Sorry, folks, it has been awhile. I don't have any photos yet, but I will soon.
I arrived in Seoul on Monday without much incident. I met a very helpful serviceman on the plane, who generously gave me an extra phone card he had; it took me two days, however, to figure out how to use the payphones (push the RED button twice and hold it down to get a dial tone!). Pay phones are on a phone card basis, rather than coins, I found out. I am working on getting a cellphone this weekend.
The young man who met me at the airport was very helpful; it became apparent after some conversation that he was under the strange impression that many Americans carry firearms. There was also another young man there, and we discovered that we had just missed each other at Regent's College in London! What a small world...My "bodyguard" apparently received faulty directions as to where the school was, and we had to backtrack about ten blocks with all my luggage.
Mr. L (names changed to protect the innocent) met me at the school to take me to my temporary quarters. He is a very nice man, who, get this, has a degree in Theology from a Baptist Seminary in Paraguay! I am in a sublet apartment about a twenty minute walk from the school. I will move into my pemanent housing on Monday, which unfortunately is isolated (different building, different neighborhood) from the rest of the teachers. I do not feel this will help my social life prospects much, and am very dissapointed....It is supposed to be a large and spacious studio, however, a rare commodity in Seoul. I do hope it has a proper shower; my current one is basically a vegetable sprayer that reaches roughly the small of my back in its holder; one expat called it the "elephant hoser."
The school is suprisingly (given the hagwon school reputation) well accomodated. They work you hard, and schedules can change without any warning, but the children are rather well-behaved, although there are a few "instigaters" like in any classroom....The public school discipline is a bit harsh, I guess; this evening, one of the "returnees" (many of the students have lived in North America or great Britain) expressed her shock at being smacked with a wooden dowel because she wouldn't be quiet; she said her teacher in the U.S. only yelled! The other common punishment, which I kinda like the idea of, sadist that I am, is what loosely translates into "the invisible chair." The offending student (usually one who can't sit still) is made to sit like you would in a chair, against the wall, with no chair, and their arms extended out for balance. This punishment is administered for five minutes, and then the student gets to sit down. I bet THAT gets the "wiggles" out (all the students could demonstrate this punishment with ease; I guess you get used to it).
As for the people, more and more random strangers are trying to talk to me in Korean (I just smile and nod!). I am talking people just on the street. Today, a well-dressed young man approached me, made small talk in English, then pressed a pamphlet into my hand. I looked at it a little bit later...it was "The Watchtower" (end of the world variety). Darn it, they have them here, also! People are pretty friendly in general; what strikes me most about Seoul is the number of children. I am guessing that there is a large baby boom going on. For some reason, Korean children are very attracted to me (not so much American); the toddlers in particular will run away from their mothers to stare at me. I usually get a smile from mother and baby. At the school, I tend to get mobbed by the younger students as well. It is rather cool, but scary; I am afraid I might step on one!
I cannot fathom how these people stay so thin, given what they eat. Everything that moves or grows is deep-fried, pickled, or loaded with starch (rice and noodles). A few of the teachers at the school complain about gaining weight as a result. The deep-frying is mostly reserved for street-front restaurant food, but I notice that the stands are very popular. I guess you could call it "Seoul Food." I love k'imchi and a dumpling called molgi, I believe.
I am heading into the antiquing district tomorrow, and will explore some of the palaces. I am signing off, now, as I am very tired.
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