June 6th, Memorial Day (현충일)

Today is Memorial Day (현충일) in South Korea. It is a day off to remember those who died during past significant battles, most recent of which being the Korean War (June 25th, 1950 to July 27^th, 1953) between South Korea and North Korea. Although July 27, 1953 marks the end of the fighting and the establishment of the 38^th Parallel as a political division of the Korean peninsula, the tension between the two sides is still high. My students are always eager to express their anger towards Kim Jung Un and the rest of the North, but most of the kids also dream of the day they will be reunited. The Korean War is also known as “The Forgotten War” or “The Unknown War” due to the lack of attention it received at the time as it’s occurrence was nestled between the more significant WWII and the Vietnam War. Those titles are a bit ironic, I’d say, since the war is technically, still not over.

Korean history is a fascinating subject, perhaps because a war from over 50 years ago is still an apparent threat. However, on a day-to-day basis, the talk of such politics is not heard amongst South Koreans. With the recent string of threats from North Korea now behind us (Thanks, China, for silencing the big guy), it is more clear to me why South Koreans are not really disturbed by anything the North says anymore. Their reaction to the media hype is calm and the opinion is more that it is all very ridiculous. It has been going on for more than 50 years, after all. But still, some foreigners did pack up and leave in a hurry after Kim Jong Un urged the foreign community in South Korea to do so. Perhaps it was just another attempt he made to harm the South’s economy. I don’t know if Reunification is a real possibility, ever, but I do hope for a peaceful Korea in the near future. 

 

Rock-Paper-Scissors or Kawi-Bawi-Bo

This game is taken to a whole 'nother level in Korea. It seems to be the method of choice when it comes to deciding who the rightful person is to gain the power or status that was in question. In the classrooms, when tension is high between students competing to read a page first or be the first to stand in line at the door, the most peacefully accepted way to decide who deserves this status is to quickly play a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors or in Korean, ka-wi-ba-wi-bo!(kawi is scissors, bawi is paper, and bo is rock). It’s definitely an affective teacher’s tool to whip out when a fight is about to break out between students. They don’t question the authority of Kawi-Bawi-Bo. But it’s not only used in the classroom. In social settings outside the classroom I’ve noticed it being used much more eagerly than in other cultures (that I’ve been exposed to). I chose the word used rather than played because it is not simply a game here. It seems to be an accepted method of justice to establish who rightfully gains the power the game is meant to award.

There are also different versions…body actions rather than the hand gestures (which results in quite a comical scene)… Muk-Ji-Pa is another version which is simply switching the scissors with a gun hand gesture. Some schools have unofficial Kawi-Bawi-Bo Tournaments where the kids can win instant noodles if their class earns the luck of the game.

It has been both amusing and intriguing for me to witness the power of Rock-Paper-Scissors here in Korea and as a teacher I took full advantage of its peaceful decision making powers.

 

Dokdo/Takeshima Dispute between Korea and Japan

It was not long after arriving in Korea when I first heard about Dokdo Island from some very proud Koreans. This small piece of land is also known as Takeshima Island and is also being claimed by Japan. The argument over who owns this rock seemed rather immature coming from two nations with much bigger issues on their hands. However, Dokdo/Takeshima Island is deeply symbolical of the long historical conflict between these two countries. (I also quickly learned how useful it is to bring this topic up during speaking class with my students.)

The group of small islets is 215 km (116 mi) from mainland Korea and 211 km (114 mi) from the main island of Japan.[1] It is known to Koreans as Dokdo (Solitary) Island and to the Japanese as Tekashima (Bamboo) Island. For the purpose of having a neutral title, it is worth mentioning that the island has also been named Liancourt Rocks after a French whaling ship which was nearly wrecked on the rocks in 1849. The total surface area of the islets is a mere 187.45 squared meters but  It is situated in rich fishing waters with some natural gas deposits. The ownership of this tiny piece of land has been under dispute for decades. Historically based claims made from both Korea and Japan have left the Liancourt Rocks officially unclaimed and an ongoing political debate.

In recent news, Korean President, Lee Myung-bak, made an unprecedented visit to the island on August 10. In 1954, South Korea stationed a small police detachment on Dokdo. During Lee’s recent visit he told the Dokdo police officers, “Dokdo is the end of our territory. Please make sure to defend Dokdo well.”[2]  Japan responded with anger and protest in Tokyo.  South Korea rejects Japan’s claims to Dokdo as a symbolic stand of pride against its 1910-1945 colonial rule over the Korean peninsula. After WWII, Korea reclaimed sovereignty over its territory; however, ownership of the Liancourt Rocks was not actually established. Therefore, for Koreans, this dispute over territory is reminiscent of the Japanese colonial occupation which ended 67 years ago.

At the Olympics

This possessive rivalry surfaced at the 2012 Bronze medal Soccer game in London. The game happened to fall right around the anniversary of Korean’s Independence Day. After Korea won, midfielder, Park Jong-Woo, grabbed a political sign from a fan reading, “Dokdo is Our Territory”.[3] Since political signs are against Olympic rules, Park Jong-Woo was banned from the medal ceremonies, but it was more than just a game for Korea. It was a victory burning with historical and political symbolism.

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[1] "The Issue of Takeshima". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/asia-paci/takeshima/index.htm

[2] “South Korean President Visits dokdo Amid Protests from Japan”. KoreAm: The Korean Experience. http://iamkoream.com/south-korean-president-visits-dokdo-amid-protests-from-japan/

[3] “Football chief apologizes for handling the ‘Dokdo’ celebration aftermath”. http://view.koreaherald.com/kh/view.php?ud=20120817000986

Patbingsu (팥빙소) (for Michelle)

One of my favourite (of many) foods here in Korea is Patbingsu or 팥빙소. This dish is especially popular during the hot summers and consists of shaved ice, red beans (팟pat), and various toppings such as fruit, ice cream, nuts, mochi, and condensed milk. When I first heard of this I had no desire to try anything that would ruin my ice cream with beans. I've seen it with cornflakes as well. So weird. Then I thought, since I've been able to acquire a taste for kimchi, why not try this bean filled dessert. And it was delicious! I've been eating it all summer. It's refreshing on these hot, humid days, and just the right amount of sweet. We had the pleasure of sharing this Korean dish with some far travelling Canadians this past weekend and I think they enjoyed the surprisingly satisfying dessert as well. Just one of the things I will miss when I leave Korea. 

Summer Update

With Korean public schools back in action after a month long vacation, English hagwon (private academy) teachers are back on the late 1-9 pm schedule. During the summer vacation, hagwon teachers work 'normal' hours: 9-6 pm.We do not receive an enjoyable month off like those lucky foreigners who wrangled their way into a public school position. 

Weekend in Busan

However, we did enjoy the five-day weekend that almost all of Korea takes off at the same time. This meant that the few days we spent on Korea's most famous beach, Haeundae, nestled alongside the east coast city of Busan was mainly about dodging people. Because it was the busiest days of summer we found ourselves part of the crowds walking down the streets as well as riding the waves into shore. The beach area was covered with a canopy of umbrellas. This is the first beach I have ever been to where you can sit on the sand all day without being touched by a ray of sunshine. Unlike the popular western belief where health and beauty are associated with the acquiring of a golden glow, pale white skin color is what is desirable in Korea. We grew accustomed to seeing fully clothed people sitting around and swimming beside us. The water was swarming with yellow inner tubes that are arguably more fun than boogy boards (and they do hurt less to get bonked in the head with). Considering the number of fellow beach goers, I really should have been less surprised when I was slammed into by a wave of bodies as the water crashed down. The unofficial beach equipment system requires you to pay $6 for an umbrella, sand mat, and an additional $6 for a lovely yellow tube. Whoever runs this non-municipal business is a genius (considering these pictures) and apparently backed by gangs (rumor has it). Foreigners are known to get ripped off and charged more since it's easy to take advantage of those who you can't actually communicate with. Luckily we were not. As it turns out, space and shade are very valuable commodities on a Korean beach.

Yeosu Expo Trip

Another busy summer day was spent at the Yeosu Expo. This event was held from May-August in Yeosu, South Korea; the southern most area of the country. This year's Expo theme was 'The Living Ocean and Coast'. The architecture of the buildings constructed for this event was remarkable. Entering the Expo park area felt like entering a theme park or a village. Again, since this was the peak summer vacation week and the last day of this event, the park was ridiculously full. Lines were hours long and exploring all the pavilions would be (and is) impossible (especially in the time we had). We knew this would be the fate of the day, however, considering such a global event is not often hosted in a country, let alone, city near you. We decided to be part of the 8 million people to visit. We waited an hour and a half to go up the renovated, abandoned silo tower to get an elevated view of the park and the southern ocean. The aquarium was by far the most popular pavilion. The line was over 3 hours long but fortunately I was able to reserve a few spots and we skipped to the front of the line. Woohoo! It was beautiful and well worth the trip. Aside from the pushing, shoving crowds and humid heat, it was an outing to remember.

Getting around with the KTX (Korea Train Express)

One of the best ways to get around Korea is with the KTX. The trains' opperating top speed is 305 km/h (190 mph) allowing us to get from Daejeon (middle of the country) to just about anywhere in Korea in about 2 hours for less than $25. It's fast and afordable. The summer months are very busy for the KTX so booking weeks ahead of time is necessary for the popular destinations such as Seoul and Busan, and special events like the Yeosu Expo.





Some pictures from the past year.

My youngest students.

 

...Haha...

Korean girl scouts.

Spring in Ansan.

Cherry Blossoms

New City

My first year of living and teaching in Korea was successful despite my initial fears of being exploited by the company or being left stranded and alone in a place where I could not communicate. However, I did fail at posting more than one blog entry. Much of the credit for the year's success as well as the blame for my blog failure was meeting this wonderful guy named Daniel Farrell. We have now returned to Korea together as EFL teachers, and this time around, I'll lower the bar and not make any promises of posting much more than before. That way, by writing this entry, I will have already exceeded expectations.

Finally arriving in Daejeon, late Sunday night, was a great relief. Our very long journey started Friday morning. We were faced with obstacles such as United Airlines' terrible customer service, trying to avoid ridiculously high overweight luggage charges for four suitcases with too little time, missing our flight, considering abandoning our contracts, re-evaluating our commitment and paying rerouting fees, switching airports, driving to Baltimore airport through what seemed like a hurricane as we passed several cars smooshed by fallen trees, and then once again almost missing our flights because United Airlines put us on standby. Finally, after about 30 hours of traveling, three airplanes and a bus from Incheon airport to our new city, Daejoen, we could sigh with relief and say, "This better be worth it."

Daejeon is located in the middle of Korea and home to about 1.5 million people. From what I can tell, it doesn't seem much different from my previous Korean city, Ansan. There are plenty of busy neighbourhoods with lots of businesses and restaurants decorating the streets with neon lights and interesting smells. Our first experience searching for food after a long jetlagged day only motivated us to learn more Korean. We sat down at a Korean restaurant and ordered what looked like a delicious place of chicken only to receive a plate of segments of fatty pig legs with the skin still on. Oh and with a side of silkworm larvea. My stomach turned a bit and we felt rather dumb but didn't want to be rude, so we both ate some pig fat with skin, asked for it "To Go", and then dumped it in the garbage outside. Lesson learned...learn more Korean.