Long overdue update, just a friendly warning it may come off as a little long-winded. Then again if you ask my grandmother who reads my blog, they all come off that way. To begin with, a merry belated Christmas to those of you that I haven’t wished one too. Christmas here was nice and uneventful. Skyping with family back home in states, unwrapping gifts that I got for myself out of necessity and called them Christmas presents, and cooking pancakes, which were quite delightful for brunch.
There are several things I want to start off by writing about. The first being one of my lessons the other day with my upper level class. We were discussing author generalizations, which was intended to roll over into stereotypes as that was our end of class project. I tried to stoke the fire and ask about Korean stereotypes of Americans and got some, but not the brutal and harsh honesty that Europeans have of Americans. There was the answer of obesity, couch potato, one student brought up the term “California girls” which in turn took the conversation in a hilarious turn. Then there was also the response that Americans hold hands and kiss in public. Not something that we think about on a day to day basis as stereotyping America as a culture, but to a society that doesn’t do that, I guess that could classify us. I then wasn’t satisfied because I didn’t feel that I had opened the floodgates and there wasn’t enough emotion and input coming from the students. I asked them about Chinese people. OMG the response I got were absolutely hilarious. They told me that they’re all short, with big heads, and too round of heads and small squinty eyes. I was laughing hysterically on the inside. I then proceeded to ask about Japanese people and got similarly fueled responses. This was definitely the input that I was looking for to make the discussion a success. It got me thinking though and there are stereotypes for Asians, Europeans, Africans and Middle-Easterners in the states. But, aren’t the majority of stereotypes either directed at Mexicans or Canadians (think How I Met Your Mother)? In Korea, I suppose that it is the same stance where neighbors fuel more stereotypes than people from a distant land. It makes me think of a joke that gets retold by my uncles that Charlie used to tell about no matter what town you go to there’s always a town nearby that somehow they’re better than. He used to say the only exception was Midland-Odessa because that was two shitbox towns that got together and put and airport in the middle. J
I was also thinking the other day about pencil sharpeners. In Irving it was pretty common place to not allow students to have the personal pencil sharpeners in class. Not because they were somehow dangerous or a distraction, they just always seemed to make an absolute mess. Over here those don’t seem to be a problem. Everyone has a pencil bag or box and they sell some really cool looking ones. Inside they keep their pencils, usually at least one of which is mechanical (and I got myself one of the cheaper mechanical ones [basically 60 cents] and it is amazing), a highlighter and everyone carries one of what Americans would refer to as a drafting eraser (the white gum ones that work ten times better than crappy pink rubber). Also included in each pencil bag that the students have with them everywhere (remember usually 3 different schools a day for some of them) is a box cutter. What the hell?!?! My initial reaction aside, it’s very common place. They actually sell them right between the pencil bags and the highlighters. You can get a Hello Kitty one or a Disney Cars one even. Everyone has one to use for pencil sharpening. WHAT? WHY? HUH? So in an age where in America a student will get suspended for bringing a pocket knife, we have a country that a) doesn’t allow private firearms and b) has their kids walking around in day to day life such as a normality of having a box cutter. I love that this world hasn’t turned into just one large synonymous state of society.
I was thinking about this further on my walk to work today. How many of us would take a second look at someone that has a surgical mask on if they were walking down the street? Exactly my point! Here that’s just an accepted thing and they market ones that have paisley or plaid designs and ones that can be washed etc. Then again I guess the same thing could go for walking in general. Why are you walking? To stay healthy. Oh, so you’re not trying to get anywhere? No if I wanted to get somewhere I’d drive. But, over here people haven’t forgotten that we were built with our own modes of transportation. I’m not thought of as an oddity (except by the people at work) for walking the 30 minute walk to work. I find it incredibly peaceful and puts me in the right state of mind to do my best at work.
Last, I will talk about the work pre-new year’s eve party. It started out as a regular evening, get off at 10, walk home by 10:30. It had only one difference and that was the branch manager had bought pizza (delicious pizza that I’ve gotten before) from across the street for all the students to have a couple of slices as well as the staff. Then after I got home I warmed up some leftover spaghetti that I had and was polishing that off and was going to relax and text some people back home when there was a constant knocking on my neighbor’s door. There’s only two of us on the floor that I’m on, and from the best I can deduce without every meeting them, I think it is a family. Anyways, the knocking continues until finally I think to myself nobody’s trying to talk to this family at a quarter to midnight. So I make my way towards the door when the knocker on the other door speaks BYRON. Oh shit, I think as I hurry to the door recognizing the voice. You wanna go out. Absolutely was the only logically response. Turns out everyone was going out from work and the branch manager was meeting us there. Also turns out that he’d been given wrong info about which apartment I had been in (from the individual who moved me in mind you) and was coming to ask as I didn’t have a cell phone for him to text (more on cell phone to come in random thoughts section). We get to a “western style bar” which only means that it is more of an American style bar where you just drink beer, instead of one of their types of bars that are more food with beer on the side establishments. There we shared stories from the week so far about work, talked shop and also talked about new year’s resolutions for making the school better (more students enrolled, better students enrolled, and high retention rate). The food that we ordered was amazingly unique and delicious. There was a form of fruit nachos that had some sort of mayonnaise or sour cream based sauce with no cheese but rather mandarin oranges and pickles. Mock all you want, but actually really delicious. At 2 the owner tossed our entire group to the street as he closed down. Just on a side note Bud Ice was listed as a premium beer at this establishment. That provided at least 10 minutes of mocking and humor as to someone’s low standards of premium.
The night however wasn’t over as our boss wanted to go nextdoor to a karaoke bar with small private karaoke rooms for groups. Lots of beer and food proceeded to flood our table as people went around and sang renditions of favorite songs. A great group version of the Beatles hit Hey Jude got everyone participating followed by my turn and accepting the man in black’s Ring of Fire. It was an awesome attempt at a humorous fun remix. Other song choices that this American classic belted out to were Jamiriqoi’s Feels Just Like it Should, You Give Love a Bad Name by Bon Jovi, Yellow Submarine by the Beatles, That’s the Way by KC and the Sunshine Band and Jump Around by House of Pain. It was a night, or rather early morning filled with laughs and great memories as we took the taxi home to arrive at our apartments at 6:15 to crawl into bed. Yay for Thursdays at work where my first class isn’t until 7.
***Random Thoughts***
I love not having a cell phone. You forget how freeing it can be to disappear sometimes when there’s not a constant way to get a hold of you. That being said I will be investing in a cell phone soon enough for communicating with work folks and also for meeting Scott and Heana when I travel that way. I however have resolved that a simple flip phone is what I desire. No longer do I see the need for endless apps that I use occasionally. Over here I have developed a beautiful simplicity and that will continue further into my phone usage and habits. (ugh sorry for the grammatical typo in the original post. It has been corrected.)
I love pantomiming in order to better communicate. This really helped me explain a running nose to the pharmacist so I could pick up some meds. Luckily I also knew yes, no and thank you in Korean so I didn’t come off as an American jerk.
The Android Monopoly app is awesome. I think this will make train rides more enjoyable than they already were. I think it will also further prevent panic attacks on road trips in cramped cars on the way to snowboard and such.
Last random thought is decorating my room is coming along rather productively. My boss was in there speaking with a student the other day and asked about some of the reasons for posting some of the posters and I got a “good job” and a smile. That’s the Korean version of an attaboy I think. Til next time. We ALL LIVE IN A YELLOW SUBMARINE!!!
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