Season's Greetings!

Hi everyone!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to those of you still at work and receiving this email. I am so excited that Christmas is just around the corner and that I have the wonderful opportunity to spend it with close family and friends, even though I am abroad. I have now begun the countdown of my classes left for 2009 :) And I am very happy to say that I only have 2 days of school left and perhaps 3-5 classes for this year. Tomorrow is the High School festival, so there won't be any teaching going on, just loads of entertainment! And Monday is my last day at Middle School, so perhaps only 3 classes :)

I received a wonderful Christmas gift this afternoon. One of my students asked me to please speak faster because their ability to listen and comprehend has now increased. What a fantastic reward. It's moments like these that make teaching a rewarding profession. :)

Anyway, it has become sooooooo cold here! I'm gonna have to start wearing all my clothes simultaneously one of these days. Fortunately for me, the USA also has some bitter winters, so I can do some decent winter clothes shopping there soon. At least, I won't have to worry about hunting for sizes that will fit me :)

Last Saturday, our middle school staff went on a day trip to the East Coast of Korea. Fortunately, the weather played along. We drove from beach to beach, had lunch at one of the numerous seafood restaurants, and strolled through a fish market on the quay. It reminded me so of Kalk Bay harbour, only here they had gigantic crabs galore, squid, all types of fish, mussels, and cockles, and strange-looking marine creatures that I've never ever seen before in my life! (I think one type of sea 'creature' must have been sea-slugs, cos they looked like big fat squirming worms, but not, if you can understand what I mean. Some things you have to just see to believe.) And they sell the fish fresh-fresh, they are still alive and swimming and breathing when you purchase!

Be careful what you wish for...

Hi all!

Okay, so it's been 2 weeks and I haven't posted anything... Frankly speaking, it seems to be humdrum now. But, I must persevere....

I had wanted to take things easy prior to my trip to the US. Ya right! As if that's gonna happen. Last weekend, my principal had invited me to his home in Daegu to meet his wife. It really was the last thing I felt like doing, since I am permanently tired and desperately in need of a break and some serious vegetating and couch-potato-ing before the long exhausting hours of global travel coming up soon. He always asks me what my weekend plans are, and I am always busy, so he never gets to ask the next question..."I would like to invite you to my home. Can you come?" Just this time, because I had deliberately not planned anything, he finally got to his second question. And, caught unawares, I very honestly replied, "Mmmm, I don't think I have anything planned for this weekend. Why?"

However, I had forgotten about the Thanksgiving party I was to attend on Friday night in a neighbouring town. It was a gathering of foreign teachers and Korean teachers. One of my friends... (Mexican...his name is Cesar)... well, Cesar's elderly Korean co-teacher was very interested in me. All the guys noticed it. And the evening ended with him telling me he would like to have 'romance' with me. The man is married, with rotting teeth, and probably old enough to be my father!. So before any of you ask me why I told the man, "Sorry, but I have a boyfriend, " ... there's your answer.

Early Saturday morning, I couldn't keep my eyes open during the drive to Daegu. Basically, I was chauffeur-driven by my principal, while I dozed periodically on the back seat! Anyway, the visit turned out to be just what the doctor ordered for me. His wife and I took to one another immediately. In her very basic English, she said I seem 'familiar' to her. They took me to a beautiful Buddhist temple nearby, which was amazingly peaceful and tranquil. Exactly what I needed. (They are both Christian, but she was praying to Buddha! Christianity here is strange! She told me she also prayed for me.) Next was a cable-car trip up the mountain, followed by a late lunch. The visit went so well that during lunch, they invited me to stay over. I was missing my bed and alone-time, so very delicately tried to explain that I wasn't prepared for a sleep-over (i.e. not packed), and was very tired. I then promised to visit them again the following weekend. So I now have adoptive parents. His wife has included me in her immediate family circle. She only has 2 sons, one a banker, the other a doctor. I am now her daughter. She couldn't stop touching my hair and playing with it, as though I'm a doll! She wouldn't let me carry my own bag and jacket. She hooked me in by the arm as we walked, even though she's much shorter than me. She held my hand - both walking and sitting in the car.

My happy 'parents' then drove me to the bus terminus, paid for my ticket, bought me a case of fruit juice, and then stood and waited with me for the bus to arrive, and saw me safely aboard the bus, before leaving. (As though I haven't travelled halfway around the world on my own already!). Don't get me wrong, I appreciate it, it was really sweet and kind of them to be so considerate, but at my age, when I've lived most of my life doing what I want, when I want, on my own terms, it takes a loooooooot of patience to handle.

And so this weekend .... I met my principal at school on Saturday, after which he first stopped off at his mother's. While he was taking care of outdoor chores for her, I had to sit and wait with an 82-year-old Korean woman. Of course, we couldn't communicate. The rest of the weekend was quite similar. Lots of quiet and rest and looooong silences. I did, however, get to spend time in the kitchen, observing Korean cooking firsthand, and got to sleep late on Sunday morning, have breakfast, and go back to sleep. I was encouraged to rest. But eventually, by the time we had finished lunch, I was silently begging to go home already! My new 'mother' now wants me to join them on a monthly basis. I think that's just tooooooo much hanging out with the principal!

Another special thing happened on Saturday ... it snowed! At first, I didn't realise it was snow till my principal told me. (We were driving.) the snow flakes looked like dandelions...that's how huge they were, but I was definitely convinced as I watched them melt on contact with the windscreen. Apparently, it's quite rare for it to snow here in my area. So, it was something quite special.

I have just realised that while this email sounds like a whole lot of moan and whine.....I actually got just what I asked for. Rest and doing nothing, being cooked for and waited on.

Well, as they say, be careful what you wish for, cos you just might get it!

This Saturday, I have another teachers' field trip with my school staff. A day trip to the East coast this time (last time, we went to the West coast). The following weekend is a Cheese & Wine fundraiser for a school in India, and socialising with friends who WANT to see me before I leave for America.

So, I guess I should be grateful for the quiet weekend I've just had, even though it wasn't exactly what I'd had in mind :)

Till next time...

Love and hugs!

Andrea

I could be in Siberia...

Hi all!

The penny finally dropped this morning (after almost 8months here!) (North) Korea borders Siberia. That's why it's soooooo bloooody cooooold here!

Anyway, I went up to Seoul to see JUMP!

On Saturday morning, Bernice and I took the KTX speed train up to Seoul, First Class, mind you. A bit on the expensive side, but all the economy seats were sold out. What a lovely experience! We had so much leg room, that we could put both our overnight bags between our seats, and my legs still couldn't reach all the way to the seat in front of me :) I could get used to this, rather too easily. Travelling at 302km per hour, we arrived in Seoul 1h40min later. I met up with Julie (a Vietnamese-American - amazing story... her mother is a post-Vietnam War refugee)...met up with Julie in Itaewon, we went shopping (what else?) and had a humungous buffet lunch at a big Indian restaurant. Then off to see JUMP!

Oooooo Jinnie....North and South Korea are firing at each other!

Hey guys!

I asked for a James Bond adventure. And when will I ever learn, mmmm? Be careful what you wish for cos you just might get it!

South Korea fired on North Korea at sea today, setting their ship ablaze, when NK allegedly crossed a sea border. North Korean navy promptly fired back, before each retired to respective sides. Each is now demanding an apology.

And Obama arrives next week to sort out the children....

Too sad for words....sibling rivalry out of control.

A

Oh, those Americans!

Hi all!

So I hear it was raining there this weekend? Same here....seems like the weather wants in on this whole global village concept, too, mmm? :)

Well, this past week(end), I had decided to take things easy for a change.....ya, right!

Now there's a group of foreign teachers in a neighbouring county, who have regular get-togethers. I joined them on Wednesday with a bit of trepidation, planning on leaving early so I don't get home too late. My SA friend, Shehaam and I were the only girls. She went home early, straight after dinner, while I decided to hang out with the guys. I ended up thoroughly enjoying myself. What a fun bunch, and really nice people, too. Big surprise! Why did we have so much fun? NO Americans! Hahaha! Canadian, Mexican and Caribbean.

The next day, I felt so energised that I was planning lessons and working really hard at school :) But when Friday morning rolled round, boy oh boy! I couldn't keep my eyes open! It was as though I'd been drugged! (Wednesday night after-effects! I'd only had ONE drink! A Smirnoff Cruiser, that's all!). Anyway, I gradually started to wake up as the day slowly wound on. By the time it was my final class for the day (3pm), my co-teacher and I had been talking so much, and cracking jokes with each other, that by now we couldn't stop giggling. He was even answering the school phone in English, totally confusing the Korean callers on the other end of the line! Which caused further giggles. He then decided to start quoting lyrics from "I Just Called to Say I Love You". And this is how we entered our classroom....

MR KIM: Good afternoon, students. Allow me to introduce my friend.....

ME: (dropping something on the floor and bending down to pick it up, as he's 'introducing' me.)

MR KIM: Korean, Korean, Korean.......(speaking)

ME: Goeie middag, klas! Hoe gaan dit? Vandag gaan ons.....

STUDENTS: bah-dah-dah-di-what? (looking extremely confused)

ME: (giggling, of course) Vandaag gaan ons....

MR KIM: (interejction from the back of the classroom) "No New Year's Day...."

ME: (giggling)

MR KIM: I just called to say YOU love me!

ME: (doubled over, giggling and gasping for breath)

STUDENTS: Did you drink alcohol before class?

MR KIM AND I: HA! HA! HA! HA!

And so the fun and madness continued.

On Saturday morning, I went to Daegu to check out an International Food Fair. Turns out it was all Korean with an Indian/Pakistani stall and a Turkish kebab stall! Well, at least, I got to watch some traditional Korean performances (singing, drumming, dancing) which was really a treat. Afterwards I met up with 3 Americans (pre-arranged), and NEVER again! We had agreed to meet up and go shopping at Costco. A planned 3 hr shopping expedition trip from start to finish ended up being a 7hr trip, thanks to indecisive, clueless men who insisted on finding a specific burger place, after 30min of directionless discussion, while we had meat and dairy products in the boot. Add to this pigheadedness, traffic jams and getting lost PLUS still not being able to read Korean hangul writing (despite them being here for much longer than me), and being mapless....etc etc etc. Is this just a male thing? Or an American thing? Someone, please clarify, cos just when I was beginning to give the Americans some credit, they go and blow it all over again! The general opinion here amongst us non-Americans, is that intelligent, good, decent, respectful, educated and NICE Americans actually do exist, but they are very few and far between.

Another thing that totally boggles the mind, is how ignorant these people are! And yet they all have university degrees! I can't understand this! University degrees, but they don't know basic things about the world that our high school kids would know! One of my Aussie friends' theory is that the US education system is so poor. If you are rich and can afford top-notch colleges/universities, then you're ok. If you can't, then you have to settle for low standards of education. And yes, although these 'English'' teachers from the US have degrees, their standard of education is so low, that they cannot find employment in the US. So basically, they are the rejects, and hence they come over here and 'rape' Korea with their poor education and arrogant ignorance, and refusal to adapt to the culture here, and at least try and learn the language. They have really given us foreigners here such a bad reputation. It's maddening! For instance, there's an American 'teacher' in a nearby town who believes that caffeine is sugar. What on earth is he teaching his students, I ask?

Come to think of it, when I had first arrived here, my main co-teacher had mentioned to another teacher that I am the most intelligent foreign teacher he has met, or worked with. He'd had to contend with Americans before me!

The nice thing, though, is that when Koreans ask me if I'm American, with a bit of suspicion and coldness, when I say South African, their faces immediately light up, and they get so warm and friendly!

Apparently, many Koreans don't even want Americans in their country. There is such a huge military presence here....backup in case North Korea decides to attack. But the US also used South Korea as a launch pad for the Iraq Invasion. Hence many Koreans are fearful of terrorist attacks aimed at the American military bases in Korea.

Anyway, onto happier stuff. Bernice (SA) and I went to Gumi yesterday for some jeans shopping. I've gone down 3 sizes :) Me very happy chicky! We met Martine (Oz) and Mags (NZ) for lunch, and couldn't stop yakking all afternoon. A very nice girls' day out, especially after my trying Saturday with the Americans :(

So please, if there are any nice Americans out there reading this email, don't be offended (Verna, Mike, Sharon). You're the nice ones, remember? You're not here in Korea with the 'rejects'.

So much for my 'taking-it-easy' weekend. Next week is Seoul and JUMP! Finally!

Liefde vir almal :)

Andrea

Sjoe! Maar dis nou Vloek-koud!

H-h-h-h---a-a--l-l-l-----oooo--oo-o-----

"BRRRRRR!" doesn't even begin to communicate how cold it has suddenly become here in Korea :(

5 deg today, and tomorrow's gonna be even colder! Hitting zero and below! Did you know that the kids here all wear mini-blankets? Some are hooded, like the little hooded baby towels we use for baby's bath time. Others have strings that can be tied around the neck, like a strange loose poncho. They are actually quite cute, polar fleece blankies that the kids wear to school. I'm also gonna start wearing my polar fleece blanky from SA to school (the KFM one) and represent!

Anyway, so my James Bond adventure..... turns out it could have been more exciting....yes, we saw soldiers, and yes, military police had to board our bus to inspect our identification individually before we were allowed to set foot in the DMZ, and yes, it was a teensy bit exciting when the Military Police began confiscating cameras, but then a let-down when all they did was delete photos and return cameras to the perpetrators. It would have been far more exciting if someone had gotten hauled off to the barracks with a bunch of us screaming for blood! Add some exploding landmines, a helicopter or two, gun discharge and smoke, and it would have been fitting for a 'Military escapade'.

But... I'm getting ahead of myself....

So, my Provincial Education Office had organised this tour to Seoul and the DMZ for us foreign teachers in order to offer us an educational cultural experience in terms of understanding Korean history and culture. It was also a means of thanking us for working hard in their country. We were a group of approx 150 people, all expenses paid (travel, hotel, entrance fees, meals, etc.)

We drove up to Seoul by limousine bus early Friday morning, and arrived an hour early at our hotel. They were not ready for us, since we checked in and found our rooms were still being cleaned. With a busy tour schedule, we left our things in our rooms and were back on the bus soon after.

First stop was Gyeongbuk Palace and the National Folk Museum. (Now many of us had already been there 7 months ago when we first arrived in Korea. The nice thing this time was that we had 3 professional tour guides giving us more pertinent info.) Thereafter, was more fun, as we were taken to Insadong-gil which is a smaller version of St George's Mall. One can buy Korean souvenirs, arts and crafts here. I liked the atmosphere, so will definitely go back there :) I was supposed to be buying gifts for family and friends, you know, but ending up buying more for myself! (Sorry!)

Gyeongbuk Palace

The King's resting pavilion

Folk performance at the palace

Anyway, then was dinner and off to Seoul Tower. Same setup as Daegu Tower...you go to the near-top and look out over the city night lights with a 360 degree vantage point. What does make Seoul Tower special, though, is that it seems to be Seoul's version of a Lover's Lane! There are thousands of padlocks locked to the railings on the premises. Supposed to represent couples' locking their hearts together. You can even buy a small wall tile symbolising your love and have it fixed to a wall. Strange but true! As we were leaving, someone had set up a live sound stage. It looked like some performance or tv show was getting ready to film. Turns out it was some guy proposing to his girlfriend! In front of EVERYONE! How was she supposed to say NO, even if she wanted to?

Love locks

Then back to our hotel. Where we discovered that Housekeeping had obviously seen our bags in the room and so didn't replace the used towels from the previous occupants, thinking WE had used them! Some big misunderstanding. We could only get fresh towels at 7am the next morning. By now it was late, I had a headache, my friends were trying to kidnap me to go partying. I was hiding in my room, trying to sleep and secretly just wait till they had left the hotel. Eventually, when I thought it safe, I went down to the front desk to complain about the towel situation, and look for food, and BAM! I was caught out. But I stuck to my guns, stayed at the hotel, but by this time, thanks to me hiding out, the kitchen had already closed :(

This was followed by a sleepless night, thanks to a room-mate with a serious snoring problem! The next morning, I phoned Housekeeping promptly at 7am, as instructed the previous night. Half an hour later, still no towels. A second call, and voila! TOWELS! My room-mate had already had her shower (there had been just 1 towel that was usable, so she went first). So, now, with a fresh stack of towels in my arms, I head to the bathroom, only to discover that the electricity supply in our room has just died. Hey! It could have been worse...I could have been stuck in a pitch black bathroom, dripping wet! Of course, there are no windows (hotel bathroom), so when no electricity, it's pitch dark in the bathroom :( This resulted in my THIRD call to Housekeeping from Room 620 in the space of 30min. (It's almost as bad as my LEFT -SIDE MYSTERY!) They quickly sent an electrician to our room while my room-mate stood waiting patiently, wearing only a towel (hee-hee). Good, respectful Korean guy that he was, he modestly kept his head down the entire time! 5 mins later...problem fixed. Sigh of relief!!!!

Right! Back on the bus after breakfast, and off to the North Korean border! The further north we travelled, the colder it got, and eventually began raining. There was so much mist to the north, that we couldn't actually SEE into North Korea, but we at least knew that "over there" is North Korea!

Before we were allowed to enter the DMZ zone, we had to stop at a kind of border checkpoint (so espionage-ey!). Military police boarded the bus and checked our identification documents against a list of our names. (So can you blame me for getting excited and expecting some Ian Fleming action?)

We visited a railway station, called Dorasan Station, which has been built in the hope of the future reunification of North and South Korea, which would allow South Korea to travel through North Korea to Russia, China and Europe, thus drastically reducing the amount of money South Korea has to spend on international trading, cos they currently have to go all the way around North Korea. (On this note, if I wanted to go to North Korea right now, I wouldn't be able to go from South Korea. I'd have to first travel away from Korea, in the opposite direction to either Japan or China, and then come back in this direction to North Korea! Politics, politics!) My co-teacher encouraged me to visit North Korea, if I ever have the chance. Unfortunately, this is not possible right now for South Koreans, even though many have family living in North Korea. It's very sad.

Back to the adventurous stuff! I got the exciting, thrilling and suffocating opportunity to enter the THIRD TUNNEL and walk down into the earth, 73 metres deep, and for 107 metres under the landmines on the surface! I stuck my fingers in dynamite holes which had been bored into the granite for the purpose of blasting rock away to extend the tunnels into South Korea, and managed to peep through a small restricted space, over barbed wire into a tunnel that would lead straight into North Korea. South Korea discovered a tunnel some years ago, that had been secretly dug by North Korea under the DMZ in preparation for attacking South Korea. This chance discovery led to the search for more tunnels. They have since found 3 more. The tunnels all lead toward Seoul, which is the prime target for an hostile takeover. The search for more tunnels continues. Fun stuff, if you allow your imagination free reign. My co-teacher, however, seems greatly disturbed by all this 'commercialisation' of the DMZ, cos he feels it gives a false impression of the way things really are here.

The trek back to the surface was hard and physically demanding. Those who suffer of claustrophobia and asthma were strongly advised not to enter. I have become so unfit, since I have not been exercising since after my summer holiday. Walking back up to the surface at a 40 degree angle near the entrance, from the dank underground, where water runs down granite tunnel walls, and one has to crouch often to avoid getting decapitated by a low tunnel ceiling in some places (thank Goodness for those helmets! - I banged my helmet a few times!), had me breathing slow and steady, methodically placing one foot in front of the other, and constantly reminding myself to remain calm, and not let my imagination run away with me, cos it would be soooooo easy to have a panic attack in a situation like that, where you are so far underground and away from the entrance. (Can you tell what state my mind was in? After a sleepless night? That sentence just went on forever! Same as that tunnel!) Sjoe! It took about 15min afterwards for my insides to settle! The imagination is a very powerful thing!

Just writing about it has given me heart palpitations!

(Deep breath!)

Anyway, took some pictures, saw a documentary or two, back on the bus, supper, and back to Daegu. Then back to Gunwi.

It was WONDERFUL being back home and in my own bed :)

The past 3 weekends have been crazy-hectic-busy. Travelling and adventure is most certainly fun and adventurous, but oh so exhausting! I'll be taking it a bit easy this coming weekend, but there IS an international food expo in Daegu, so of course, I have to be there! :)

Mucho lurvo

Andrea

Autumn in Gunwi

Stunning stunning autumn pics!

The Mystery of My Left Side on Jeju Island

Hi all!

How you'll doing?

Well, this is gonna be a looooong email. I've been dreading typing it....

Early Saturday morning, I met the rest of my tour group (40-strong) at Gimpo Airport in Seoul, for my first adventure trip with ADVENTURE KOREA. We flew to Jeju Island, south of the Korean mainland. It's also known as Honeymoon Island here, as it's the most beautiful part of Korea, and thus an attraction for many Korean newlyweds. Well, I loved it so much, that I definitely want to go back. The air is so much cleaner, brisk sea breezes blow off the ocean, just like the good old Cape of Storms. And everything just looks cleaner than on the mainland. And there are mandarin orange orchards growing everywhere! And I was shocked to see palm trees! In Korea!

Anyway, our first stop was a replica museum showing life in Seoul during the 1960s-70s. It shows just how fast Korea has grown in the last 50 years, from being a poor, rural country that couldn't grow enough food to feed its people, to becoming one of the world's leading countries in technology today. 

Life in rural Korea, just 50 years ago, when Korea was the poorest country in the world.

Next was a volcanic crater, which is now overgrown with trees. We were told we would see lava tubes. This turned into the biggest group joke, as there we were, a bunch of tourists pointing their cameras at every possible - and impossible - angle, trying to see the lava tubes! Still a huge mystery, by the way! We then went horseriding, followed by traditional Jeju pork bbq.

Volcanic crater

It was to be the weekend of My Left Side. I'm still trying to decipher any hidden code re my left side...but surely this is no coincidence. Read on, and you'll see what I mean. In the restaurant, one of the waiters spilled warm - almost hot - stock on my left shoulder as she was moistening our table's bbq cooker. Well, the pork was delicious! My shoulder and feelings? Wounded.....Back on the bus, someone walked past me and the hair on the left side of my head got hooked onto her bag, or something, which resulted in me getting everyone's attention by yelping Ow! Ow! OW!!! Then a ferry to Udo Island - 15min ferry ride on a nice choppy sea to Udo Island, which is supposed to look like a cow lying on its side (mmmmm.....left side?). Another mystery since none of us could see this! 

View of Jeju Island from Udo Island.

We went up another mountain, which has a cliff called LION ROCK, at least we could see the lion!

Lion Rock on Udo Island

Many people were riding horses, and mountain hiking. There were also some free range cows.

On that note, I'm convinced that the animals in Korea speak a different language! When the dogs bark, they sound like screaming children. The cows sound like donkeys, not like any cows I've ever heard back home! The horses were silent! Also, it seems that the smaller the people, the bigger the bugs! Korea has giant bugs. The earthworms look like baby snakes. The spiders are humungous, as are the ants. Giant cicadas, grasshoppers, dragonflies and some other strange things. Thank Goodness the cockroaches are minimal, I've only encountered 2 medium sized ones in my 7 months here. Hallelujah!

Anyway, we stopped off at a few more beaches, the last one being a coral sand beach, meaning...the sand is not beach sand as we know it, but more like a gravel made of eroded coral, which really hurt your feet, but it's still very pretty.

Back to Jeju Island, to a buffet dinner, then on to check into a VERY nice hotel, the Ocean Grand, right on the beach! A small group of us (8) - (German, Swiss, South African, Canadian, American) went to the local supermarket, bought some lemonade and soju, and went to sit on the beach, and proceeded to get to know each other better, then went to look for a noraebang (karaoke), sang till our voices were gone and our throats were raw. The Swiss, Janine, and I went back to our hotel room, while the others went swimming at 1AM! (It was really nice meeting some foreigners who, for a change were European and NOT English teachers!)

Next morning, we went to see a Chinese Acrobatic and Motorbike show. Oh my word! Again, the Chinese really know how to put on a show! They had the audience in near panic attacks with their death-defying stunts. Amazing amazing stuff! If ever you have the opportunity to watch Chinese acrobats live, grab it with both hands and feet!

Then off to a green tea farm and museum telling the history of tea. Then off to another beach, this one with black sand. The unique thing about Jeju and Udo islands, is that there are lava rocks everywhere. People use them to build low stone walls, as property borders, on sidewalks, etc, etc. Basically, you see black porous volcanic rock everywhere! Of course, they sell pumice stones everywhere too! At this beach, we could walk through man-made cave tunnels that the Japanese had excavated for use by Kamikaze pilots while they hid and plotted attacks on the Americans during the war. We also watched a group of giant jellyfish fighting hard against the strong high tide that was bringing them in to shore.

Kamikaze cave

Next was a visit to the Mysterious Ghost Road. At the point that the road goes uphill, the bus driver switched off the engine and the bus continued to roll....UPHILL! We got out and tested this weird phenomenon for ourselves. We poured water on the road... it ran uphill. We placed a plastic water bottle on the road...it rolled uphill. Freaky Freaky...but true. I saw it with my own eyes. I thought that since it's a volcanic island, it must have something to do with magnetic fields. Apparently, it's all an optical illusion. The road really looks like it goes uphill. I still can't believe that it's actually the other way round. None of us can. You have to go and see it for yourselves. It gives another meaning to SEEING IS BELIEVING....apparently, this is not true.

Water running 'uphill'.

Next was LOVELAND! A theme park dedicated to sex and love! One of the very few places in Korea where you can see sculptures of the human body (and certain anatomical organs) in all its natural glory, more often than not, intertwined with another human body, in numerous, creative positions! I'd have taken pics of everything for you guys to see this marvel for yourselves, but my battery died and refused to switch my camera on! They even had a museum of artifacts, and a display of dioramas - if voyeurism is your thing. From an artistic point of view, it was very well done. There was also a gift shop, where sales staff (and some customers, too!) were way too eager to demonstrate how certain items worked! There was a 21yr old on tour with us, whose parents were also present. The poor kid was quite embarrassed at first! LOL!

Next, a souvenir shop for gifts, where I bought special Jeju orange chocolate, then I bought more Swiss chocolate at the duty-free store at the airport. Seems like all I buy when I go travelling, is chocolate!!!

Anyway, coming back to the mystery of my left side! While we were queuing up to check in, this ajumma (older Korean woman) bashes me on my LEFT arm with her elbow and shoves me aside so she can pass through this long queue of waegooks (foreigners). Now, I'm not exactly small and light. She's not exactly big and heavy. So you can imagine the amount of force she exerted to achieve this! OW!

Arrived at Gimpo Airport 21:30, took the subway across Seoul to catch the final bus to Daegu. Subway took more than an hour. I ran from the subway station to the bus terminus, they wouldn't sell me a ticket. After a long, exhausting day, and getting shoved around by ajummas, it felt like Korea was just being plain old nasty to me. I was sent to the bus, where I stood for 20min waiting to see if there would be a spare seat for me. Unfortunately there wasn't, as I had to stand and watch other people who had tickets get on the bus. The bus left without me and I burst into tears. Stranded in Seoul at 23h00 on a Sunday night, and work the next morning in Gunwi is not a fun prospect! Fortunately, another Korean (a med student, she told me) was in the same predicament. I phoned my co-teacher, crying that I had exhausted all possibilities of trying to get back home so I could be at school the next morning. I had even tried to get a flight to Daegu, but all the counters were already closed at Gimpo Airport when I enquired about that. So she offered to help me. We took a taxi to another part of Seoul, from where we managed to catch a later bus to Daegu. Arrived in Daegu at 03:30, I checked into a motel, and took the first bus to Gunwi at 06:10. Got home and into bed for 30min, then up and showered and off to school! Now how's that for an adventurous weekend?

Oh! And woke up with a pain on the LEFT side of my neck!

Oh well, the mystery of my left side goes unsolved......

This coming weekend, it's me on the long road to Seoul again.....and the DMZ! (DeMilitarised Zone). You know the James Bond movie (Pierce Brosnan) where he gets captured by the North Koreans? And tortured? That's where I'm going! Onto my James Bond adventure!

More on that next week!

I'm trying to upload pics onto facebook, but having problems. I'll send you guys the link once I get it sorted out.

Much love and hugs!

Andrea

News Update

Hi all

How's everybody?

It's been a while since I wrote you guys, but it's been kinda quiet here, just the normal humdrum for a week or two, but that's all about to change!

Well. 2 weeks ago it was Chuseok (pronounced "Chew Sock" - lol) , the Korean Thanksgiving holiday! Long weekend, hooray!!! A rare thing in South Korea! Man, these people work toooooo hard!!! And lately, everyone's been telling me that I look tired! This didn't make much sense to me, since I don't even do that much here..... Then finally, the penny dropped! If I were back in SA, by now, I would already have had 3 school breaks. But, being in SK, I've only had one :( No blinking wonder I look and feel tired!!! :)

ANYHOOO.... Back to Chuseok. This was the weekend that a few friends and I had planned on going to Andong for the big Mask Dance Festival, which was subsequently cancelled thanks to SI fears (Swine Flu). I eventually decided to stay at home and REST, since there would be many more eventful weekends coming up this month. Shehaam came to visit me on Sat, stayed over and we went into Daegu on Sun, just to feel like we had actually done something/gone somewhere on this rare opportunity of having some time off!

Much of the same thing the following weekend, shopping and movies, and vegetating!

And remember motor-mouth-American-make-enemies-everywhere-I-go-Geoff? Well, his replacement has arrived....and she's South African! Her name's Bernice, from Jhb, and we get along great! So, the SA network is improving, and nogal all in my area!

And then....this weekend. I had to attend an In-Service training conference on Co-teaching in Gyeongju on Thurs and Fri. This was great, as it meant only 3 days of school! Now, Gyeongju is another very famous city in SK. This used to be the capital of the ancient Silla dynasty here. The city is filled with museums and art dating centuries back. I had been wanting to go, but hadn't got round to it yet, so thoughts were to stay over on Fri night after the conference in order to do some sightseeing. Well, that was the plan. However...... there were a few hundred of us attending the conference (Korean English teachers as well as Native English teachers (that's me) ), so of course, I was making friends left, right and centre, as well as hooking up with some old friends. Bernice introduced me to some of her newly-made friends who had also just arrived in SK. So, Thursday night saw a massive group of people heading downtown for fun. We started off at a Western bar, then off to a coffee shop, then off to Noraebang (karaoke)!

Andrew, Bernice and Michael

Say "Kimchi!" With Paul and Cesar

Noraebang-ing

Got back to our very nice hotel at 2:30am - see, we were being responsible! - got to bed at 3am, couldn't sleep, so might as well have stayed out ALL night - lol! And boy, oh boy! Were we in a zombie-like state for the rest of the day! (Must be getting old - who would have thought!) I was asleep on my feet, but still couldn't stop singing at every opportunity. If a cell ph rang, I ended up singing along - and yes, it was usually K-pop! And yes - it was usually during a lecture! I must be starved for Western company or something, cos even I was aware that I was acting like a big kid all day! One by one, we ditched our plans to stay over, as a torture-rack began to look more inviting than the prospect of sightseeing in our zombie-states!

And back home, and here I am....

Next weekend, I shall fly to Jeju Island, the most beautiful part of Korea. News and photos of that next week.

Love you all.... Enjoy your nice warm weather. My side, it feels like winter already and it's only autumn here. BRRRRR! Better go ski-ing when Winter hits here :)

Ciao!

Andrea

How to get South Africans to Unite, among other things...

Howzit!

How are you all? Keeping happy, healthy and comfortable, I trust?

Well, I've reached my 6-month mark in Korea! So halfway through my contract and from here on, it's countdown time till I come home again!

And wow! What an amazing weekend I've had!

On Friday, after school, I ran a few errands downtown, and yet again, a 5min walk home took 2 hours! Country life, you know....where a quick hello! turns into an hour long kuier. I stuck my head into the optometrist's to say HI! but he practically pulled me into the shop and stuck a cup of coffee in my hand...I only got to leave an hour later! He has a good command of English, and wants to emigrate to Australia, so is desperate to practice his English! Then, 2 min down the road, I bumped into my Philippine friend, Racquel, ended up going home with her for a quick visit, which of course, became an hour-long visit! Her mother-in-law owns a farm, so she sends surplus veg to Racquel, and in turn Racquel piles free veg on me! I went home with a huge bag of eggplant, onions and potatoes! At this rate, I don't even have to buy veg! Now I just need to make friends with someone who owns a dairy! (Come to think of it, one of my students' parents own a big cattle farm! But that's just beef, not milk.) Anyway, we can't have it all, can we? Then again, we get free milk at school. So I suppose I could even stop buying milk!

Well, on Saturday, there was a South African braai in Busan, on the south coast of Korea, to celebrate Heritage Day! What a wonderful experience. When I first arrived, I was disappointed, cos it looked like each racial group just stuck with each other. Cynical me immediately thought, oh well, this is South Africa, right?! Later, someone pointed out a very valid point, which totally makes sense in this Korean context..... cos we find ourselves so far-flung in a foreign country, it's natural for people to touch base with their roots...as jou pappie 'n plaas het, dan gaan jy mos meer in kommon het met die wie se pappie ook 'n plaas het! Of course it makes sense! We have more in common with those with whom we share a cultural heritage! And once that hunger for home culture had been satisfied, add braai smoke, music and beer...and voila! things soon started to look up! We were soon mixing it up!

There were about 200+ South Africans, a handful of Americans, a Kiwi, an Australian or two, a Jamaican and even a Turkish-Russian-American! And some Koreans, too. So we truly had a good mix, just like South Africa! Everyone was dancing to everything, Kwassa, Kwaito etc.... And when the boeremusiek started, Nomvula and I went looking for Afrikaners to teach us how to sakkie. I grabbed the most Afrikaner-looking guy...turns out he was from New Zealand! LOL! (Definitely some Dutch blood there!) He fell in love with 'Shosoloza', which is ironic considering the recent All Blacks' defeat at the hands of the Bokke! So the next best bet, was a real boere ou, who was blown away by how quickly I picked up the steps. He said, "Nou voel ek rerig asof ek tuis is!" as we twirled around. He's convinced that I must have some 'boere bloed' in me cos I can sakkie so well! (Duh! It only consists of 2 bloody steps! HELLO!!!) Anyway, it was cutely innocent of him! All in good fun! Of course, everyone seemed astounded by this little spectacle....An Boer, a Coloured and a Black dancing sakkie-sakkie on a beach in Korea! We were surrounded by an audience with clicking cameras! At least I can say that's my little contribution to uniting South Africa!

There was even a repesentative from the SA Embassy to come and greet us, check up on us, to see if we were ok and behaving ourselves. And yes, we even sang the anthem, the Kiwi right in the middle, hand over heart and all! I should mention though, that the embassy guy had nothing to do with the anthem...LOL!

So...How to get South Africans to unite? Take a random demographic slice across all ethnic groups, young and old, straight and gay, remove from South Africa and place them in a foreign land where most people don't speak your language.....and voila! South Africa comes together! It was something truly amazing to be part of! Reminded me of good old UCT days. And I don't know when last I spoke so much Afrikaans!

And like all things South African, we even had a bit of crime! People started making announcements about cellphones, Nike takkies and sandals going missing! LOL! I had to laugh! Hardly ever in Korea, do you have to worry about someone stealing your stuff. You can leave your bag, phone, wallet lying around in the open. No-one's gonna take it, but get a bunch of South Africans together, and immediately something goes missing! Even that just made it really feel like we were home! :)

And of course, we even had the drunken vloeking from the Kaapenaars, which also just consolidated that warm home feeling! When the sun went down, we headed into the city to freshen up at our various hotels, and then off to Club Mix, which had been booked specially for us. Ironic? Club MIX? Just like old Galaxy days.... 

SA's Richard Branson!

 I met Richard Branson's twin, only he's South African, from PE, with ginger hair! His boyfriend, the Turkish-Russian-American fell in love with my hair. He couldn't stop hugging me just so he could rest his face on my hair! LOL! He even wanted to go home with me, so he could sleep on my hair!!! I told him I was very glad he didn't have a pair of scissors on him, to which he replied that he could always use his lighter! Crazy times, but oh so funny and memorable! I only got back to our motel at 3am...hair intact.

And now it's exam time at my middle school, so I can sit around and do as I please...no classes for me! And tonight, we have a staff dinner. Okey dokey, till next time then.....

Lots of love

Andrea

I've got Seoul!

Hi everybody!

Hope you are all well. The weather should be warming up by now, right? This side, it's finally time to start getting those light jackets out. Autumn in Korea is lovely, the burning hot summer sun has finally relinquished its hold on us. I am exceedingly grateful. One more word for me to add to my vocabulary now, is the word "FALL". They don't really use the word 'Autumn' here - yet another Americanisation (note, I spelled that with an 's' instead of a 'z', thank you very much!

Anyway, I had a LOVELY weekend. I went up to Seoul - yes! again! - I am now officially in love with Seoul. I have been known to say that Korean cities are ugly. I am under correction....Daegu is ugly. Seoul ... well, it's hosted the Olympics and World Cup Soccer, so of course, it meets international standards. (Kinda like Joburg : Cape Town).

Well, Hazel (another SA, whom I hadn't seen in almost 6 months) had invited me along to go see RENT, the musical. So off I went to meet her and Tinyiko. The Canadian, Tim, and his Korean girlfriend, Yoon, also joined us. Tim and Yoon ended up booking into the same hotel as me - pure coincidence - so had nice company.

So, I went up on Sat afternoon, checked in at this lovely hotel on a small island in the Hangang River which runs through Seoul - the theatre venue was on the same island. Before the show, we went for a buffet dinner at a restaurant called VIPS. That was such a treat, as they serve INTERNATIONAL food as well as Korean! Italian, Mexican, Vietnamese and Thai in addition to the typical Western grilled steaks and fried chicken, etc. Naturally, we rolled out of there....

Onto the theatre venue, which is a humungous building at the Korean Broadcasting Service studios. Now from here on, this email is about to get very 'theatrical'. I apologise to those of you who have little or no interest in the theatre. To my theatre friends who know the musical, RENT, enjoy this with me....

I went along to see this production with a laissez-faire attitude, mainly because a few months ago, in Daegu, a group of performers (in retrospect, they MUST have been students) were performing some songs from RENT in an open-air shopping mall. They sounded TERRIBLE! So, I was hoping that it was not the same production being done up in Seoul! Nonetheless, I was going to see my friends from Orientation, so...in for a penny, in for a pound.

OH - MY - GOSH!!!!

I was blown away! It was an all-American cast, with the leads who play Roger and Mark, being original cast members from the 1996 Broadway rendition! The live band was phenomenal! The singing! Out of this world. The guy who played the role of Tom Collins (the big black guy), had a voice like none I've ever heard. Should he record his own albums one day, I'd snap up every last cd! I shed more than a tear every time he opened his mouth to sing! The performances were powerful. I had been mentioning how much I enjoyed the last version of RENT I'd seen at Artscape and how good it was. This totally lifted the bar on that, let me tell you!

What a lovely evening! We did the whole theatre thing that we usually do back home, coffee after the show, sitting at a table on the sidewalk/pavement outside a cafe, munching away on droewors and biltong, which I had brought along for my homies to enjoy!

Breakfast with Tim and Yoon the following morning which turned into a very indepth discussion about life and the after-life! Good conversation.

And then I went to visit a delightful little gourmet deli in Central Seoul, which I had discovered on my previous trip up there. They import jams and preserves from France, so naturally, I stocked up on marmelade, apricot preserve and some other mixed fruits jam. Yummy! They also import olive oil, olives, capers etc etc etc. They even have hand-make chocolates!

Then....back home to rural Gunwi and laziness. A 28-hr round trip that took me halfway up and down the entire country! I love travelling here. You can drive the length of the country in less than a day, and still have time to play! Hey! That rhymes!

Lots more travelling and activity planned for the coming weeks, so keep your eyes peeled and watch this space!

Lots of love to each and every one of you reading this ....

Andrea!

Plans Gone to the Pigs!

Hi all!

Oy vey!!! The swine flu has infected the hearts and minds of Koreans with fear.

The local drama contest has been cancelled. So our kids had learnt all those lines for nothing. And the best festival in Korea has also been cancelled! The mask-dance one. We have already booked accommodation, so have decided to go ahead with our plans to visit the city nonetheless. But there's another interesting festival that we might just attend - IF they don't cancel that one too! It's an international lantern festival, with traditional lanterns from all around the world, including South Africa! Apparently, it's quite a spectacle, lanterns floating on the river, and strung up on the mountains, or something like that.

I, however, have another bee buzzing in my bonnet. Since it's gonna be a long weekend here, I'm thinking of bus-hopping along the Korean coastline! How's that for a bit of adventure? Bear in mind, that the entire country is one big peninsula. Hop a long-distance bus to the nearest coastal town, spend the night, hop another bus to the next town, and so on. Well, I'll keep you posted.

By the way, the plumbing was sorted out on the same day.....of course, it was my long hair that was clogging the drain! A build-up of almost 6months! Hence, by the time I leave to come back home, it should be clogged up again :)

I've just realised that although it's only been 5 and a half months, it feels like soooo much longer, cos I've just done and seen so much. It's hard to believe that I could have done so much in such a short space of time! Well, life is for the living, so live it up, I say! No regrets on the deathbed!

I'm also in the process of booking yet another short holiday (a weekend trip, actually) to the beautiful honeymoon island of Jeju. Jeju is a self-governing island belonging to Korea. Almost all Korean newly-weds head here for their honeymoons. It's renowned as being the most beautiful part of Korea. I've seen some photos, and yes, it looks great. There's a company here called Adventure Korea that organises trips and sightseeing tours for foreigners. It's ridiculously cheap! Return airfare (it's a 12-14 hour ferry trip one-way - so flying much better), hotel accommodation, meals, entertainment, sightseeing, etc all come to just over R2000,00. A steal! There's even an African Art Museum on the island, so hopefully, it should be worth seeing.

Speaking of money....I know things are tight for most folk back home. So, if any of you are unemployed, or just want to earn some decent bucks, live for free, save some money, if you have a university degree (not necessarily an English degree), come and 'teach' English in Korea. There are jobs galore here. The Americans here are also encouraging their friends and family in the States to do the same. Korea's the only country in the world (apparently) that has continued an upward economic growth swing through these trying times. Thanks to Hyundai, Samsung and LG, no doubt! Take my word for it....you know how I've been travelling and booking holidays, and plane tickets as if I'm buying bread and milk at Pick 'n Pay. A word of caution, though, your health is a huge factor. Diabetics, etc are not accepted.

Weatherwise, things have finally begun to cool down here. Autumn has arrived. The sun's setting earlier, there's an early morning nip in the air, but the weather's still pleasant. I have been warned that soon it's gonna get unbearably cold. Then I can finally start wearing all those winter clothes I brought along!

Anyway, other than that, not much going on....

Love to all, and enjoy Spring!

Andrea :)

Plumbing Drama

Hello...

I have a funny little story to tell you guys...I couldn't help myself, just had to share it. (Well, it was quite funny this morning, at least.)

Korean plumbing leaves a lot to be desired....this is well-known here. It is for this reason that they don't flush toilet-paper down the toilet! Hence, very smelly bathrooms, due to the bins piling up with urine-soaked loo-paper. Gross, I know, but bear with me....please.

Well, I have held onto my Western hygiene very firmly, thank you. I still flush everything. So, I was a bit concerned when I ended up with a blocked drain in my bathroom. But rest assured, it's not the toilet! Well, I hope not.... ;) On that note, another SA friend of mine clogged her toilet system, including the neighbour's. They had to get a specialist in to unblock the plumbing. And she was very firmly told to NOT flush the paper!

Anyway, this morning I had to inform the admin office about my problem. My co-teacher had to translate for me, and afterwards he had a jolly good laugh cos now the entire admin office knows about my blocked drain. Anyway, remember the new admin guy I told you all about? The one who after a beer or two, couldn't stop professing his love for me? LOL! Well, he's the one who ended up under my bathroom sink, unclogging my drain! A tad bit embarrassing, I must say! He has been back a second time, and now the head admin guy is going over to check....apparently there's "a big problem". They had to call a plumber!

I wait in suspense.....teaching away while everyone's trooping through my home, inspecting the plumbing! Here in Korea, of course, it's quite ok, cos people are supposed to be honorable and you can generally leave your doors unlocked. I'm gonna need to have a lot of security re-training when I get back home, I can tell you!

On a happier note, remember Geoff? The loud American? Well, he's going back home to the US on Saturday. The Korean English teachers in the county of Gunwi have had weekly meetings with him, but now that he's leaving they have started meeting with another American in a neighbouring town. They don't meet with me, cos I'm not available on Wednesday afternoons when they meet. Anyway, this morning one of my co-teachers told me that she struggled to understand the new guy. She has gotten so used to my South African accent! LOL! But actually, he's not confident enough, doesn't speak clearly and is deaf in one ear, so even he struggles to understand/hear the teachers. (What's going on in his classroom, I wonder?) My co-teacher told me that she really missed me yesterday! Isn't that just so sweet?

I'll let you know the outcome of my plumbing drama......Speaking of drama, I'm looking forward to getting my actors' tongues tied up in knots. It's tongue twister rehearsal time!

Ciao for now!

Much love,

Andrea

Life in Korea

The following was copied from a post someone put on facebook.....

You know you've been in Korea too long when...

#You're no longer tempted to reach into the fish tanks outside of restaurants and grab one.

# When you instinctively know which can is for trash and which is for recycle.

# All the palaces and temples look alike.

# When you don't move for the car but you will move at lightning speed for the motorcycle.

# When you know the choreography to most K-pop songs.

# When Korean women stop looking anorexic.

# When you accept Konglish and stop trying to fix it.

# Korean TV starts making sense and you actually enjoy it

# Korean cops no longer look like boy scouts

# You can pronounce ‘Hyundai’ correctly and you’re even able to spell it in Hanguel for good measure

# Going to Itaewon is a culture shock.

# When pink isn't just for girls anymore.

# When you look both ways before crossing the sidewalk.

# When toilet paper isn't just used in the bathroom and it isn’t odd anymore to see it at the dinner table.

# When you have mastered the Korean squat.

# You can actually make a clear call while on the subway, in the subway station, in the elevator, or while on water.

# When kids walking or riding the subway by themselves no longer worries you.

# When a Western holiday passes and you barely even notice.

# When you're just as comfortable eating on the floor as you are at a table.

# When you will call 여기요 (Yeogiyo) without a second thought to get someone's attention.

# When you are disappointed when kimchi doesn't come with the meal

# Seeing a woman wearing flat shoes almost looks weird.

# You leave Korea and actually miss K-pop.

# You chase the guys in suits away to sit in the plastic chairs outside of convenience stores.

#When said plastic chairs and tables at the 7Eleven, Family Mart, Buy the Way are the hottest hang-out and chill spots

# You can't remember if something is English or Konglish but you totally understand it.

# If you've ever had more than one 'dangly' accessory thing on your cell phone.

# Watching drunk ajosshis stumble down the street is a form of entertainment.

# If you no longer groan when climbing the stairs to your favorite 3rd floor bar or to your apartment.

# You miss the freedom and sensation of driving, but wouldn't dare to drive in Korea.

# Hearing any language other than Korean or English almost shocks you.

# You stare at foreigners with the Koreans.

# If you happily eat soup from a shared bowl.

# If you've figured out how to eat cake with chopsticks.

# You think fecal smell while walking on the sidewalk is normal.

# You’re no longer disgusted when you see spit on the sidewalk

# Your English has actually gotten worse while in Korea.

# You stop picking off corn or sweet potato on a pizza.

# You’ve become immune to the ajumma stare.

# You become oblivious to Koreans staring at you

# When you jostle for a subway and bus seat with the best of them

# When you think it's fashionably acceptable to wear a shiny tie with a shiny suit

# If you've ever offered a Korean directions

# Women hiking and biking in heels no longer seems dangerous

# When you drink beer while walking on the street (BONUS POINTS: while dressed in the same clothes you taught in)

# You've caught yourself about to say something in Konglish

# If you put the peace sign (V for victory) in every picture.

# A Korean ever says "you use chopsticks better than I do!"

# When women in their twenties no longer look like teenagers.

# If you can't remember life before kimchi.

# You are immune to the smell of "the kimchi breath."

# You can pick up a single strand of noodles with chopsticks.

# You ask for more hot sauce because the kimchi-chige soup is not
hot enough.

# You slurp your noodles, cake, in fact anything, as loudly as you can and think nothing of it.

#Your back and neck are sore from bowing all day.

# You walk down the street holding hands with your buddy.

#You can eat barefooted in a restaurant with a foot in your lap.

# You can cut in at the front of the line of waiting people with the best of
them.

#You can fall asleep on the city bus and wake up at your stop.

#You can shovel in an entire bowl of rice and half a course of Bulkogi (Korean marinated meat) into your mouth before you swallow.

#You only lock your door if there are lots of "Mi-gooks" (Americans) around.

#People ask if you want to go by car and you respond, "No, I'm in a
hurry."

# You realize that it is safer to "J" walk than use a pedestrian
crosswalk.

#Seeing men in dark suits wearing white socks is no longer akin to a fashion faux pas.

#You can use a public bathroom for both genders and think nothing of it.

#You crawl back into your house to get your umbrella, rather than take your
shoes back off and walk on the floor with shoes on.

#Someone says breakfast, you think of "chicken, soup, rice and kimchi”

#You'd rather sit on the floor than in a chair.

#You start believing that you can blend into a large crowd of Koreans.

#All your shoes are bent flat in the back.

#You answer the phone by saying "yoboseyo," and sometimes even at
the office.

#Someone says "mansion" and you think of a two bedroom flat in a
400-unit apartment building.

#You mutter "Aigu" when lifting a heavy objects.

#You suck in air through your teeth before saying "no" to
anything.

#You start growling and spitting inside your mouth to add emphasis to what
you are about to say.

#You can convert Hangul into English without repeating it to yourself
first.

#You select shoes based on how easily you can get them on and off.

#You answer "Nhe" even when speaking English to non-Korean friends.

#You carry chopsticks in your back pocket.

#You enjoy putting lots of red pepper sauce on your salads or French-fries.

#You don't freak out when the salad arrives with octopus tentacles wiggling on top of it.

# You hate Japan for no apparent reason

# If you take pictures of your food before you eat.

# If you take pictures of YOURSELF before you eat.

#If you take pictures of yourself at every opportunity

# If every reflective surface can be used as a mirror

# When you know that rice can be used and transformed into a million different edible (some not so edible) treats including cake!

# You’ve considered giving someone Spam as a gift

# You look forward to your morning cup of instant coffee mix

I'm almost there, guys! Of the 89 points above, I already meet 63! And it's only been 5 months! H.E.L.P M.E. !!!!!!