time (of which there is not much) is spent just getting adapted to the local culture.  Life here is quite different from life in the States.  Korea is a country of extremely hard-working people who put 100% into everything they do.  Their goal seems simply to excel; be it in the classroom, on the job, or while pursuing a hobby.  Apparently there is a lot of pressure on young people to succeed and look good doing it.  If they cannot do so in all aspects of their lives, they risk being labeled as a failure by family, friends, and society in general.  Education and the job market are both extremely competitive.  These circumstances have resulted in a culture that seems addicted to long, exhausting work days, caffeine, fashionable clothing, and plastic surgery.  People push past you on the street and while boarding the subway, and there is a general sense that most everyone is in a rush to get nowhere fast.

Forget to do your shopping?  No problem. 

Grab what you need in the tunnel before you board the train

Despite this driven, high-stress environment, in the short time I have been here, I have already had many opportunities to see first-hand something that the Korean people are well known for:  their wonderfully welcoming hospitality.  

Friendliest Police Station I've ever seen

The staff at the institute made us feel right at home from the very start.  Even those who don't speak a lick of English are always ready to help, direct, or advise in any way they can (it's amazing how well one can communicate even without the use of words).  Just tonight one of the other new teachers went to an electronics shop in order to purchase a replacement cord for her laptop, and the shop owner gave her one for free!  When the All-Day Club took us on an afternoon outing, they helped us to read signs, answered our many questions, and pulled us out of the way of motorcycles on the sidewalk.

Yes, you read that right

In a nutshell, it's been interesting.  Everything is just so novel and exciting, I'm finding it hard to sort it all out.  I'll just take it all in for now :)

Korea So Far: A Pictorial Essay

Yummy Chocolate Soy Drink

My first look at Seoul

Pleasant skyline

Cool

Beautiful sunset

Crazy red glowy hand dryer

One of the Institute buses

You, too, can learn English!

This is my bedroom light fixture

Yummy yogurt drink the bank tellers gave our group

Giant tank sitting outside of a restaurant, packed with loaches...looks delicious, right?

We found an SDA church while we were exploring!