PHOTO JOURNAL: May North Korea Trip FINAL

In May of this year, I went on a three day trip to North Korea. Mt. Geumgangsan is just north of the DMZ on the East Sea (Sea of Japan) and is quite breathtaking in its own right. Although I did not see much of North Korea itself due to severe restrictions on our movements, I can say I have seen on of the natural masterpieces of the world - God in one of his melodramatic moments, if you will.

We left Seoul at 11:00 pm from Hongdae, picking up other groups of people on the way. There were approximately 80 people on the tour, all of us with Western country passports except the driver and the tour guides. I knew a few people on the tour, though not very well. Adventure Korea does not require you to come with a "buddy," and solo travellers are quite common. I shared a hotel room with a very nice African-American girl from New York state (whose name escapes me).

The bus ride was long and tedious, as most bus trips are, so I passed the time speaking with Phil, a Welshman I had met by chance at a mutual friend's birthday party some time ago. We had hit it off during the party... until he made an indecent (and drunken) proposal later in the evening. I had completely forgotten about him until we ran into each other on the tour. He turned out to be a very nice person, if a bit confused about the direction his life was going. Actually, this is true of most foreigners (myself included) one meets in Korea! But I digress...

We arrived at 4 a.m. at the "Asian Rest Area" (where do the rest of us...er...rest?) by Donhae Freeway Gate; this is the purported main supply route between North and South Korea, though it is not currently in use. We then stood in line to get our tickets for the tour, our visas, and our bus assignments. We were each given a specific number and were told to memorize the information on our name tags, whether it was spelled correctly or not! This was a vital step, because the information could be asked at anytime by the North Korean Military Personnel. If we got the information wrong, we could be fined and/or deported. We were then told to go to our new buses, taking our belongings with us. The buses were equipped with special flags designating "tourists coming!"
We drove for about 15 minutes, then arrived at the DMZ. The large, modern, and spacious building screamed "TOURISM!" at the top of its iron lungs; most of us were too tired to explore further than the restrooms, however. There seemed to be quite a bit of wasted space, and I am guessing this building is just for "show." After quite a long wait, the South Korean Military personnel began processing us. Our passports were stamped with an official "departure" seal, which read "Mt. Geumgangsan Tourist" at the bottom. We then reembarked on our buses, and headed through the DMZ.

The DMZ, as has been noted on many tourist sites, is by its very nature a natural preserve. The no-man's land is composed of flat grasslands, wetlands, and sandstone. Moon bears have been sighted in this area, as well as a host of other species of rare animals. We were not allowed to take photos anywhere in the DMZ for security purposes. I did note that wide railroad tracks had been newly built, but they were presently empty of trains. North Korean guards stood at attention on the tracks, their beady eyes taking in the line of tourbuses, most of them full of South Korean tourists.

As we crossed into the North Korean side, the landscape dramatically changed. High and jagged peaks with black striations threatened the landscape. The hills appeared to be barren, although there were what appeared to be salt marshes along the roads. Not a single tree stood, and the landscape showed scarring from the war not yet over. The tour guide flatly stated that the bombing and fierce fighting had wiped out all the trees, and that the North Koreans left the landscape as it was rather than try to revitalize the torn up and cratered earth. Large bunkers had been built inside the hills, and in the bunkers were tanks with their guns aimed directly at the road. No, not a friendly place.

We arrived at the North Korean processing site. We were again instructed to know the information on our cards, and told not to volunteer any information or engage in conversation with any of the guards. Our cameras would be checked; our cell phones had been left behind in the original tour bus. Sometimes, apparently, they try to trick people into giving false information, and they also like to confiscate random cameras (as two members of our group found out). This was to rack up fines on the tourists, though serious offenders were subject to deportation. The North Korean processing site, unlike the South Korean site, was definately military. A series of ragged army tents served as the center, contrasting strongly with the "Pangapsumnida!" theme song playing over the loudspeakers (which would drive us all loopy within three days incidentally). We were informed to stand in line by the numerical order on our cards. Each person would pass through a checkpoint, where our visa would be stamped. The vias was NOT in our passport, but on a separate card. To have a North Korean visa in an American passport would not be looked upon with favor; the cards were taken away when we returned to the South Korean side. I was very calm as I went through; the officer merely looked at my documents, then at me, and sent me through without comment. I accidentally made eye contact with the guard at the exit to the tent, and I swear he almost smiled. I did not mean to do it, but the officers are very short, and at five foot two, looking forward to me was looking into his eyes. I did note that their uniforms, though fancy and well-made, were quite old and dusty. They had been mended many times, but clearly with pride.

On the way out of the tent stood a dilapidated bear mascot. The "bear" was very short, and appeared to be weary with his duties. He halfheartedly waved at the tourists, and appeared oddly out of place inside the military tents...

We boarded the bus, and crossed the border into North Korea. We passed several propoganda villages along the way. The village scenes had a curiously staged feel to them; people passed on bicycles, but never seemed to arrive anywhere. Strollers along the pathways kept pace with each other, and once again, had no seeming direction or destination. Workers in the field wore brightly covered clothing and industriously avoided staring at the line of 30 tourbuses passing by. A picturesque group of serfs on their lunch break precariously balanced themselves and their neatly packed meals on a rock in the center of a field. Soldiers in full uniform stood guard in each field, a red flag in their hands to alert each other of any violation (tourist or serf). For us, a red flag meant a fine. For the people...who knows?

We drove for about ten minutes, and then arrived at the Onjeonggak Tourist Area. The facilities included a mini-mart, bathrooms, and several hotels. There was also a large auditorium, where the North Korean Acrobatic Show was featured. This was the area we were confined to when not hiking or with a group. Shuttle buses shunted people off to the Hot Springs or Kumgang Pension Area. We did not unload our gear at this time, but did take a rest break.
The first tour of the day included a rather strenuous hike on the Guryong Falls Course. It is supposed to take up to four hours; we only got two hours due to a slight schedule delay. I did make it to the top, but I was quite literally the last one to arrive...I guess I was a bit out of shape! It was my first hiknig trip of the season, after all. It's hard to make out, but the bottom picture has a poem to the "Great Leader" chiseled into the rock. There were many of these poems scrawled on the rocks, both in Chinese and in Korean - sort of like a personality cult "Mt. Rushmore."

After the grueling hike, we returned to the tourism zone. I chose to take the time for a nap, and we were allowed to go to our hotel rooms. After a refreshing snooze, my roommate and I headed over to view the Korean Acrobatic Show. The first acrobat was a young girl in a green costume, and I remember the look of sheer terror on her face as she was put through her paces and stunts. I am guessing that she was new, as some of her stunts were carefully supported by her male counterpart. She made a sincere effort to smile, but, her fear often showed through. The live orchestra underscored the show with what I can only describe as Russian Communist Pop from the 1970s...quite amusing. The rest of the show was well put together, if a bit surreal. Oh that music!

A sudden downpour came upon us as we left the show, so we returned to the hotel. After dinner, my roommate and I decided to visit the Hot Springs. My roommate chickened out because the Hot Springs turned out to be "naked only," but I am used to this in Korea, so it didn't bother me. I spent a leisurely amount of time soaping up, hosing off, and hunkering down in the hot and slightly sulfuric water. A group of chatty ajummas almost ruined the event for me, but the novelty of being nude, in a hot spring, under the starry skies of North soon distracted me from my annoyance!

The next morning, we took a tour of Haekumgang Seashore. The East Sea is very rocky, and the way out onto the larger rocks is treacherous. I was content to just take photos rather than climb the rocks...

Later, I took a tour of Samilpo Lake. I got some good photos of both the lake and the trail to the lake, especially the rice fields. The lake itself is unspectacular, and only of note for yet more propoganda rocks.

The people who live near the "Special Tourist Zone" are well-cared for and looked after. They are usually the high-ranking officials and families that are in good with the government. These people, at least, have enough food and gainful employment, albeit only to "look good" for foreign visitors. As wel travelled, we could see people working in the field, heavily guarded. Gasoline is hard to acquire, so we were treated to the sight of a wood-fueled tractor as it belched smoke across a grain field. The tractor, we were told, was a gift from some dignitary or other, but the fuel did not come with the machine. So the resourceful villagers adapted it.

Disturbingly, one group of workers was apparently ordered to get down low to the ground as we passed. Another group half-heartedly waved at the tourbuses, the armed guards standing behind them. Life did go on in these show villages, however. Each village had a guarded gate; no one could enter or leave without permission. Next to one of these gates was an irrigation ditch. In full view of the soldiers, a group of young boys swam around and splashed each other. The soldiers ignored them, dodging the flying water as necessary.

For exceptionally good Party members, the Kumgang Pension Town had been built. On the days we were there, it was eerily empty. A restaurant full of servers stood idle. The hotel was empty, and there were no people in the town.

We returned to the tourist area at around 3:30. I took a stroll to one of the other hotels, where I was told a huge mosaic of "the Kims" had been rendered. I was not disappointed. The bellboys were the only ones allowed to take photos, so we had to hand our cameras over to them. I did pose under the large portrait, but I will not post it here. I have posted a photo, however, of the portrait itself (not terribly straight due to the odd angle the bellboy used).

As many people did, I left North Korea with more questions than answers. Everything was like a magic show; illusion and reality were hopelessly muddled. I could only get glimpses of "real life"
by proxy. As a hiking excursion however, I would definately recommend the tour.

TEACHER'S NOTES: Sex Education in Korea- An Alarming Trend Update

I keep updated on "current events" for my advanced university students, and one of the debate topics in the Korean controversy-centered book I use is obscenity/pornography laws in Korea. This was something I was not too well-versed in as it pertained to Korea when I first began to teach. I had to do quite a bit of research in order to keep up with my students, who took the topic and ran with it. Obviously, they had more access to Korean articles, and it turned out to be a more complex issue than I (and most of the students) had thought. Keep in mind that many (though certainly not all) Korean university students are a bit more "innocent" than their American counterparts. A recent article in the JoognAng Daily News, the most "liberal" newspaper in Korea, sheds some light on the issue, and exposes an alarming trend.

In my first year in Korea, I came across an article on sex-education from 2003, and found that there was very little to no sex education in the schools. According to the more recent article, nothing has changed much. Here are some highlights from the article:

A slew of sex crimes committed by teens in recent years has raised public awareness and anxiety about the quality of sex education provided by schools. Five months ago a case in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi shocked the entire country when police revealed that six middle school students had repeatedly raped a 14-year-old female classmate over a period of two months. Adding to the public’s dismay was the fact the boys showed little remorse and did not seem to understand the severity of their crimes. One boy claimed that he merely wanted to copy scenes from a pornographic film he’d seen on the Internet. In other words, many kids are now getting their sex education from triple-X porn sites rather than their parents, peers or teachers. [. . .]

According to National Police Agency data, one fourth of sex crimes involving teenage victims are perpetrated by teenagers and 13 percent of them involve preteen assailants. These numbers are much higher than in Japan and the United States, both countries that already have standardized sex education programs in their elementary, middle and high schools. According to statistics compiled by law enforcement agencies in the three countries, six out of100,000 teenagers in the United States committed rape in 2005. In Japan the figure was 1.1 out of 100,000 and in Korea it was 11.5. Korea’s incidence of teen rape is almost double that of the U.S and ten times that of Japan. Part of the problem is that Korea’s sex education programs have been stuck in the past and have not kept pace with the rapid development of Internet technology. We live in an age where adolescents are frequently exposed to sexually explicit material via the Web.

The Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development currently mandates 10 hours of sex education a year for every grade from elementary through high school. In reality, the ministry admits that in just under half of the 10,063 schools they surveyed these sessions are conducted for less than eight-hours.

“Most of the time, our gym teacher turns the sex-ed tape on and goes outside and then comes back in when the tape has ended. Meanwhile, we sit in class and make fun of the tape,” K said. This is partly due to the fact that sex education isn’t an independent subject. At present, sex ed material is loosely scattered around physical education or biology classes. In Japan, the required minimum of sex education is 70 hours per year; sex education is a separate subject. The United States has “health” classes, which include sex education, and these have been set apart as an independent subject since the start of the 20th century.

For the rest of the article: http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2879587

What are these crimes? Well, a later article summarizes:

A recent series of disturbing sex crimes committed by teenagers have worried and saddened many Koreans, because the rapists are shockingly young and some of the incidents took place in classrooms during school hours. These middle-school rapists showed little remorse for their acts, police and psychologist who questioned them said, with some of the young criminals viewing gang rape as part of growing up. Others, investigators say, are acting out scenes from pornographic movies they find on the Internet.

I can personally attest that even elementary students are left for long periods of time unsupervised. The Korean teachers leave the room during the ten minute breaks and go into the teacher's lounges. Many of them are themselves late coming back to class. To be fair, their is usually a class captain (responsible student), but children will be children...

The number of sexual crimes committed by teenage students has risen steadily, but an incident at a middle school in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi province, shocked the nation last month. Gapyeong police said six male students were accused of the serial rape of a female student over a two month period. The school only had 30 students in each class, and the offenders and the victim were classmates, police said. Of the six students, four were arrested for criminal investigation. According to the police, the nightmare for the 14-year-old victim began in January when one of her classmates sexually abused her. Using that incident as a point of vulnerability, the boy and his friends began raping her repeatedly. The police said the crimes all took place inside the school compound with as many as four boys raping her each time. The last episode took place on March 15. During lunch hour, three boys raped her in an empty classroom, the police said, adding that afterwards the offenders and the victim went back to class and finished the school day. The victim finally told a teacher about the abuse on March 21, and her parents were immediately notified.

The downside of group mentality is that, mixed with teenage hormones, teenagers can become a pack of wolves. In another city in the province, the girl was left unconscious, and apparently died from her injuries and/or the copious amounts of soju she was forced to drink that rendered her unconscious:

"[. . .]clearly these young boys appear to think gang rape is a new coming-of-age ceremony,” Lee Soo-jung, a criminal psychology professor with Kyonggi University, said. “When you closely follow the cases, you can see that their methods are the same. They pick one of their classmates and force her to drink soju. When she becomes unconscious, they rape her in turn,” Lee said. The pattern, Lee added, has spread among middle school boys because the teenagers “bragged about their experiences” at school and in Internet chat rooms.

For the full article: http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2874477

I don't honestly know quite what to make of this. I have observed Korean middle-schoolers at close range, and they appear to be (generally) even more psychologically vulnerable than their American peers. They are strongly kept under control by their culture; respect for teachers and elders is absolutely demanded, but to the point that if something bad happens, they literally have no one to talk to. The school system is pretty much akin to military school - school uniforms, the "middle school girl haircut" (to show she is underage), and harsh discipline.

Outside of school, the outstanding feature I have noticed (and I am not the only one) among middle-schoolers is the intensely physical same-sex friendships that develop. Some of this is cultural; same-sex adults are also very physical with each other (heck, they get naked in the jim jil bang/sauna together!), but not with the same intensity as I have noticed among middle- schoolers. I have observed adolescent boys sitting in each others' laps and cuddling, girls holding hands and stroking each others faces, long and intense staring into each others' eyes (both sexes), and other behaviors that make me well, frankly, uncomfortable. I do not believe this is intentionally homosexual behavior, but it does smell (sometimes literally) of "hornymones" going full blast. Many of them are still "innocent" enough not to understand why they are acting this way, but this innocence is what has perhaps led those poor girls from the article into the dangerous situation. It is pure biological urge untempered by understanding, in other words.

For the record, I do believe that American sex education is doing pretty well. I don't have a problem with teaching safe sex (only 12% of sexually active Korean men use condoms), biology, "just say no," and "alternative lifestyles." Although I am a practicing Christian, I am not an ostrich, and I believe in the world that we live in, it is important to know how to be safe by knowing what is out there. I think that basic health information needs to be passed on to Korean schoolchildren, as well as accountability. For all of the hullaballoo about America's sex education programs, I must say that in California (one of the more liberal states), they do a pretty good job of teaching accountability (as anyone who has had their class interrupted by "Baby-Think-It-Over's" crying can attest to). Abstinence is still taught as the only 100% "safe sex," but the other options are also taught as well. Knowledge is power, but only with accountability.

JOURNAL: A Fresh Start in the "Foreigner Ghetto"

I have just moved back to Seoul - new job, beautiful apartment, and an interesting neighborhood. I will be blogging regularly again as my new job features less hours and I will have to spend less time doing battle over lack of water/blue water/lack of electricity/ lack of Internet/etc.

I am officially finished with my year of purgatory, and I hope never to have to visit the place again. I said goodbye to the green-haired hooker, the convenience store owner, and the apartment manager (who was equally glad to get rid of me I'm sure!). I hired a bongo truck (Korean pick-up) and hauled my belongings up to Seoul and my new home in Yongsan-gu, the so-called "foreigner ghetto." Actually, I would call it more a neighborhood with "character" than a ghetto. But first, the apartment...

It took me a good two weeks to find a good apartment - I knew I wanted to live in a certain area (i.e. cheap!), and most of the good options were already taken or out of my price range. I also had a bout with a rather nasty case of the stomach flu, followed by a severe food/medical allergy which sent me to the hospital twice. This all happened while I was apartment hunting, and suddenly I found that I had three days left before losing my old apartment. Needless to say, I was in a bit of a panic!

The first day I was allowed out of bed, I called yet a third realtor. She showed me a basement apartment (good size but no natural light) and a nasty mold farm, these being the only options in my price range. I was about to give up when she suddenly remembered another place that had just opened up. Although it was way out of my price range, I agreed to see it. It was perfect.

The landlord brought the rent down significantly; it turns out that his son graduated from the university I will be teaching at! Although the rent is still a bit high, it is doable. I have a three "bedroom" (only one of them is big enough for a bed), fully-furnished apartment with partial utilities included in the rent. I have a nice sized kitchen with an oven (a rarity in Korea), a bathroom with a bathtub (ditto), a fully furnished TV room, a patio/balcony, and even a computer desk! The apartment is clean and in good condition; it has been well-maintained and looked-after. I did see one cockroach, but the place is fully roach-trapped and appears to be bug-free. I am near a wooded area, so I fully expect to see a few bugs!

The neighborhood? Well, it is singularly unique for Korea. Koreans give this area a bad rap for some reason; it may have been a bad area at one time, but I feel much safer here than I ever did in Byeongjeom. First of all, the language of commerce is English. This is for a practical reason; for one, it is just outside the 8th Army Base Wall. Another reason is that there are a multitude of ethnic groups living around here besides Westerners - there are Nigerians, Filipinos, Southeast Asians, Turks, Arabs, and a few East Indians. It is a very heterogeneous mix of peoples and culture; the common language is English.

So is it "third world"? Not really. There are some signs of moderate poverty, but there are also signs of thriving businesses, gentrification, and a neighborhood life all its own. I enjoy hearing children playing in the street, old people nodding and grumbling out in the sun, dogs barking, cars passing by; these are all sounds of a healthy neighborhood. Everyone is friendly; I don't get the hard stares I got in Byeongjeom. Instead, people look at me, smile, and nod or bow, then go on their way. I do not feel like a Martian.

I live towards the top of a hill that makes Lombardi Street in San Francisco look like the flat Midwest. It is a bit dangerous for pedestrians as cars can't really stop once they get going...There are many blind corners, and you must rely on your ears rather than eyes to know when cars are coming. It is a good fifteen-minute hike, ten of it uphill, from the subway station to my place, but I like the exercise so far. The view is nice at night; I can see Namsan Tower all lit up from the main road as I trudge up the hill. There are several thriving "ethnic" restaurants around, a sports bar that serves very good hamburgers, and am honest-to-goodness American-style coffee house (not Starbucks), complete with tatty paperbacks in the corner. They also serve an American breakfast.

I think I am going to like living here. It is not very "Korean," but it is a functional international community. Some may scoff at me for not wanting to live the "authentic" Korean life anymore; the truth, as I have learned the hard way, is that no one who was not born and raised here will ever be allowed the authentic experience because Korea still embraces a culture of exclusion. This is their struggle as they join the international community - how to integrate globalization without losing their precious sense of national pride and identity. I am educating the new generation as best I can to be more tolerant of others, and I hope to help these young adults open their minds and hearts to outsiders.

JOURNAL: What Happened to My Vacation?

I know I haven't posted for two months; the truth is I just haven't had the heart to do much lately. I have been on a three-month job-hunting odyseey that has left me jobless, hopless, and frankly, down in the dumps.

To update: the University did want to renew my contract with me; I politely but firmly requested that the housing be changed. They would not move on this issue, so I declined their offer. The University does all it can to have full control over our lives outside of the university without taking into account the fact that we have lives outside of work. Which brings me to my second point.

The chance of renewal was offered to me again, this time with an alternative apartment. I requested to see the said apartment and was denied this simple request. Furthermore, I was given less than one day to make my decision. The liason further said that the housing policy had changed so that everyone had to live in specific housing provided by the university near the university - in other word, no commuting. When I asked about this "new policy," I was informed that it was for emergencies (ie. sick teachers needing subs). The school does not pay substitutes; the person who is out pays the substitute, so it is none of the University's concern. In my previous contract, a minor housing allowance was provided for those who already had an apartment, but this has changed. I pointed out that this new clause makes the contract a "renegotiation" and not a "renewal," but the liason seemed inclined to (wrongly) quibble over semantics so I dropped it.

So I have been job hunting. Rather unsuccessfully. I am looking for a Uni position IN SEOUL; none of this rural crap anymore. I am also looking at upscale high schools. There is one high school in a nice suburb of Seoul that sounds promising, but I would still prefer a university (looks better on my resume). Even so, a foreign high school will get me brownie points when doing my teacher's credential. I am gambling on the breadth of teaching experience rather than the length of time that I have been here.

It only looks bad in Korea if I "step down" from a university. But Korea is a small place in the world, though full of stubborn and tenacious adherence to culture; sometimes we who live here forget that. They have survived numerous attacks and assaults on their culture after all. Saving face is everything.

NOTE: Guest Editor

I am currently working on a multiple-part journal entry detailing my trip to North Korea. For those of you who have been waiting, I apologise. I have been very proactive in job hunting, writing final exams, photo editing, etc. and have had very little time to do any productive blog maintinence.

If and when (God-willing) I find a better university situation in Seoul, I solemnly promise to blog more often; my work hours doubled and my prep time vanished due to the loss of ten teachers...As a job, it has been a wonderful and life-changing experience, but I am ready to move on to more professional challenge and less, shall we say, lifestyle challenge...

That said, I did squeeze out some time to write a review as "LadySapphire" for another blog:

http://www.eflgeek.com

The blog itself is very well-written and has good information about the EFL instructor's life and job here in Korea. Check out my review of the Global EIL Conference last Saturday if you are interested in such things. I have been invited back as a guest editor.

PHOTOS: Beauty Among Squalor

This is a rare moment of color in Byengjeom. The azaleas (Korea's national flower) are in full bloom along the gloomy pathway that heads under the bridge. I am standing a few feet in front of my apartment complex, looking left. You can see the train tracks opposite the flowers.

This is a hanbok (traditional dress) shop across the street from "the hood." Above it is a bank. In the window, the bank advertises in several different languages for the migrant workers. Philipinos and Bangladeshi are the "Mexicans" of Korea.

The Korean farmers grow chili pepper bushes to protect their main crop (rice) just as Americans plant corn. The only time of day that this scrubby bit of farmland is lovely is at sunset. Although it is not evident in the photo (my camera being what it is) the sky was actually mixed with violent shade of pinks and oranges; the sun appeared blood-red. I am standing at the bus stop as I take this in.

JOURNAL: Gloomy Tuesday

I haven't blogged much recently lately because my situation is so ridiculous I can't find too much positive to say. "When you can't say something nice, don't say it at all." My experiences this year are of such a nature that public acknowledgement of the facts would sound like the lost episode of "The Sopronos. " After my ordeal is through and I am secure in a better place, I will expose all that has been happening. My sense of humor has (belatedly) kicked in, however; unfortunately, not many people find my sense of humor "normal." I find humor in the "theatre of the absurd" realm; literati, think Samuel Becket.

What I can't say in words (for fear of reprecussions), I will show in pictures. For those of you who are thinking, "She is such a drama queen, I don't believe it is that bad"....drumroll please.

My 'hood:

This is the bridge I have to cross under every night. I took this photo during daylight for obvious reasons...

Another view from the opposite side of the bridge. The dark corner behind the support is a popular "public bathroom" for drunks, and I have beeen more than once startled by a "patron."

Local massage parlor. As near as I can tell, operation is sporadic. The barber shop next door offers special "services;" note there are two barber poles. Although the rolling door is down, men come out the side and front entrance late at night. I peeped upstairs thourgh the windows one day when they were opened

(airing out?); they appear to be bedrooms.

One of many dog soup (boshintang) restaurants. I have posted this sign before; in context, you can see that it is right next to the police station.

The photo below is of a very cute puppy on a banner...Animal clinic? No. MEAL. I found this sizable banner in extremely poor taste. As much as I hoped that it was a banner for an animal rescue service, I am able to read Korean well. The blue lettering says "Gae go gi" which means dogmeat.

I believe the sign refers to this, the gaegogi farm next to my house (shown in photo). There are two puppies you can't see in the first cage; they are sleeping behind the board. Although the kennels are pretty dark, the puppies usually come over and wag their tails as I pass by. They are very curious about me, and press their darling little noses through the iron bars and raise their paws at me. This dog is bread specifically for meat. I have seen the dogs (dead, of course) without their skins in the freezer outside one of the boshintang restauraunts. I thought I was seeing things, but when I went closer, I saw that the carcasses still had the paws attached. The freezer was clearly labelled "Gaegogi;" the freezaer cover is taken off at night when the sexy clubs open. Presumably, you can choose your own meat. They look like stringy, tasteless meat to me; these dogs appear to be all coat. I can't imaging them tasting very good, and the aroma is very gamey.

Dogs aside, there is an evil aura on this side of town. Some people have perception beyond the temporal world; my friend is one of them, and this place scares her. My Korean friend from Seoul was also uneasy about this place. Some dark deeds have occured here in the past, and a malicious spirit lingers. Although not gifted with the Second Sight (thank God!), I knew something wasn't "right" the first night I slept in that apartment. There is a spirit of hopelessness and heavy oppression in these parts. Korea's only serial killer stuck in this small town; maybe his deeds were performed on this spot. The building is only 5 years old, and this land was country wasteland before. Who knows? It is a dark, unfriendly road that leads to the complex, bordered by the train tracks. It is the perfect place for a quiet murder...

TEACHER'S NOTES: Eau-de-Pig-Shit

Some people have requested that I write more about my in-classroom teaching experiences, so here it goes…It is a long one!

I have been putting in “overtime” hours at two tiny country schools for two weeks now. These elementary schools are literally in the middle of nowhere, but are well-maintained and apparently well-funded. The buildings are bright, clean, and conducive to childhood learning. The property has a school garden and a rabbit hutch which they are responsible for tending. My first elementary school has only 78 students total, and the second has about 80.

No one is rich in the agriculture center of Korea, and it is here that the status of “developing country” can be palpably felt. South Korea is not a “third-world country,” but a “second world” (i.e. like Italy). There are subtle signs of near-poverty among the students, although no one is starving – far from it! Some of the children, however, are a little too “fragrant,” some appear to have minor health problems, most noticeably runny eyes, and some of them have unwashed clothes. Although in the minority, those students do stand out. The classes have anywhere from ten to fifteen students, which is usually quite manageable.

In the mornings, a driver in a mini-van picks up me, another teacher, and two assistants. We then wind our way though endless rice fields, hamlets, and pig farms. As we exit the van, the unmistakable scent of “eau-de-pig-shit” wafts in the breeze. The school yard is damp this morning from two days of thunderstorms, and the ruddy thick mud clings to our shoes. We slip of our shoes immediately as we enter the building and temporarily place them on the industrial rug. We pad over in our socks to a row of foot lockers about three across and five high. Inside each locker is a pair of black rubber slippers, which my Korean assistant laughingly called “ajushi slippers.” They are typically worn by older men in real life (ajushi means married man) and are ridiculously large for us to wear. I fall out of them several times as I get used to balancing on this odd-looking footwear, and my heel easily slips out the back of the backless shoes and I teeter precariously on the inch high soles. We place our street shoes in the numbered lockers, and move into the teacher’s lounge.

Today is my second time in the school. I teach a third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grade class for 40 minutes each. There are ten minute breaks between the classes. This morning, there is a change. I am ushered into the principal’s office. I did not meet him last week, as he was not on campus. He is a weathered, middle-aged, and soft-spoken gentleman, dressed in a slightly ill-fitting grey suit. He appeared to be very nervous and uncomfortable. He bashfully explained, through an interpreter, that he did not speak English at all. He had tried to learn by using language tapes, but had by and large failed to grasp it. This is not at all surprising, as I will explain later. His assistant brought my assistant and me a cup and saucer of green tea. The china was very nice, not the usual Dixie cup for everyday use. He did not seem to know what to say to me, and kept clenching and unclenching his hands. It is my custom to try and “draw out” shy people, but I failed in this instance. Awkward silence prevailed. TICK….TICK…TICK…

Through my interpreter, he ventured that it was very difficult to find native English speakers who were willing to come out to the country. He himself commuted from Mokpo, a reasonably sized country town about 40 km away. I assured him that I didn’t mind the country, as I grew up in a small town only renowned for strawberries. I mentioned that my hometown was next to the ocean, but that I didn’t care for seafood. My interpreter fell silent, and seemed reluctant to translate what I had said, other than “strawberry” (in Korean).

TICK…TICK…TICK…I made a few abortive attempts at conversation to put him at ease, but my recalcitrant interpreter did not bother to translate my small talk. I know she understood me, because I have had a regular English conversation with her before, so I can only surmise that I broke some unwritten social rule, though it absolutely eludes me as to what. I was as gentle, non-aggressive, and polite as I could be. I bowed and shook hands on the way out (as I have seen Korean business people do many times), which seemed to fluster the principal. He was probably relieved to see me go!

I went to my third grade class, and learned very quickly what I was up against. Korean education is taught solely by rote – memorization, repetition, and endless copying. Although my student’s knew the “ABC Song,” it became clear that they did not realize each letter stood for a SOUND. They gladly aped and repeated everything I said, even copying my vocal patterns, but there was no understanding behind the words. I tried to teach them the names of countries (the unit being “Where are you from?”) but they could not string words together and form sentences other than through repeating the sounds I made. My assistant helpfully (and perhaps sarcastically?) pointed out this problem, saying that it was “too difficult” for them. Well, duh, of course it is! You can’t run before you can crawl, but that is exactly what the Korean “English curriculum” demands. I was instructed to follow the chapters, though I do not have to use the book as written. Thank goodness for that.

The Korean “English curriculum” is a big, fat joke, and reminds me very much of the “whole language learning” craze in California public school during the 1980s. My grandmother, who was a teacher, almost resigned over these ridiculous methods, which ultimately lead to thousands of high school students in the late 90s who could barely read or write a sentence!

I call this sort of learning the “Professor Harold Hill School of Education.” For those of you who don’t know, this refers to the swindler character in the musical THE MUSIC MAN. “Whole language” threw out the idea of teaching phonics and grammar, with the basic premise that children learn language from being surrounded by it, listening to native speakers, and using their own “learning intuition.” There is no question that some of this is valid – young children learn by imitation. But the human mind needs patterns and discipline as well – in English, this means grammar and phonics. Whole language learning tacitly assumes that the child is surrounded by native English speakers, which in California is seldom true! The children learned the odd and incorrect English from their non-native parents, leading to confusion, frustration, and disintegration of language structure.

There is a prevailing though in Korean educators that “Gee, if we hire native English speakers to teach our children, they will speak better and pass more tests. But let’s not change the curriculum. Maybe the native speaker can, though magic osmosis, repeat words, play new games, and explain the rules of English grammar. We don’t need to hire credentialed teachers, can’t pay ‘em much anyway. We will just take any native speaker with a B.A. or B.S. who is blond, has blue eyes, is reasonably attractive, and hope our children will learn though exposure to pretty people!” I am exaggerating of course, but not by much. Teachers in Korea are the highest paid in the world – young men are told by their parents that the best wife is 2) a teacher, and 1) a pretty teacher! Along with the money grubbers are dedicated teachers who are sincerely interested in their students’ well-fare. The schools, as I said, are well-funded by the government.

“Well, back to the drawing board,’ I sighed to myself after a full day of failed lessons based off of the Korean curriculum. The students are, for all intents and purposes, rank beginners, although a few have studied for almost two years. When I tactfully asked their teachers about this, they said, “Well, they are country students,” as if that is an answer! They cannot read or write; they understand a little of what you say but cannot answer direct questions. I was very saddened by this development; I sincerely wish these children to learn and enjoy learning English. Rote repetition is not going to do this.

I tried to pick the brains of the homeroom teachers as to what they wanted me to do to supplement their teaching, but all I got was indifferent shrugs. No one seems to know where to start, myself included. I asked if they had taught any phonics – blank stares. Any writing? A rueful head shake “No.” Reading? No. ABCs? Bright smile “ABC Song!”

I ended my day on a high note - one of my sixth grade classes (nine boys, one girl!) is lively, easily engaged, and approaching “low intermediate” level. In full rebellion against the Korean textbook, I taught MY way. I got all of those rowdy boys on their feet, clapping out tongue twisters (Andy ran from the Andes to the Indies in his undies), doing the “North South East West” dance, and moving about the room. I got through left/right, ordinals, “where?” prepositions, and pronunciation all in 40 minutes. I did the letter “A” in the lower classes, having them write and trace the letter and name off words.

The lower grades have some discipline issues; they cannot understand me so they try to do what they want. The students spend long periods of time unsupervised; if there is a staff meeting, for example, the students are left to their own devices. One of the classes today was apparently without a teacher for the day – I came in and discovered they had all made origami flowers. At least they were creative rather than destructive. Several classrooms today were devoid of teachers, and I wonder if this is a regular occurrence.

I have instilled my own rudimentary discipline on the students, but I am afraid it backfired on me. One boy said something nasty to a girl and she began to cry, so I sent him to the corner with his hands braced against the wall above his head (a common Korean punishment). After a time, I made him apologize to her, but then belatedly remembered that a)Koreans never apologize (to admit wrong in a country continuously occupied could get you killed!) and b) the student did not know the meaning of the words he said, ‘I’m sorry.” I will have to rethink my classroom management style, as it does not apply if the children do not understand you!

After my day was over, I found myself in a blue mood. Not only had almost every lesson plan failed, my assistant (who is a grad student at my university) had felt moved to point this out. She was also very amused at my reaction to lunch – octopus tentacle soup, but to me it was no laughing matter. Yes, I did eat some – tastes like chicken gristle, but with purple tentacles attached! I am playing a game with rules I haven’t been given. Even though it is not my “main job,” I am compelled to make these children succeed. There teachers don’t appear to have any faith in them. I want to see their happy faces brighten up with understanding, not crumple up blank and confused like today. Korean children have unusually expressive faces…

Still depressed, I went home and took a nap. I woke up refreshed and formed my resolve. I am going to focus on phonics and writing from now on, none of this silly empty conversation crap. Even if I have to build language letter by letter and sound by sound, I will do it. My goal is to have them speaking sentences by the end of the semester AND UNDERSTANDING EACH WORD in those sentences.

Accordingly, this evening I went to the bookstore, and browsed their textbook section. I bought, out of my own money, a textbook on phonics and a basic sentence building-based primer. I will use these tools as a basis for writing, vocabulary building, and reading comprehension. As much as possible, I will keep to the themes of the Korean textbooks, if not the content or structure, but I will not go out of my way to do so if I feel they are not ready for it.

You have to crawl before you can walk, and you have to walk before you can run. Out of adversity comes experience, out of experience comes character, and out of character comes success!

JOURNAL: Confessions of a Madwoman

I returned to Korea on February 27th after a long and relatively uneventful flight. I was very sad to leave the US again, and I considered not returning to the mess over here at all. So what stopped me? Well, here are my reasons:

1) Even though I have been ripped off, lied to, and placed in housing not fit for human habitation, I have decided not to play the game. I will uphold my word of honor, something I do not give lightly, even though the university has not kept strictly within the bounds of my contract. I will "let my 'yes' be my 'yes' and my 'no' be my 'no.'" Call me a fool, but honor is more important to me.

2) With the above said, the new administration, at our level at least, is trying to make necessary changes. Altough the powers-that-be flat out refused to let me move out and choose my own apartment, they did agreee to let me move to another apartment within the same building. The new head of the department has lived in the USA and has a decidedly Western attitude towards management, but he also recognizes that we have to deal with "Korean efficiency." He appears to be willing to be transparent with what is going on "upstairs."

3) This is an excellent resume builder. I would ideally like to work as a corporate trainer, teaching writing, speaking, and even ESL to employees of a large company. I know such positions exist, but I am a bit at a loss for where and how to obtain this sort of position. Any help would be appreciated...

4) I enjoy teaching the classes. The students are reasonably motivated, and I have learned quite a bit about teaching this year. I have always been creative, and this postition has truly allowed me to grow in wisdom and knowledge.

On a lighter note, Here is what occured when I came back to Korea:

It was 10:00 pm by the time I arrived in Byengjeom. The drunks were out in full force by then, and the taxi driver had difficulty passing through the street without mowing them down. I had two large bags on wheels, a hiking backpack, and a laptop bag with me - a heavy load by anyone's standards. Slick Willie (the liason) positively assured me via email that my apartment would be moved by the time I returned and that the apartment manager would leave the key in the mailbox for me. I should have known better and stayed in a hotel.

Needless to say, the key was NOT in the mailbox, and my cellphone was out of minutes because they time out from disuse over a certain period of time.

"Well," as I reasoned it, "as of last week the apartment had not yet been moved; maybe they forgot."

I decided to go to my old apartment in the same building and try the key. Lugging my baggage with me, I took the elevator to the fifth floor. I put my key in the lock and the door opened...sort of. The door handle had been taped at one end and anchored with more tape to a point inside the apartment like a makeshift "latch." I then noticed that the entrance way, what little I could see of it, contained clutter that was decidedly NOT mine. As I stood there, flabbergasted, a timid and frightened female voice inquired, "Aneong haseyo?"

"Errmm...hello? This is my apartment!" was all I could think of to say.

I tried to talk to the new occupant, but she was clearly frightened and shut the door firmly. That was when I lost it. I tried to roll my suitcases back to the elevator, but the largest one broke. Lack of sleep for 24 hours, the ridiculous situation I was in, and the inability to form a coherent thought finally overcame my good senses. Stomping, cursing, crying, and muttering like an idiot "but this is MY apartment! What do I do now? &^%$, &*!@, *&^%," I dragged the now defunct suitcase angrily back down the hall. As I moved away from my apparently "ex" apartment, I heard the new occupant sliding furniture against the door, and I added giggling to the mix. I could see the situation from her point of view very clearly - crazy American woman, probably drunk, a kidnapper still on the loose, and late at night to boot!

I left my luggage outside my new apartment (I hoped), and braved the drunk men to go into town to use the payphone. Naturally, they were all hanging around the phone booths, and were in a particularly frisky and jocular mood. I haughtily brushed passed them, startling some very alarmed street cats, who had been placidly munching on scraps from the impromptu and very ripe garbage pile next to the payphones. This proved to be an excellent, if unintentional, plan of action, as one of the oglers was sufficiently distracted to chase the fleeing cats under the cars. Koreans generally hate cats. This bought me enough time to make my call.

I angrily upbraided Slick Willie for not upholding his end of the deal, and he called the apartment manager. When I called him back a bit later, he said the manager was already on his way; aparently the manager had gotten a phone call from the very frightened new occupant! I got my keys.

The apartment manager refused the gift I brought from California to thank him for his trouble in moving all my belongings, and I can't say I blame him. It wasn't the usual "first refusal" Koreans give when offerd a gift, either. He was very annoyed, and I wonder if Slick Willie ever even told him about leaving the key in the mailbox.

I more or less made peace with Mr. Kim the next day, but kept the gift (Sees Candies) for myself!

My Internet still doesn't work, but the other appliances seem in fine order. Of course, the apartment was NOT cleaned; in fact there were old cigarette butts in the sink (eww!). But I will make like a Korean - wisk out my cleaning tools, and DEAL WITH IT!

JOURNAL: On Sabbatical

I am currently "on Sabbatical" in California for some much needed r & r. I am finally getting over my winter cold after three weeks...sigh.

I have been cleaning out my old room in preparation for moving back out when I reurn to the US for good. I didn't know I had saved so much junk. Blame Oprah; I don't usually watch it but last week I did. A guest she had (his name escapes me) suggested that people who have physical clutter around also have weight and depression issues!

So, I am downsizing my lfie. If I am indeeed fated for a gypsy existence, then clutter is not very helpful. On that note...

My apartment in Korea is being moved; I will be going to a different apartment in the same building. This will not help with the noise level, but it might help with my utilities. Since I have been living in the "shithole," I have gone without power, water, and plumbing for 48 hour periods of time (it always happens at night or on the weekend!). My pipes froze when I went to Saipan; the apartment manager took a blowtorch to the wall; the tile was of course scorched, and there is a big black hole by my sink. It didn't work, by the way, and I had to wait for 12 hours with space heaters before I had water again! Two days later, I took a shower, and the tiles fell off the wall; one shard went through my heel, but it was easy to get out and no infection set in.

I took photos of all the damage, and recorded the F16s flying over the building. I sent this in to the powers that be. They cannot get out of my lease, so they are putting a Band-aid over the problem by moving me to a differnt apartment in the same poorly-constructed building.

I am gettin tense as I type this; it is my vacation, the sun is out, and I'm going out to enjoy it...

PHOTO MOSAIC: Saipan and Tinian Islands in Winter

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JOURNAL: English Camp Diary Week 1

KOREAN RECIPE FOR ENGLISH CAMP
Ingredients:
8 dignified professors
200 children, ages 10-16
8 teaching assistants (TAs), English level varied
8 general assistants (GAs), English level varied
3 broken copiers
Lots and lots of rice, no vegetables
a dash of “Korean efficiency”

Directions:
1. Make dignified professors sing, dance, and teach camp songs.
2. Teach 200 children English at least two levels above their head.
3. Give direct authority to TAs and GAs, ignoring the fact that most of the said TAs/GAs are in the dignified professor’s classes during the semester.
4. Make sure that only one copier works at any given time. This is essential during prep time.
5. Eat lots and lots of rice, as you will be eating unidentifiable Korean cafeteria food most of the week. Hoard vegetables, as they will not be in your food much.
6. A dash of Korean efficiency is needed to ensure that insanity is lost at the earliest moment.
Mix together and enjoy your break from reality….!

I got a great group of homeroom kids. I see them four times a day, and they are the highest English speakers in the camp. I have two fourth grade boys and nine assorted fifth and sixth grade girls. One of the girls actually lived in Missouri; she is fast becoming the star of the camp due to her proficient English and charismatic personality.

On Monday, we tested all the kids to determine their level. The kids did reasonably well, and the camp director broke Korean tradition by placing them in classes more or less by LEVEL, rather than age/grade. Some of my Bongdam Elementary students made it into the camp, which I believe is determined by lottery.

Tuesday, we met out homeroom classes. The kids get up at 7:30am, wash, eat breakfast, and then come to their morning classes at 9:00am, which are Reading/Writing (2 periods) and Storytelling/Homeroom (2 periods). We eat lunch with the kids, and after a small break go into our afternoon classes. The two afternoon classes, Listening and Speaking, get out at 3:40pm. There is a long break, and we meet the kids for dinner at 5:50pm. After dinner, there are special project which we work on until 8:40pm. We leave at 9:00pm, but the kids have a snack and wash up before going to bed at 10:30pm. It is a tough schedule for them.

Wednesday through Friday our evening project was the Class Chant/Class Song Competition. This event also includes making a camp flag. My team named themselves the OGRES, which, according to them, means “Oh Great! R******’s English! .” The chant was very simple, but the song challenged them. I reluctantly rewrote Ricki Martin’s “Cup of Life” for the group, and my GA taught them a Latin dance to go with it. They did ok in the competition, but they are not exactly the cheerleader type. Neither am I, so we suit each other quite well. I am banking on their strong English and “hamming” skills to win the play competition in two weeks.

My TA has limited English. He is a university student here and is about 20 years old. We get along well, but he constantly forgets to speak English to the students. This really annoys me, but he cannot seem to remember. I feel like I have lost this battle; fortunately, the children remember to speak English when I am in the room. Otherwise, he is very attentive to the children and they like him. My GA is very pretty and cute; she is a PE major and is studying dance. She has a very gentle touch with the children, but is more than able to make them mind her!

The office space is a bit more difficult to deal with. We have only four computers for eight people. Some of them are not connected to a printer, and some of them are not connected to the Internet. As coworkers, we are not used to being with each other 24/7, so there have been some minor conflicts and scuffles.The Korean staff put in 16 hours a day, but they are used to being crowded. To my knowledge, no one has gotten in a snit over there. This is surprising, as they are very tired and overworked. But then, so is half the country...

This is the first time many of the TAs/GAs (read “Camp Counselors”) have been away from their parents, as Korean university students live with their parents until they graduate. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. I remember my summer camp experience; the counselors always seemed to hook up with each other at some point in time. One of my counselors (his name was “Kangaroo”) proposed to another (her name was “Twinkles”) at dinnertime in front of the whole camp. He was accepted, and we all cheered. I always wondered whether they did get married.

I’m glad I’m here at English Camp,
There’s nowhere I’d rather be,
But if I weren’t at English Camp,
A teacher I would be!

All right boys and girls, its English Camp time! Everybody ready? ASA!!!!!YEAH!!!!