Great Teacher Stokes

Here I am one week into The Korean Experience (tm) and I find myself still a bit disoriented, but adjusting quickly and liking it more and more. So far I find (and those of you who have immersed yourself in a totally new culture/language will probably agree) that I feel the best about everything when I let myself glory in the little victories that come more and more each day.

On Wednesday night I went out with some of the other foreign teachers and drank Souju and Cass Beer. We went to a little place called "Music Cafe," I think, which was decorated like a tree house. There were even little ladders leading to a second tier of knee-high tables where people were talking animatedly and drinking. We sat underneath the large tree which took up most of the space and ordered. While we drank, the hostess brought over ice cream, sugared pretzels, and even, eventually, two plates full of fried shrimp tails, all on the house. The hospitality here is phenomenal. Souju is ok, it is a lot like sweetened vodka. It is easy going down but was somewhat unsettling while sitting in the stomach. In any case, it was nice to be out with cowokers, play cards and have good conversations. Small victory #1.

Thursday I nested, stocked up on some food and relaxed in my apartment. I managed to make it to the bank, get more currency exchanged, and buy food and water. Small victory #2.

Friday I went with Matt, another teacher at SLI-Suji, and his college buddy David, who is teaching at SLI - Bundang, into Seoul. We stopped in Bundang first, and David's apartment, while smaller than mine, is quite nice and modern. His building has a lobby, complete with brass fixtures and fish tanks lining the hallway to the elevators. It resembled in form and even function a very ritzy hotel. The view from David's room on the 21th floor is spectacular, looking out over the shorter buildings of Bundang to sloping wooded hills.

Seoul was an adventure in itself. After the reasonably long train ride, complete with several transfers and moments of confusion, we arrived in Youngsan, where we had a delicious Japanese lunch. We had assorted sushi and I had a bowl of spicy taco (that's 0ctopus) which was even better than I had expected (and only five bucks!). We then decided to check out the famed electronics mall there. After that, we headed to another neighborhood, Itaewon, for some wandering about. We checked out shops, noted the international flavor of the neighborhood (lots of GIs), and found a nice Mexican restaurant to eat at (the winner of a heated game of rock paper scissors in which we stood in for the restaurants). After that, we headed to yet another neighborhood, that around Hongik University, in search of an elusive "Jazz Rock Cafe" that David had been to a few weeks previously. After much wandering about the crowded narrow streets, we finally found the place, which had an amazing selection of indie and classic rock to listen to while we sipped whiskey (a rarity here and usually quite expensive). A solid night in Seoul: victory #3.

Saturday saw me at home, making grilled cheese and wandering about Suji. I found a place that sold delicious pizza (with corn baked into the cheese) for about $5 a pie, half the price of the previous place I had seen. Cheap pizza: victory #4.

On Sunday I went out shopping for more food and discovered what I thought I had left far behind in the States: Skim milk, nectar of the gods. My rations thus fortified, I returned home and had a fine meal of leftover pizza, skim milk and Kimbop (a seaweed roll with rice, egg, pineapple and ham): victory #5.

My final victory has been the class I've taught so far today: Two hours with five 13-year-olds that actually went smashingly well. I had an epiphany about some mall-related conversations we could recreate in class. It was a success and I'll call it victory #6, my last for now.

I still don't have internet in my apartment, but I'm working on getting that as soon as possible. Until I get a computer that is in English rather than Korean, I won't be able to upload any photos (and there are plenty). Until then.