The Tree House Temple

Tomorrow marks the beginning of my new classroom alias, "Sarah Teacher!" After five months of student teaching and almost two years of subbing, I never thought I'd be this nervously excited for my first day of school. Now bear in mind that these kids aren't my usual "I don't give a shit" American middle or high school students. These are "I've already been in school for six hours but am here for three more hours" glasses-wearin', sticker' sportin' Asian cutie pies!!!! Ugh, my heart is already melting.  Note to self: summon my inner Pat Benatar, harden my heart, and be a rough-n-tough, English-demanding cookie!...Was that convincing? Yeah, I don't believe myself either. HELLO! There's a reason why I chose secondary ed. My happily underdeveloped maternal instincts require anyone under the stinky age of 12 to be showered with kisses and hugs and butterflies and sparkly love! Gotta put those sweet feelings aside and treat the little monsters as they should be treated, like smart little monsters. We'll see how it goes.

I digress. This blog was supposed to be about my beautiful, productive Sunday with Tim. We began at our favorite Ulsan coffee shop, Caffe One+One, where we're slowly making an attempt to become regulars. It will be easy to do at this particular cafe, because, being the cheapskates we are, everything is buy-one-get-one free, hence the name. As I mentioned before, coffee is a raging culture in Korea and also very much an art form. The quality of coffee and the love and care dedicated to each cup puts it a little on the expensive side, but Tim is a cheap date and a great plus one to my cup. (I know you'd say the same, Tim!) As a bonus, Caffee One+One seems to play nonstop Celine Dion, and since Tim and I are avid Celine Dion fans we are thrilled to hear to her greatest hits on repeat for over three hours.<<<<LIES. Despite the odd music choice, we managed to get quite a bit of prep done with our classes for the week. Go, us.

Close to a caffeine overdose, we decided to do a bit of exploring this afternoon. We discovered the most amazing hiking trails close to our apartment and went on a quest to find what looked to be the Legends of the Hidden Temple. I knew that hiking was popular in Ulsan, not only because I pass somewhere between 10 to 15 hiking stores on a run downtown, but also because I often see small groups of cute Korean ajummas (older women) dressed in head-to-toe outdoor attire, outfits never complete with face masks, neck warmers, or professional grade hiking sticks. These people are serious and now I know why. The hike began with a vertical ascent that left Tim and I feeling less than fit. Huffing and puffing our way up 100 stairs we finally made it to flatter ground and it was beautiful scenery. Tim attempted to identify trees, I attempted not to bitch as I shed layers of clothing, and everything was fabulous. We were just two lil' outdoorsy Koreans. First we stumbled across this:

I believe it's a burial ground of some type, but all of the hedge stones were uniform gave it unbelievable continuity. Remember, this is on top of a mountain, and this picture does not come close to showing the magnitude of its size. This has been hiding above the city streets the whole time! Crazy!

We continued along the path and stopped for a chuckle when we found an adult playground, a common sight in Korea from what I can tell. The adult playgrounds have plenty of fun, interactive toy-things that encourage a "workout," but Tim and I have yet to see the full effects of various spinny-bobs and bitty stationary bikes. We took turns riding what resembled the gazelle, a favorite of my late-night infomercial binges. I regret not snapping a photo of this stuff. It's fantastic. I promise I will take one the next time (and there WILL be a next time.Very soon, I'm certain.) 

More hiking, more passing well-dressed, outdoorsy Koreans, more silly conversation with my oppa. ("Oppa" is a Korean term used by younger girls to mean "older brother," although it denotes friendship, not literal family relations.) With roughly one hour of sunlight left in the late autumn sky, we finally made it to our destination: The not-so Hidden Temple!

The colors were beautiful, even in a foggy haze of this gloomy Sunday. We were high above the city and I felt so serene. But even here we were not alone. CCTV is everywhere in Korea, including the temple, so I decided not to press my luck and venture inside. Plus, that would have required shoe removal. I wasn't in the mood for that. No, no. There was plenty to see from the ground!

Colorful rooftops

Happy faces

"Well, we got our pictures. Now people will think we actually do things in our free time." Truer words were never spoken, Tim. Back down the mountain we went.

Home Sweet Home

Along the two and a half hour train ride from Seoul to Ulsan, I couldn't help but smile. The high-rise buildings of the concrete jungle became obscured by a more natural landscape: tall,  misty mountains, small lakes and rivers, green valleys dotted with tarpaulin to cover homemade gardens. This was the Korea I hoped to see, and although I was tired from training I managed to stay awake long enough to catch a glimpse of the tomato sun as it ducked behind a mountain. Everything felt right. I was heading home.

After a quick meet and greet (and bean sprout soup) with my superiors at school I arrived at my apartment. Prior to my departure I knew I would share an apartment with another teacher for a few days before she moved out. This was actually quite helpful! I knew I had a pillow and blanket waiting, along with pots and pans, silverware, dishware, etc, all of which new teachers usually purchase on their own. What did I not know, you ask? I did not know I was about to move into a shoebox. Seriously guys, I know people in the states who have a closet larger than my apartment. If any of you were familiar with my mini-apartment in Bloomington, cut that in half and add one washing machine. Here, let me give you the tour.

In Korea, most people remove their shoes before walking around their home. This is great! You stinky Americans might consider losing the sneakers before traipsing around your indoor environment, gosh. Aside from cleanliness, heated floors are the source of warmth in most buildings, including this one, so it's a little more important to keep the floor somewhat clean. 

Off to the right you can see a small tile pad used as shoe collection. Don't blink or you'll miss it! Obviously the entrance leads into a "kitchen." The "kitchen" is mainly some cabinets and sink, a two-burner stove top, and the smallest (most adorable) toaster oven I never knew was invented. I can make maybe four chocolate chip cookies in that useless thing. And to the right is a baby refrigerator not worth picturing. Atop the stove is my tea kettle. Oh, wait...that's just a pot. Yep.

The best part about the kitchen is the sliding door which separates the bedroom, so I can close the door, then close my eyes, and imagine the granite island and cherry cabinets that occupy the kitchen in my dreams! Ahhhh, beautiful. Damn! Too bad that door is made of glass. Oh well. On to the bedroom. Come on in!

A look right, see this:

The bedroom came furnished with a bed (plus a mattress on the floor since I'm sharing the shoebox), desk, and dresser. An upside to this room (HALLELUJAH, THERE'S AN UPSIDE!) is all of the natural sunlight. I'm like a wilted plant without sunshine, so at least here I can flourish and grow as big as my little pot, able to get plenty of water in the...

Bathroom! Although there's no bath. Shower-room! Well, there's not really a shower either. I know what you're thinking, and yes, I think it's weird too. But I have to live here for at least one year, so I figure there are two ways to look at this: I either have no shower OR I have one huge shower! Optimistic me is trying very hard to view it in the ladder sense, but once again, something to get used to. Hey, maybe it's every regular child's dream to get water all over the bathroom and make a huge mess, right?   "Look, Mom!" *sprays water all over the ceiling* But honestly, come this January, think of me while you soak in your luxurious bathtub or let the hot water shower over you after a long run (shout out to my runners!) I'll just be chillin' in my shower room. Literally. But I got you beat on those heated floor. BOOYAH!

Seoul Searching

After more than 13 hours on the time-warping Boeing 747, also known as a sky yacht, I had consumed three cups of apple juice, two ovo-lacto vegetarian meals, seven episodes of Jaime Oliver's Escapes, one full-length feature film, and about seven chapters in my last minute but surprisingly good Half-Price Books purchase, a novel by Tom Wolfe. My mind, body, and spirit each agreed that it was time to plant my feet on some foreign soil. Unfortunately it was drizzling when I exited the Incheon Airport, tired and sweaty after hauling close to 100 lbs. of luggage on my person (and anyone who truly knows me knows that I have no upper body strength), but some extremely friendly and eager Koreans were willing to assist me in loading my luggage on a charter bus to take me into the Seoul city center. Ohhh, happy days it was to arrive at my hotel and find my kind roommate for the week, Ellyn, there to greet me. We unnecessarily set our alarms for 9am and laughed when we awoke bright-eyed and bushy-tailed no later than 5:00 the next morning. Erghh, jet lag.


Sunday was a day devoted to getting lost, and that we did. Ellyn and I began to get a flavor for this booming metropolis and it's likes and dislikes.

Farewell, Midwest! Annyeonghaseyo, Korea!

Likes:

• Coffee, and plenty of it. South Korea does coffee shops like the midwest does churches. There is literally a coffee shop on every block, and in many cases there are two or three...or five. I'm serious! Coffee is a huge thing here and it's delicious (and expensive, but worth it.) 
• High heels, and plenty of 'em. Let me paint you a picture to illustrate this phenomenon. You're hauling ass up the steps of a metro exit only to find a near-delapidated sidewalk crowded with people. Now, you get to the top, proud to have made it, when a tiny little asian women dressed 10 times as nice walks by you 10 times as fast in HIGH HEELS 10 times as tall! I have no words. Only a jaw on the floor. That will never be me, and I've already come to terms with it.
• Babies. Babies, babies, everywhere. There is no such thing as an ugly asian baby! I want them all! It's only been two days and I've already overdosed on Korean babies. If it weren't for the fear of customs, I'd plan to steal a few before I return to the states. 

Dislikes:

• Eating utensils. Duh. Not a surprise to anyone that the Korean use chopsticks, but I had no idea the wide variety of chopsticks. So far I have only encountered metal chopsticks in the restaurants, but they are a bit more tricky to handle than the wooden sticks I'd grown accustomed to when sushi-nommin' at Ami in B-town. I'll get the hang of it, though.
• Large people. Not really a dislike, but one is definitely at a disadvantage in this country if they are horizontally or vertically large. Even a little heavy, it is difficult to find hip clothing. Big feet, big anything, Korea is a country built for the teeny-tiny. The next time you're in an American clothing store, pick up a size medium and assume that's a size large here. Korean diet, here I come!

Monday began my intense week of training. Assuming all goes well and I pass all of the exams I should be on my way to Ulsan in just a few days! As I've said before, I cannot truly relax until I see Tim, my good friend, and unpack these godawful suitcases. Traveling is by far the worst part of traveling. I'm excited to settle into my new home.