Where I Spent February 2012

Our orientation for the TaLK program has taken place at Korea University, Sejong Campus. The campus is located in the city of Jochiwon. These are the dorms we have been staying in.

This is the fitness center where I've been getting back into shape after two years of sitting in front of computers, eating foot-long subs and forgetting what it means to move one leg in front of the other at a rapid pace.

This is the building where we've been taking classes and lectures to become effective teachers.

Our lectures have covered a large gamut of topics, including learning such useful, tactful phrases as this:

Here's a picture of the soccer pitch we've been playing on. A group of us from America played against a group from England yesterday. Results?

England: 11
USA: 4

Yeah, seems legit.

Some other random pictures to enjoy. It's crazy to think that in five days we will be gone from our little English-speaking bubble within Korea and actually out there on our own. We're all taking full advantage of being together for one more week, with the closing ceremony taking place Thursday in Seoul.

Oh, and let's not forget: NO TUBAS ALLOWED ON CAMPUS!

South Korea Wants YOU!

Got a bit of a scare the other day. All of us who are male Korean nationals received this email from the TaLK program, letting us know that we "are required to attend a military service meeting."

The day of the meeting, we showed up and waited outside in the hallway outside the room where we were having the meeting. Guys were joking around saying, "Well boys, looks like we're all going to become close friends for the next two years."

South Korea takes its mandatory military conscription very seriously. Since the two Koreas are still technically at war, they need their military to be robust and ready at all times. Military service is also a source of pride in Korean men, and any Korean men who try to dodge the draft are ostracized for doing so. And running off to Canada isn't quite as easy in Korea.

The door to the room opened and it was filled with men in business suits, women in business suits, TV reporters and journalists. The joking ceased immediately. The tables were perfectly lined up and these forms were placed at every seat.

Suddenly it didn't seem too far off that we were all lured in with the TaLK program as the cheese and the South Korean Marine Corps as the mousetrap. I have never sat in a room that felt more tense in my life. Talk about a heavy atmosphere. We sat there in silence as photographers snapped photos and the head of the Military Manpower Administration explained in great, heavy detail what the requirements were to serve in the Korean army. I'm still not sure if it made it better or worse that I couldn't understand any of his presentation - it was entirely in Korean and used advanced vocabulary. Luckily, the booklet they'd handed us had the details explained in English, so I read through that for the hour we were there. The verdict?

I don't have to serve in the Korean military due to my weak ankles!

Well, it's either because of my ankles or my sole US citizenship. Either way, I won't be joining the Marines anytime soon. However, a few guys from the program found out that they do indeed have to serve, in which case South Korea will put a hold on their passport and require them to serve two years in the military. Surprise!

For our increased blood pressure and hour of our time, the Korean government wanted to give us a masculine, nationalistic souvenir, which I assume is fitted with a tracking device.

At the end of the lecture, they also told us that for those of us that are not required to serve, we can still choose to join and serve the country, and that we should tell our Korean friends back home that they can do the same.

America 1, South Africa 0

Teaching the King of the Hammer who it's daddy is.

Riekus accepting defeat.

Get Folky With It

My second day in Korea, we had an excursion as a group to a traditional Korean Folk Village, which is a funny name because the village is actually located in the middle of a large city. The compound, however, was huge, and there was a lot to take in. We got through maybe half of the site before we had to leave four hours later. Yes, we had bulgogi for lunch, which was a definite crowd-pleaser.

The folk village had traditional dancing, which was done by guys with streamers attached to their hats which they kept spinning while they played on salmunori instruments and dropped some impressive beats. Other beats they played made me realize where I got my mad skills when I used to play "the drums" on my mom's pots and pans in Hendersonville.

I could fill this blog with pictures, but I'll try to keep that to a minimum, since Korea pictures can be found on Facebook. I'll place quite a few here, too, just not as many as there will be on my Facebook page, so go there to get visually stunned. Note: don't look in the photo album entitled "Thinkin' 'bout Drinkin" from 2009. Those were dark times I do not remember...

At the village we saw folk dancing, music, an equine skills performance, traditional Korean houses, and a children's theme park. Random for a folk village, I know, but then this is Korea. There has to be SOMETHING flashy. There was also an arcade, so of course we went in, and my new South African friend Riekus (who is similar in size to my dad) fell to my mighty swing in a test-of-strength game. Looks like someone knows how to drop the hammer...

Tuesday we had our official opening ceremony, and they gave demonstrations of traditional Korean dancing and a performance by the K-Tigers, a group of young kids that do TaeKwonDo. It was held on the gorgeous campus of Seoul University.



After the orientation, we had a photo scavenger hunt in Seoul. Seoul is an incredible city, and there were a lot of sights to see, but we got there late and were in a time crunch so we weren't able to stop and gawk much. Oh, and yes, it was colder than cold. Several girls, a few guys, and all the South Africans were miserable. It was the type of cold where you didn't want to take out your camera and snap a picture because if you exposed any skin to the air, it felt like you were being stabbed by needles.

We're going back to Seoul tomorrow (as are 225 other TaLK scholars) so I'm going to take many more pictures. After waiting for a few girls who hopped in a taxi that drove them around Seoul for 45 minutes (not by choice), we drove back to Seoul. Sleep on the bus? Not when there's K-Pop to listen to!

The next day actual lectures started, which we have been in for several days now. They keep us pretty busy with lectures all day and after-class mini-programs (like salmunori lessons, cooking lessons, and Korean language lessons). I've also gotten back into working out regularly (two days in a row counts!), so that's been great as well. I'll get into all of that more in my next blog, which if I keep the current pace, should be up sometime in March.

Kidding.

I'll most likely post again Saturday or Sunday night. Hope everyone back in the States is happy, healthy and warm.



Chasing the Sunrise

The blog title comes from the fact that while I was flying to Korea, I stayed awake the entire time, glancing out the window, and I never saw the night. The darkest I saw was a partial sunset.

Yes, my trip to Korea began five days ago, and I haven't blogged yet. In my defense, however, I did travel into the future by one day, so I've reduced my procrastination inclination slightly since college. Those of you with paid subscriptions to this blog will receive a larger bag of rice as a souvenir when I return in six months, in lieu of a monetary refund.

At 12:00pm on February 3rd, I stepped onto a Boeing 777 run by Asiana Airlines. Hands down, best airline I've ever had the pleasure of riding on. It was a 14 hour flight, but the seats were comfortable, the food was good and the stewardesses didn't act like they wanted to jump from the plane. My language barrier problems began as soon as my row partner sat down (yes, before I'd even left the country). A middle-aged woman (I think - those Koreans age so well) tried to tell me in Korean that she was going to lay down and asked if that was ok. As I responded with a dumb look, she repeated what she had just said in English, and, as she lay down to sleep for the next seven hours, I rummaged in my bag for my fresh copy of "Korean for Dummies."

Five movies, three ginger ales, and one cup of bibimbap later, we landed in Seoul, at Incheon International Airport. I noticed a few college-age, caucasian girls get off the plane with me. I didn't want my first act in Korea to be one of bigotry, so I didn't approach them and ask if they were in the TaLK program. Turns out they were, since we'd meet up at the TaLK booth a few minutes later.

In case you're not subscribed to my in-flight movie critiquing blog, here's a sneak-peek:

• Cowboys and Aliens: No chemistry between characters, cheesy concept, poor delivery. D
• Stupid, Crazy Love: Good to see Ryan Gosling as a confident man instead of a broken one. B
• Puss in Boots: A make-money-with-familiar-characters-but-no-soul flop.C-
• Dolphin Tale: Best actor in the movie was the dolphin. A passionate porpoise peformance. D
• In Time: A good idea, but just because I had to see Olivia Wilde die in two different movies...F

After all of the TaLK scholars at the airport were assembled and we had gathered our luggage, we hopped on a bus that can only be described with one phrase: PARTY BUS.

Blinking lights, subwoofers, seat covers, Indian-style drapery and all the K-Pop your western ears can handle. We ride these everywhere we go while at the university. They drive fast, crazy and they love their K-Pop. You can hear some of the best K-Pop here.

You know when you're tired from a long day of exploring a new town or country and you look forward to that bus ride at the end where you can sleep for two hours? Yeah, not on these. And if you do, the K-Pop will invade your dreams. Trust me. Three things I've learned from K-Pop videos:

1. Do not cheat on a Korean woman. She will destroy you and your nice car. Apparently, Korean women can punch a man into space.
2. Koreans cannot dance alone. They need at least five backup dancers.
3. If you want to pick up guys, embrace the schoolgirl look. Works everytime. 



 When we arrived on campus, we were all really hungry, so we had our first group bonding experience by going down to the local convenience store and buying noodle cups (known by collegiates everywhere as Ramen). Ramen noodles are everywhere here, and are served as meals at many restaurants. My first meal in Korea? Ramen and beer on a picnic table outside a convenience store. Looks like someone knows how to make lasting memories.

I met my roomate, Joe from Los Angeles, and promptly passed out. The next day we went on a tour to a bathhouse, which is like a gym, except it is much larger, has more to do inside, and you get naked. What better way to expose yourself to a culture could there be than to expose yourself to the culture? So I did. Koreans take great pride in their health and appearance, as was evident by the existence of this place and of the preening that was going on at every mirror in the bathhouse.

After putting on our clothes and modesty, we went back to Jochiwon, where the university is that we are staying at, and had supper. For anyone thinking I am eating at McDonalds or KFC while I'm over here, the university has been making very authentic Korean food. Some people vocally rejoice when they see a food dish they recognize (only happens when they have the salad bar open).

After supper, about 40 of us walked into town and did something very Korean: karaoke (noraebang). We filled up three rooms, drank countless bottles of Soju, and showed the natives that even though we may not know the local language, we can belt out English with reckless abandon and infinite flats. Ashamedly, the only person that sang a song in Korean is an Australian (and there are many Koreans in the TaLK program). I opened up with a duet with Nathan, the aforementioned Australian, performing a classic song written by a Knight of England and a Grammy winner, Elton John. You may have heard of it: "The Circle of Life." Let's just say the room was filled with gasps, ahs, and a greater appreciation for Disney music.

I will finish catching up to the present time in my next blog, where you will find out what's going on in the following picture. Kamsahneeda.