Japan 2013 Part I.

Last month I had the pleasure of revisiting Japan during a brief holiday from work. With only five days to go out and explore, I decided to go back to Kyoto for the majority of my trip. Kyoto is easily one of my favorite cities I've been to throughout my travels. It has so many beautiful temples and gardens and traditional crafts that my mind practically bursts with inspiration. This was my second trip there and I'm still not satisfied with the amount of time I've spent there. I'm already envisioning a third trip in my future to go back and fulfill my other goals. Third time's the charm, right?

Alright, getting back on track. I flew into Tokyo late on a Tuesday night with plans to take the train Wednesday morning to Kyoto. While I was waiting for the shuttle bus to my hotel, I met a lovely couple also on vacation from teaching in Korea. They suggested I look into a cheap flight instead of the bullet train which is notoriously expensive. I checked the prices on my phone and found a flight through Jetstar the next morning to Osaka for nearly 1/3 the price of a train ticket. Sold! It also happened to be the same flight the couple was taking, so the next morning we caught the shuttle back to the airport, took a plane to Osaka followed by a train to Kyoto together.

For this trip I decided to try out Airbnb.com  for my lodging. Airbnb is a website where people will rent out their extra rooms or apartments to travelers for a fee. Some are just like a bed and breakfast where they will cook you a meal, and other are a little more hostel style. You can even rent out a private apartment for a very reasonable price if you find the right host. The place I stayed at was very inexpensive and hostel style. The owner was a nice lady who uses her second home to rent out to travelers. Some rooms are for permanent tenants(usually local students), some are private rooms for multiple people. I was in a room with two other girls but we all had beds which was nice. The metro I needed to take was closed down because of flooding from a typhoon they had just days earlier, so the owner was kind enough to drive down to the train station and pick me up in person. She also brought up some traditional sweets for the guests to try since it was the moon festival. I look forward to using Airbnb more in the future.

You can see how high the flood waters were by the grass that was ripped out and caught on the bridge.

My first day in Kyoto consisted of walking around, and going to the Traditional Handcrafts Museum. The Museum was pretty cool but didn't allow any photography inside of the building. Certain displays included professional artists sitting and doing their work in person for visitors to see fist hand. After that I met up with a local from Couch Surfing and we got dinner and walked around Gion. He showed me all sorts of interesting places and talked about Geisha history and traditions. We even spotted some Geishas walking around the area. My new friend also recommended a traditional Kyoto restaurant to try out later in the week for lunch (Look for it in Part III).

While walking around Kyoto it is easy to stumble upon many temples and shrines. I think visitors poured water on the lion statue for good luck.

Wishes at the temple written on wooden ornaments that are then hung below a tree.

Gion at night. The lights look so pretty on the canals going through the neighborhood.

Entrance to a very famous Geisha house.

The entrance to Takuma, the restaurant I will return to shortly.

Cat Cafe in Seongnam Seoul

Hey look! A post with cats to distract you from the fact that I have not been posting!

I've been feeling a little feline-deprived since leaving my cat Geronimo behind back in February. Luckily, Korea has a solution for those who need some kitty loving but don't have the means of keeping one of their own. I present to you, the Cat Cafe. Cat cafes are places where you can have a drink and cat companion too. 

Behold! The kitty snuggles!

From what I've been told about cat cafes, the quality can really vary depending where you go. This particular cat cafe was near perfect. It was clean, there was no smell, and it had a wide variety of friendly cats of various ages. There were a lot of toys and climbing structures to stimulate the cats as well as provide them an escape from the humans. Even +Steven enjoyed the little beasts. They also had complimentary lint rollers on your way out to hide the evidence. I say near perfect because there was nobody on hand to slap the teenage boy that was tormenting the cats. +Aubrey would have been more than happy to take that job.

When you come in you get to wear some sweet cat slippers, use some hand sanitizer, and order your preferred cafe beverage. While the the drinks are being made you start to mingle with the locals.

Won't you join us?

  

Eventually an employee came over to us and gave us some cat treats to hand out. That made us incredibly popular for a few minutes.Then they left us for the small children with treats. Easy come, easy go I guess. I had a wonderful time and will be going back for sure!

Yes, that's it. Come to me, my kitties!

Stop hogging the Camera Stevie!

Owl cat on the lookout.

Owl cat on the lounge.

Post Summer Update: A Work in Progress.

I've been slacking off on blogging, but for all the right reasons. I had a wonderful time last month with my visitors, so I was running around having fun and spending quality time with people instead of writing or posting pictures. Don't worry though, I didn't stop taking them! As a result I'm behind on editing and sending out photos. I'm sure those will trickle in as I find the time to do so. This is just a brief recap of recent happenings until I can post more.

 Last month after Steven's quick visit I was lucky enough to have John come visit me for three weeks. I rarely post PDAs, but I will just say that John is a boyfriend extraordinaire, and I was sad to see him go. During his stay we went to museums, Busan, Seoul, and even a baseball game where we were on the Kiss-Cam. We also started using  my GoPro during our adventures, so I'm looking forward to bringing it with me more in the future.

Now I'm back in school for my last semester. Next week I'm going to Japan during my five day weekend over Chuseok. I'm going to Tokyo and Kyoto again! I'm super excited to revisit some areas and discover new places. Oh man, I'm going to take so many photos!

More to come soon!

Steven's Whirl Wind Tour to South Korea

Last week I had the pleasure of having my very first visitor from back home come see me. +Steve McCone  arrived in the wee hours of the morning last Thursday, wandering the streets of Daegu looking for my apartment. I finally spotted him from my bathroom window and got him in the apartment safe and sound. Stevie not only brought all my requests from back home, he also set the bar pretty high for house warming gifts. Stevie got me a GoPro camera!!!  Props go to him for being able to take a hint, and going above and beyond my expectations. I had posted in my blog a while back how "If only I had a GoPro..." to plant the seed of inspiration for a possible collective Christmas gift from my family... But alas, Steven went and beat you all to the punch! Yay!!!

So now I will have the ability to take some fun action shots/ videos rain or shine. This will be particularly valuable for upcoming trips that may involve underwater adventures. So this post is mostly a great big thanks to Stevie for being a thoughtful and generous friend.

Stevie and I perfecting the Korean pose.

Steven: I could go for a palace like this...

Library in the Secret Garden 

Things I've Learned So Far: My Personal Take on Teaching ESL

I've finished up my first semester of teaching! Holy cow does time fly! For those curious or interested on what it is like teaching in a Korean elementary school I'm putting together some of my thoughts on the subject. These are just some things I've learned while teaching, and from my previous experience working with children, that may or may not be helpful to keep in mind.

First and foremost, there is the language barrier. Obvious, no? You are not required to know ANY Korean when taking a job to teach as a native English teacher. You are here to speak English anyway right? While this is certainly true, you need to realize there will be a lot of confusion between you and your students. You have no idea what they are saying and they are baffled by the sounds that come out of your mouth. You may both pick out a word here or there, but there will be a considerable gap in understanding. You can't even express to them that you don't understand Korean, so they continue to try and communicate you with slowly spoken Korean that you have no foundation to understand.

Alright people, stay cool. Now is not the time to become frustrated or upset. Sure, you've said the same thing at a snails pace and five different ways and all you have to show for it is a face full of confusion staring up at you, but your attitude is everything.  Kids may not know what you're saying, but they are masters of body language. Are you frustrated at you inability to teach something? Your kiddos can easily assume you are frustrated or disappointed with them personally. They can be so terrified of getting something wrong that they won't participate, for fear of upsetting you. Kids need to be able to practice their language skills in a safe environment where they don't feel like they will be humiliated for not being perfect. For active participation, you need to build rapport with the kids, which includes an element of trust.

Be predictable, be patient, be fair, and do not take things personally. Kids may not participate, ignore you, or even mock you, but you need to treat each day as a fresh start. This does not mean let them get away with bad behavior, but rather after dishing out the prescribed repercussions don't hold a grudge. Kids have lives of their own and you may be the only person they can take it out on. Or maybe they hate English because they are tired of going to hagwons (private tutoring classes) after school instead of relaxing or playing. You need to at least provide them with the chance to improve, and it's their choice to take it or not.

Think of it in terms of a child and their pet dog. The child will talk to the dog and get frustrated because they don't see why the dog can't understand. However the dog is always happy to see the child and willing to engage when the child is ready. Try to emulate the dog's attitude. Even if a student had a bad day yesterday, at least they know you'll happily include them in today's discussion. Be forgiving.

I personally encourage the smart asses in class. If they have a silly answer for a project, I'm totally for it as long as they follow through in English. If you want to draw an ant asking "May I eat this human?", that is a great answer. You want to make a zombie pig out of clay? Go for it! It may not be the exact assignment but the kids really are surprised when you tell them that you like their idea and they can do it. They often really enjoy the assignment afterwards and put a lot more energy into their work.

It mostly comes down to kids being kids. You may not be able to communicate well, but they still want your attention. Sometimes it's by misbehaving, other times running up to you after school to say hello. You will have your favorites, and not your favorites, but they don't need to know that. In order to really learn they need to enjoy some aspect of English, and the teacher's attitude is good place to start.

A Day at the Lake --Seongju

Last Saturday I went to a lake near Seongju, which is about an hours drive outside of Daegu. It was a welcome relief from the sweltering  hustle and bustle of the city. I signed up for an organized trip through Enjoy Korea with fellow foreigners and we went to a 'water park' on the lake. It was not a water slide and pool affair, as much as actual floating docks on the lake. I suppose it would be better described as a water sports park, as you could wake board, ride a banana boat, and take a speed boat tour around the lake. The highlight of the day for me was the inflatable obstacle course.

Due to the slippery and unstable nature of the beast, I have no photos of the shenanigans that took place for most of the day. (If only I had a GoPro...*sigh*) It was a great deal of fun in spite of the swarming Korean children just waiting to leap out in front of you at any moment and make you trip. I was already as giddy as a school girl to go play in the water, but running around on the obstacle course brought out a whole new level of child like glee. We played tag, jumped off inflatable towers, and best of all just floated and splashed around in the water. Our conversations consisted of, "Tag! You're it!" and "We'll meet you at the trampolines!".

I'm pretty sure this is why Koreans are afraid of me.

 I also engaged in inflatable gladiator style combat. I'm proud to say I won the two rounds I participated in (8 years of martial arts training, all for this one glorious moment!). Since it was just me and two other girls battling it out, by the second round we had a line of Korean spectators. It must have been a sight too, since most Korean women are pretty covered up in public (no cleavage, a few bare shoulders), and then here are these three foreign girls in bathing suits fighting. We received applause and cheers, and promptly decided that the battle was over after the 3rd round.

It was a wonderful way to spend a summer afternoon. Fast forward to the present, I finished up my last week of school, and now it's summer vacation!  I'm teaching a summer camp this week, followed by a week and a half of desk-warrming at school. Desk-warming is when I have no classes and no students to teach but I have to show up to school anyway so I can get paid.  Then it's finally vacation time!

Behold, the summer vacation dance!

Things I've Learned So Far: Reflections on Culture Shock and Adaptability

Moving to South Korea marks the second time I've lived in a foreign country.  I first studied abroad in France for a semester back in 2010 and now I'm working a year contract as an ESL teacher in Daegu. I've been in Korea for almost 5 months and figured it was time to share some of my personal experiences regarding culture shock for those of you still living in the comfort of your homeland. These are mostly just general observations and it should be noted that 'everyone's experience will be different-yada-yada'.

Being a traveler and a cultural anthropology major during university, I'm pretty confident in my ability to adapt while in a different culture. I'm not saying it's easy or that I don't make mistakes, but a lot of the 'shocking' cultural differences don't bother me here in Korea. Getting shoved by old ladies or seeing men dramatically spit in the street is not a big deal to me. I'm also pretty patient when it comes to people cutting in line, or staring at me as they walk by. There are some unpleasant smells sometimes lingering along the road, but I just walk by and don't really hold any of these things against Korea.

You just need to realize that things will be different. This seems obvious, but you'd be surprised how annoyed people get over this little fact. Things will be different in big ways, small ways, clever and stupid ways. The real trick is being able to accept that they are different, and then move on with your life. You may not agree with them, but this is how people live here. Deal with it. A good example to look into is switching from an individualized culture to a collective culture. To put it simply, higher priority is placed on making decisions with the group in mind over what may be best for an individual. This line of thinking often conflicts with western opinions of capability over seniority.

All in all I feel like I've comfortably confronted these differences, but that is not to say I have not experienced culture shock. My largest struggle has been the language barrier. It's true that many people here speak (or have studied) English, but many are too nervous to actually communicate with you. Nothing makes me feel quite as helpless as being illiterate and unable to communicate in a foreign country. While I'm pretty good at miming and playing charades to get my message across, it is exasperating to be forced to do so for all interactions. This has resulted in me staying inside and eating ramen, all because I did not have the mental energy to try and order food at a restaurant with no pictures or English names. At least with French or Spanish I knew the alphabet, but Korean was completely new to me. The best thing I've done in Korea has been to learn Hangul. Lucky for me Hangul is pretty easy to pick up once you start. While I may not know the meaning, I can sound things out and recognize words I already know. This has made life so much better for me and has been  a critical part of adapting to life in Korea.

This is not my first time  facing the language barrier, but it certainly affects me more when I have to live with it for long periods of time. It also makes me really appreciate when people take the time to try and understand me, or patiently wait while I fumble my way through a Korean phrase. This is the reason why I empathize with and do my very best to help people who do not understand English, when at home in the U.S. or abroad. It's my way to express gratitude for the strangers who have helped me during my travels. Learning another language isn't easy.

I also don't mind answering the many questions Koreans ask about me or American life. I know that many of my fellow expats get annoyed whenever Koreans gasp in amazement over the fact that we can use chopsticks, or say hello in Korean. You could also potentially be offended by the belief that foreigners can't handle spicy food. If you are not Korean, you will most likely be judged by stereotypes here. Congratulations, you are now living as a minority! As such I try to take an educational stance on addressing the issue. Some questions may seem silly but I think an honest question or curiosity deserves an honest response. Here are some questions I've been asked:

"How did you learn to use chopsticks?"

"How do Americans know how to cook rice?"

"Why do Koreans stay in America?"

"Do you eat lots of fast food?"

It has been a learning experience, that is for sure! Now I will leave you with the view from my office at school. It's monsoon season!