I'm not dead...

My goodness, things have been busy here in Korea.

Let's start with the most exciting... I went to Japan. And my hagwon paid! It turns out that I needed to leave the country in order to apply for the appropriate VISA and remain a resident of South Korea. The nearest Korean consulate office is in Japan so my school bought me a plane ticket to Japan. I only stayed for two days and one night, but that is two days more than I had ever been to Japan. What is interesting about my excitement is that most people just thought my trip was common place. It reminded me of California. In California, Mexico is a pretty common destination. Of course, traveling to Mexico is always an adventure, but due to its proximity it has gained a sense of commonality... Everyone has been to Mexico. That is how Koreans feel about Japan. Fukuoka (my destination) is an hour and half plane ride from Seoul. In fact, Fukuoka is closer to Seoul than to Tokyo. So, most people who heard I was going to Japan thought it was cool... but not that cool.

Nonetheless, I was thrilled. I left early Wed. morning, hit up the Korean embassy and then started my adventure. I wandered the streets and subways of Fukuoka for three or four hours until my poor feet were exhausted and soaked. It was raining, cold and windy. I visited shrines, a historic park and finally took refuge in the Fukuoka Art Museum. And guess what they had on display... An actual ANDY WARHOL! Seriously! It was the piece titled “Elvis. ” I must have just sat in front of the artwork for 30 minutes. Not to mention pieces by Joan Miro and Jean-Michel Basquiat. It was a good day! The next day I simply gave up. It was so rainy and cold that I just couldn’t wander anymore and I went to the movies, went shopping and explored the underground subway malls and shopping centers. I felt a little guilty having come to Japan just to be a total tourist, but I figure it just gives me an excuse to go back and explore Japan properly!

And then when I returned to Korea I moved into my new apartment! How awesome! So, here’s the story… When the principal at my hagwon got fired a lot of changes were made in order to improve the efficiency and cost effectiveness of the school. One of these measures was to move me into a new apartment. Apparently my old apartment was too expensive. I didn’t really have a choice in the matter, I was just told that I was going to be moving. You can imagine my concern. The apartment I was residing in was the size of a glorified shoebox and was “too expensive.” If they were going to move me to a cheaper place I was really worried that I was going to end up someplace worse. But, it turns out that my new apartment is SO much better! It is closer to my favorite restaurants, the gym and the subway station. It is bigger, has more furniture and is laid out better so that I have room for a comfy chair and a little table. In fact, I just got a rug for the place yesterday! There is a big open space in the center of the room so I still have a perfect private dance floor. I have more windows, hot water and a bigger closet. Of course, there are a few things that are worse. The kitchenette area is worse. The bathroom is smaller, a bit stranger and has a leaky pipe. The washing machine is broken so I need to get it fixed and the whole place is a bit dingy-er. But, I can deal with all of those things... especially if I now have more dance space!

In other news...

Last night I got hit on by a guy from Jamaica, a guy from France and a guy from New Zealand. The first observation to be made from these facts is that I’m awesome. But, once we move past the obvious... Think about the diversity! Think about the different cultures and reasons for being in Korea. Of course, Korea is one of the most homogeneous regions in the world, but in Seoul and especially in Itaewon, the foreigners congregate and you never know what you'll find or who you'll run into.

In Japan I found an awesome pair of jeans. The right color. The right fit. I love them. I am never going to take them off.

I started jogging/ power walking again. My diet has seen a dramatic increase in beer, rice and noodles, so it is time to get moving. Since I work from 2-10 I’ve been exercising after work at around 2am. It’s great! The air is cool. There aren’t a lot of people on the sidewalks, but there are still plenty of convenience stores open and business people out and about so that I feel safe. It is quite refreshing.

As an adult I find it interesting that I can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t know what the Equator was or had never heard of the Animal Kingdom or didn’t know the definition of the word “boundary.” But, there must have been a moment when I learned these things. There must have been a day when I woke up unaware and by the time I went to bed that night had become enlightened. But, I just don’t remember. I took the knowledge for granted. But, now I am on the other side of the teacher/student relationship. I don’t kid myself, thinking that I’m an unforgettable, remarkable teacher and that my students will remember all my lectures and moments when they learned something new. Most of them are just studying for the test or to appease their over-protective, over-zealous parents. And I definitely don’t want to exaggerate my role, but I do feel like I’m helping them to grow up a little. I like to think that if the person I am today is an accumulation of the knowledge and experiences I’ve gathered over the past 23 years then the people who shared or provided the knowledge played a pretty important role. Even if their roles varied in size and significance. After all, I remember the cool Ms. Dietrich in 6th grade with her thick, wavy hair who played “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” when we learned about “Lucy,” the archaeological discovery. Mr. Athenour, the awful Spanish substitute teacher, always sounded like he was coughing up phlegm when he pronounced Jacquelyn in Spanish. (“Hawk-olina”) How could I forget the librarians at all my schools who figured out how much I liked to read and would set aside new books they thought I’d like. I even remember the lyrics to a science song my mom used to play in the car “98 million miles away is the star that gives us light.” And of course, there are the teachers and people who probably wouldn’t even recognize me in a crowd, but who I vividly remember… US History with the funny, self-deprecating Mr. Miller. Mr. Mahar, the inventive elementary school principal. Ms. Robinson, the over-medicated English teacher.

To make this long story a little shorter, I think these kids might be learning something. And if learning results in growth, then these kids are growing up a little at a time. And it's fun to be part of it.