Yay! I'm actually not exhausted from teaching, so I am blessing you with a second post today! Rob found a wonderful hiking path just a hop, skip, and a jump away from our apartment!
The path meanders through a pine tree forest. It smells so good. The pine trees are completely different from Canadian pines though. I will have to get a proper picture of a Korean pine tree. Next time I'll take some close ups for all ya nature lovers out there.
Here I am pointing at our apartment after hiking for awhile. We really do live in the mountains. Not near, not a 15 minute drive away, but in the mountains. "Um, Rob, which way do you think we should go?"
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood... One road takes you on a shorter hike and back to Taebaek. The other one we still don't know how far it goes. We hiked along it for awhile, but didn't make it to the end. Next weekend perhaps... Ah, a random pile of rocks. These are everywhere in Korea, and although I do not know what they mean, I am sure they have some significance... Or, maybe a pile of rocks is just a pile of rocks.... and to end the hike on a happy note we walk past a Korean graveyard. Sweet!
Indeed. I've seen a lot of amazing things and a lot of strange things... Unfortunately, I usually don't have my camera with me at the time, but here are some lovely things that I have happened to capture...
I know Rob posted it before, but it's so good I must post it once again. The wonderful coffee/canned drink/telephone combo. Yes, it is convenient! Yes, it is a good idea! Why do I find it hilarious? I don't really know. But I pass it every day and I giggle.
"What, is this not a perfectly reasonable place to park?" Sure, the sidewalk's as good a place as any. Why not? But wait, this was moments before we saw another car driving half on the sidewalk and half on the road. I was not quick enough to get a picture though...sigh.
I'm now getting used to the car or truck driving on the sidewalk phenomenon and casually step aside, no big deal.
One last thing. I found some wonderful socks in the grocery store... look carefully. Yes, that is a man peaking over the stall watching a woman urinate... oh yeh!
My first performance in Korea. With no notice and no practice, I was swept away this weekend to Gangneung, a city by the sea, to play guitar at a Korean wedding. I didn't know the bride or the groom, but a fellow teacher asked me if I would play guitar so that she could sing them a song, so I went along. We arrived at the wedding just in time for the ceremony.
"What time do we play?" I asked. "Oh, sometime later, probably at the dance." Brianne says. "Good, we should practice the song once together before playing." "Don't worry, we'll have lots of time."
So we settle in at the back of the crowd on an oceanfront hotel terrace which in itself was absolutely breathtaking. The groom rushes up and asks Brianne what the name of the song she was going to sing was. This in itself should have been warning bells, but I have become so accustomed to spontaneity in every fashion in this country, that I wasn't even surprised when I heard from the stage: "Blah blah blah blah Canada blah blah blah Brianne blah blah blah I'm Yours!"
So no practice, our performance would not be later on that day, it would be right that second. No worries though, we took the stage and played well, impressing a small crowd who wasn't really listening or watching anyway. But I can rest assured knowing that I had participated in creating wonderful memories for myself and the happy couple, whom I had never met, nor would again...
For entertainment's sake, here's a photo of Katherine, at the coffee/telephone machine:
Forgive me for the lack of posting, once school started, we've both been sort of swept into that mode, and we haven't done much more traveling, though I suppose that's not much of an excuse, as lots of interesting things have happened. We did get an opportunity just before school started again to travel to the Seorak Mountains by Sokcho, the northeast corner of Gangwon-do. This was our second trip there, the last time being the first week in Korea. The snow gave everything a different atmosphere, and although there was lots of snow, it wasn't that cold. I love hearing people complain about how cold it gets in Gangwon, then I show them the weather page for Saskatchewan, falling past -40. Truly there is nothing to complain about.
Anyhow, we were braver this time and ventured further into the park, unlike the last time we were there, we weren't being carted around like schoolchildren, so we decided to see how far up we could get. Kat has discovered that certain heights have an effect of rendering her knees into rubber, so she stayed back after a certain point, and i continued on to a cave known as Geumganggul, about 250 feet up a stone staircase and metal staircase (what brave soul installed that I wonder?). I am fine with heights, becoming accustomed to them through both film work and construction, yet when I was climbing up, and seeing through the metal grates at the 100 foot drop below me, I felt a little nervous.
But, when two ajummahs (elder ladies) passed by me singing to themselves, I reminded myself that it couldn't be that bad. At the top was a shrine inside a small cave. Many paper lanterns hung from the ceiling, I am guessing that it was a pilgrimage to many Buddhists, and I have been told there is a Buddhist hermitage a half day's hike along the same path that led us to the cave.
Of course, the swastikas don't have the same meaning in Buddhism, if I am not mistaken they are symbolic of peace and enlightenment, one further irony that the nazis' would corrupt a symbol of this religion of love and peace.
Teaching
The new semester has started now, and finally, both Katherine and I are finally doing what we came here to do, finally starting to feel like we're earning the money (We already got a raise! This isn't a job, it's a money machine!). But the kids are great, fascinated and excited about our presence, I feel like I just gained 500 new friends. Certain things about the job are great: the hours, the fact we only teach 2-5 classes a day, and the almost weekly business meeting. Let me offer an explanation of this. Work is almost life encompassing as a teacher. They go to school as much as the students, 8am-10pm, monday to saturday (the students do this as well, which may be a little shocking). So it is also your only real social contact next to your family, though many of the teachers are from out of town, transferred because the education board forced them to, so many don't even have family. So nearly every week (sometimes multiple times a week), all the teachers go for "business meetings" which involve copious amounts of food and soju. Soju is like the Korean Vodka/Whiskey, very high percentage of alcohol (20%), and a smooth taste. Because it is actually considered impolite to refuse a drink, often the younger attendees are forced into drinking excessive amounts of liquor (I have found there is a trick though, if you've had your limit, you just dump your glass in another glass under the table, and then you can pass up the drinks that can turn the next morning into a hellish hangover). The food is delicious though, it reminds me of fonduing in the sense you cook your own food.
Oh yeah, teaching was the topic, I like the routine I'm falling into, I feel like I can actually live my life with all of the time that a 9-5 job allows. The days go fast because of the amount of teaching, and I can go home and relax, watch some Star Trek or work on a script, study some Korean language, or go for a walk. I see how some people come here and don't want to come back.
Three months have already passed, and it seems like it's only been a blink. With a trip to Japan in late July to look forward to, it seems to me that the year will pass by quickly, and we'll see what the wind offers at the end of our term.
For now, I wish you Annyonghee Kaseyo (Go in Peace!) Postcards are on the way. Robert Teacher
and to end the hike on a happy note we walk past a Korean graveyard. Sweet!
