Jejudo (Jeju Island, Cheju Island)

Friday night was the usual drinking orgy - tough luck that we have found a cocktail bar that stays open until 7! I stayed over at Rebecca's house as we were catching the 9 am ferry to Jeju Island the next morning (or roughly two hours after we had gone to bed- whichever way you want to look at it).

There are two ferry services to Jeju from Mokpo - the fast one and the slow one. We caught the slow one as the time was better for us. We arrived at the ferry terminal (after going to the wrong one first - much to the tutting of our taxi driver who knew where we should have gone in the first place but didn't have the communication skills necessary to tell us this - or to be too smug about being right all along) and it was full of middle school students. It seems to be a bit of a thing in Mokpo for the schools to take their kids over to Jeju for a few days in the Spring.

Heads pounding we elected to pay extra for beds in a shared cabin (there are four options on the ferry 1. First Class - your own cabin, twin beds and TV, 2. Upper Second class - a bed in a shared cabin with a blanket, pillow and curtain to pull over your bunk for privacy, 3. Lower Second class - a room about 20' by 20' where everyone sits on the floor and a TV in the corner flicks in and out of different TV stations as you progress across the sea and 4. Third Class - a much bigger room with many more people in it where you still sit on the floor but now run the risk of being stepped on by the now very familiar soju-swilling dancing ajummas.) The prices vary from W45,000 to W16,500.

We were directed to our cabin (the different classes are well segregated on the boat to stop the ajummas harassing those in first class) and I hauled myself into my top bunk (what else!), pulled the blanket over me and settled my head into the pillow (traditional Korean style thingy that seems to be stuffed with inch long pieces of drinking straws) for some hard earned hung over kip- thereby missing all the beautiful islands that Rebecca assured me we passed on the way.
We were met at the other side by a friend who had gone over on the fast ferry the day before and he took us into Jeju-Si (Jeju city) where we started our subtropical adventure with a burger at Burger King. Then we went onto the World Cup Football store and bought socks (remind me to talk more about socks one day) where one of the girls disappeared into a giggling fit when I said that I was from England and she wouldn't tell me why! Undaunted by this hysteria we made our purchases and went to the very friendly tourist information hut nearby.

Then it was onto a bus and away out of town for us. The buses are cheap and regular and the island is small- an ideal combination really. We only had one night on the island and so we discussed the popular option of hiring a taxi for the weekend but decided on the buses in the end. Our first stop was Songs an Sunrise Peak- an extinct volcano that is supposed to be a very cool place to watch sunrise (the name is no coincidence). We opted to break with tradition and went up just before sunset- struggling through the ajummas who wanted us to stay in their houses for the night. There is horse riding at the bottom of the peak and a stunning views over the island and the ocean at the top. It was exceedingly hot and we all had purr packs with us- I kept wanting to stop but was compelled to go on when all these little Korean kids just ran past on their way up- if they can do it so can I!!

It was a cool view but we had to get on. We climbed the thing (using the concrete steps admittedly), took photos, came back down and got on another bus- after another period of ajummas trying to get us to stay and then laughing at us anytime we attempted to speak Korean. Our next stop was Sawpit on the other side of the island from Jeju-Si. We went there to see a waterfall that flows into the sea but it was dark and shut by the time we got there. Waterfalls are not that great in the dark and we only really knew that we were looking the right way as it seemed to be where the noise was coming from. The guy in our motel was very cool- not one word of English but a book full of phrases which he kept pointing at- such as 'I hope that you enjoy your stay' and 'If you need help dial 0'- though how that would help as we could hardly mime over the phone, I couldn't really see. We went out to eat and ended up in on the top floor of a restaurant whose roof was so low that my head grazed it even when I was sitting down.

Then it was early to bed ready for the next day.

Sunday morning we went to anther waterfall in a beautiful park and took photos of each other with the Harubangs (traditional Jeju grandfather figures) which are all over the island but some old ones were here. We bought souvenir clothes and hats and really began to feel the part! Also we made plenty of Korean tourists laugh by imitating them by counting to three in Korean before taking a photo (hana, dul, set..KIMCHI!). The park the waterfall was in was splendid and in common with most other places in Jeju it just smelt gorgeous to us city folks.

Then it was onto the next bus and Hallim Park to see the caves and bonsai trees. By the time it was raining so we were pleased that we were now going 'inside'- though I guess that we should have checked the guide book that warned us that it 'rains' in the caves all the time! But we had umbrellas so that was OK though we were a bit unsure on whether the old 'don't open umbrellas indoors' bad luck would apply to troglodytes! The park was again wonderful and we had our photos taken many times by various Korean tourists- one particular lady insisted that we take a photo of her and her baby with us ON MY CAMERA! We obliged and she was really happy and kept thanking us over and over. It was getting embarrassing and we had to get the bus so we made our excuses and ran out through the bonsai 'forest'. The bus took us back to Jeju-si and it was onto the terminal, onto the ferry and staking our claim on the floor in the Lower Second Class room and home.

And sleep........
Lots of fun though!
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Ajummas, dancing and miracles...

It has been another interesting week here in Mokpo. New timetable, new books, new students and the Moses Miracle of Jindo. Yes that last one does sound a little odd I have to admit. I will tell you all about it but first let me fill you in on the background.

Spring has firmly taken root in Korea and in no place more so than the minds of its resident ESL teachers. We have got a bit of a collective travel bug. And it is not just the Mokpoians amongst us I hasten to add- we had visitors over last weekend from Chungju. These were people we had met in Seoul and met up with again in Pusan. It was strange having all these foreign faces in our fair city. And they wanted to do stuff and in giving them ideas we realised how little we had done ourselves. So a friend and me started on sorting this out on Saturday when we went on a boat cruise around the edge of Mokpo. I thought that it would be a nice relaxing thing to do and it was a lovely day. Should have known that it was going to be an odd affair when the police were on the jetty collecting our tickets- and not in the slightest bit impressed that we both wrote our names in Korean script. We got onto the boat and settled down with a good view. Then the ajummas started piling on. I am not sure what I have told you about this breed of folk but ajummas are basically older or married women and it is a term of respect for ones that own their own business. In my day to day life the ajummas that I usually see are the ones that work the food stalls scattered all over the streets of Mokpo- they would generally be pensioners back home (I guess). I must get some photos for you all- they are a quite incredible race, with their perms and baggy trousers and they would beat anyone in the world at a 'pushing in front of you in the supermarket queue' competition. They are pretty scary at the best of times. But now we know what they do for fun. They come to Mokpo, pile onto a boat, get absolutely shitfaced on soju, sing, dance and generally harass the foreigners on board for an hour and a half before going home again! It was crazy! We got up for a polite dance but were held captive for nearly the whole trip. If either of us tried to get away we were grabbed by the nearest dancer and pulled back into the fold. And they were not fussy about where they grabbed either- I got pulled back at one stage by a hand clamped onto my right boob! They took my camera off me and took loads of photos of them with us. They taught us the proper dance (waving hips from side to side and pointing hands in the air- very easy and a universal call to ajummas to dance but more on that later) and forced soju down our throats. And pulled us and fought over who was going to dance with us- at one point I had an ajumma on each arm and they were pulling in opposite directions!

We felt like we had been kidnapped and had the sneaky suspicion that one of them was creeping out to issue ransom demands to our families! But in the end a drunken old man came over and gave us both a can of lemonade and we seized our chance and legged it! It was actually a lot of fun- and we did appreciate seeing, in the last five minutes of the cruise, passed out ajummas all over the deck.

We finally made it back onto dry land and went to the restaurant on the beach and watched the sunset. And then went to the pub and I got home around 7 the following morning- so I saw the sun come up again too. But it was in the pub that we found out about the Moses thing. Turned out that there was another group of foreigners in Mokpo for the weekend- enroute to Jindo for the Moses Miracle- they had bumped into some of our friends earlier who had invited them to the bar that night. But I didn't know this when they walked into the bar and I just couldn't stop staring at all these new foreign faces. Over all there must have been around 40 of us and we were all thrilled to have new people to meet. And they told us about Jindo and we decided to go the next day too.

Got up around midday and went and hired a car for the day with five other people (yes, six of us in a small car- very comfy) and off we went to Jindo. Jindo is an island which is connected to the mainland with a bridge. At a certain time of the year the sea between Jindo and another island about 2.5km away parts and you are able to walk between the two on a strip of land uncovered by the water. It has been doing this for years but only really came to International notice when a French Ambassador saw it in 1975 and compared it to Moses and the parting of the Red Sea.

Now there is a festival there every year and lot of people walk between the two islands, though most people seem to be taking the opportunity to gather shellfish. We bought some yellow waders there- they came to above my knees and were thin enough for me to feel every shell and stone that I trod on. But it was really cool. We had left it a little late so didn't make it all the way to the other island before being turned back by the police as the tide was changing- those police really do get everywhere! We got a lift back to the shore in a fishing boat which was really cool! We got back to the shore and joined the festival. There was some music being played through the loudspeakers and I decided to have a quick ajumma dance by myself but by the time I had raised my fingers a swarm of them had come over for a dance- you would have thought that I had learnt! I just legged it as quick as I could!

After all that exercise it was time for a feed and, predictably enough, sea food was pretty prominent on the menu in all the food tents. Now, it was be technically incorrect to describe what Tim ate as 'live' octopus because surely it was dead after being cut up. But it wasn't cooked. It was killed just moments before it was delivered to the table. It continued wiggling and squirming on his plate for much longer than I could bear to look at it anyway! But he seemed satisfied and that is the main thing I guess. Inevitably, as it was dark and we had no map, we got lost on the way home but had much fun getting back to Mokpo - the four of us in the back had had to promise not to complain about the cramped conditions as we were too mingy to hire another car for the day- going down every dark alley and driveway and through tunnels until we saw the bright lights of our big city and came home. We went up Yudal San (the local 'mountain') watched some pissed locals have a fight then went home. All in all it was a great weekend.

And this weekend I am going to the subtropical island of Jeju- the wettest place in Korea so that should be cool. Next weekend we are planning to go back on the cruise boat and get our revenge on the ajummas by taking some friends and our own soju!! But I will leave you there as people are waiting for me in the pub!
Take care H

Sirens, stories and Miguks...

Hello there all,

Yes I am still alive and well in Mokpo. I was going to write at the weekend but if I am honest about the whole thing I was far too drunk and hung over for most of the time. Which in this crazy world I live in seems to be a reasonable excuse to me- don't you agree??

So what has been going on in Mokpo that I can tell you about? I am fully recovered from the Traveller's Disease which is a good thing. I had to take a multitude of tablets several times a day and have only now stopped rattling when I walk. But it is a relief to be better and have energy again. And to be able to go out drinking too of course. So I have spent quite some time in the soju tents and nori-bangs these last couple of weeks. And Korean classes have resumed which is a good thing though my poor brain begged to differ after a two hour work out last Saturday.

Just when I think that I am getting an idea on how this country works strange things happen which prove to me over and over that I will never figure this country out. Example, I was down town last week with a friend having coffee. We could hear a siren go off but chose to ignore it. As we stood to leave the shop the woman spoke to us but we didn't understand what she was saying and so smiled, nodded and walked out. Wandering down the street my friend suddenly noticed that all the cars were standing still and that there was no noise- odd. Then a guy in the middle of the road, looking all kind of official, motioned for us to stop. And we saw him do the same to other people. He also explained to us, in Korean, exactly why we should stop so we were none the wiser really. It was a bit eerie really as streets in Korea, in my experience, are ALWAYS filled with the noise of car horns being used to punctuate driving. After about five minutes another siren went off and everyone started moving again. We never did find out why!

This kind of thing happens to us all the time over here. There was a group of us in the nori bang the other night and another group rang to find out where we were and I had to give the phone to the Korean guy working there so he could explain to the Korean in the other group where we were. I wish that they would use street names here sometimes!

Last Saturday we saw an anti-Miguk (America) demonstration down town. they seemed to be a fairly friendly smiley bunch so we pushed our miguk into their midst and took a photo of them. Once they realised what was going on they obligingly handed her a banner to hold and insisted that we take another photo. As we left they asked where we were from- America we yelled and walked away laughing. There is a lot of anti-American feeling here at times while at the same time there is a great love of American culture. Witness the fact that they only really want North Americans as teachers here and those of us without the desired accent are advised to try putting one on. They know more about baseball than soccer here- though the World Cup is slowly changing that I am sure that it won't last. They don't really seem to know their soccer teams (see how American am I- I mean footie teams of course!) and most of my students insist that Korea will be winning the World Cup. Yes, of course they are.....! They seem to love and hate America all at the same time. The only time when feelings were clear cut was during the recent Winter Olympics when they all hated the US for winning the medal for speed skating that should have been Korea's. Some of my students have told me that they think that the US deserved September 11th but most just seem to hate Bush (or Busy as they call him!) personally rather than the country as a whole. I just explain what a tragedy that day was and talk about the people involved.

But even though I don't have the 'correct' accent I still get quite a bit of attention- mostly by kids asking me if I am a miguk. But the other week Tim and I were asked to judge a story telling competition in Mokpo. It was a lot of fun. There was 14 groups of kids who had all been practising and memorizing their lines ready for the day. I was judging them on Intonation and Pronunciation and Tim had two other categories that I can't remember right now. They were very sweet even if their little chipmunk voices rather pounded my poor hung over head (the boss had taken us out for soju the night before and it had been a long one). Some of them were very good and some of them weren't. But the funniest thing was some of the groups had obviously rehearsed without microphones and the leads on these ones were very short- hence a hare and tortoise race being prematurely won by the tortoise as the hare was yanked back the way she had come by the mike lead. But this didn't just happen once- it happened over and over again. It was hard to keep a straight face as one kid was yelling at another one to 'come here' while the other one was firmly reined in by the mike lead. Or the kid who got tied up in a knot as his fellow group members ran round and round him twisting the lead, unknowingly, round his legs. It was so hard to keep a straight face that at times I turned round to see Tim shamelessly laughing and I had to join in. Poor kids and after they had given us a real Hollywood star welcome too- applause and welcoming yells before we were even introduced. but it was a good afternoon and the best group won- the one that did their piece on England!!

I don't have anything to tell you right now that I can think of so I will try and write again soon when I think of what it is I have to say!
Take care Helen
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Poo, Pusan and Pronunciation...

Hello All

I spent 2 hours this morning hooked up to a drip in the Doctor's office. It is official, I have 'Traveller's Disease' which the doctor claimed that he could cure me of. I imagined that he would be bringing out some powder to cure my 'itchy feet' or a large map of England with a big arrow marked HOME pointing firmly towards Felixstowe. But it was more straightforward than that. I just have the same stomach cramps, runs, vomiting and loss of appetite that most travellers get at some stage - usually around the point at which the body realises that it is not on holiday so it should sit down and have a good long hard think about the situation and adjust itself accordingly. I have always joked about wanting to get a tropical disease which would help me shift some of this weight without the actual effort of dieting and exercise but this last week has been no fun at all on the health front, let me tell you!

It all started on Wednesday, around lunchtime, fortunately it was just after my water supply had returned from its 36 hour sojourn to god knows where. On Wednesday I only have three classes so that was easy enough to make it through. But I went over to some friends' houses after school and made short work of making their bathrooms as uninhabitable as mine was before leaving early and claiming sickness as my excuse. Thursday was more of a trial but I have at least found the pedestal toilets at work, which made my life slightly more comfortable. Though I did end up finishing two of my classes five minutes early and the kids noticed and asked why. I hadn't got time to explain and just shooed them out of the classroom and pelted it down the corridor to the jacks. Thursday evening was a fun-filled evening of soju, beer and nori bang- interspersed with trips to the bathroom. Friday I caught a train to Pusan with three friends. Seven and a half hours later we arrived, pale and shaky. What kind of sadist comes up with the idea of putting squat toilets on moving vehicles anyway??? As if using the loo on the train isn't already fraught with enough dangers you also risk weeing all down your leg at the merest judder on the tracks. Anyway, I digress, our hotel couldn't have been more perfect- fifth floor room with balcony overlooking the beach, the sound of the ocean coming in through the window, beautiful bathroom complete with shampoo, soap and towels, clean bed and soft porn on the TV - bliss!

The plan had been to arrive on Friday and then go out to a temple of the Saturday and go shopping on Sunday before catching the train back at 9.40 that night. But rain stopped play and so we just shopped the whole time. Top 3 purchases were: 1. an umbrella! 2. books for school - including the book that I remember as the first one that I learnt to read (The Gingerbread Man - run run as fast as you can!!) and 3. some Korean alphabet fridge magnets so that I can spell out rude words on my fridge in Korean (just as soon as I learn some!). Had a great time all in with no alcohol. And I finally got a photo of a dog with pink ears and tail and if it turns out OK I will get it scanned in and send it to you all! Also saw a collar and lead for a HAMSTER, 3 women selling puppies out of cardboard boxes on the street and beggars who lie on trolleys and push themselves along the street with one hand held out and a stereo blasting out, the fish market again and we went to the cinema- and we could see through the window so maybe it just is Mokpo where the witness protection scheme shields them!

I returned to Mokpo still sick and heavily laden down with new purchases and two new sentences in Korean- 'I am not a doctor' and 'This is not Pusan'. Both of which will just lend themselves to the air of mystery that I try to surround myself with:

Noisy stranger: 'So what do you do?'
Bilingual Helen: 'I am NOT a doctor!'
NS: 'Erm, I see. So do you live here?"
BH: 'This is not Pusan!'
NS:

The opportunities for using my new Korean knowledge are endless I am sure that you will agree! And I learnt a new word - the Korean for rain is Pee! Should be easy to remember. We did experience a bit of a language barrier in Pusan- and not because of our slightly obtuse sentences- but because we are learning to speak with Mokpo accents. Interestingly enough one of my students told me the other night that all people on Korean TV have Seoul accents. I asked if this bothered him (as it would and has in the past in the UK where regional accents are under represented on TV) and he said no as it was the accent that everyone could understand! But he did say that he got annoyed when the only Mokpo accent he hears on TV is that of gangsters - Mokpo is famous for its gangsters but more on that another time!

Back in Mokpo the weather has been shocking too. it has gotten cold again and the yellow dust from China is back. I was told this morning (by my Korean friend who took me to the doctor) that it comes from near Beijing and it is because they have cut down the trees over there creating a desert which flies over to Korean in the springtime and stays for two months in the spring. Apparently it only appeared around five years ago and have been haunting the Koreans and making them sick every Spring ever since. And the other big climate change here that again has only happened recently is the humidity in the summer. It used to just get hot but in the last two years and it has started to getting incredibly humid. Hum, something to look forward. That is Spring out because of the toxic dust from China, Summer for the humidity which leaves Autumn and Winter - have already had Winter so just have Autumn to look forward to I guess!

Have I told you about 'service' over here? I don't think that I have. It happens to me and a lot of my friends a lot. It is when the person in the shop slips a little something extra into your bag and says 'service'. It can be anything. My local shop gives me candy and rather dubious sausage things. The photo shop gives me coupons off reprints and World Cup photo frames. The pizza place has given us nasty looking angels and a kit aeroplane. A camping store in Pusan gave me a free bag because I made them laugh (thereby making it my first professional comedy engagement!). So we have kind of got used to service and it certainly seems the opposite of the stereotype of a local happily ripping off the clueless foreigners. And I got service in the doctor's today, which has to be my biggest score to date! And he gave me a discount. I think that this was because he kept coming in to talk English to me while I was on the drip. I heard the door open a few times when I was lying with my eyes shut but when they were open he came in and fiddled with the drip for a bit and chatted. He was very sweet and bought me some National Geographics to read - which my Korean friend ended up reading as I went to sleep! I think that maybe the doctor suggested the drip to keep me there for longer so he could practice his English. And now he wants to come drinking with us on Friday! Korea really is a funny old place at times but I do love it here!! Oh, the other thing about the doctors over here is the big packets of tablets that they prescribe you - I have two packets of five tablets to be taken a day and one lot with four pills in it. I don't know why there are so many but they always give you a combination apparently and I am trusting this guy (I have no choice but I do feel heaps better too!)

So rather than entertain you all with the comings and goings of my bowels during the last week (or singing you the rather 'clever' song I made up for my friends on the way home from the nori bang the other night- to the tune of 'These are a few of my favourite things') I shall leave you all there until next week!
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Knives, Trees and Dust..

Now I am solidly into my fourth month here in Mokpo and of course it came as no real surprise to me yesterday morning to discover that we were once more bereft of water. It did come back on today - just after I had finished washing with bottled water in a bucket again- timing! And in all the panic about the water I forgot to tell you about the irony of it raining heavily outside while the taps inside ran dry. Or that we were engulfed in dust for 3 days- the first day it hung like a fog in the air. My students told me that it came over from China and that it hits Mokpo at this time every year. Pretty determined dust it has to be said. All of the cars were covered in dust and in fact a lot of them still are. Pretty worrying when you think that we were breathing that air in. Best not to think about it I reckon.

So I have been thinking about some of the differences between Korean students and those back home in England. I have already covered the amount of time that the kids spend in various school and after school classes. I see a lot of kids running around in their Taekwondo outfits and they are very sweet- bearing in mind that most of the kids I see are fairly little and not at all threatening. Just very sweet and smiley and pleased to see what they think is an American- they chase me down the street yelling 'miguk' which is American. I soon put them straight with a very firm 'yonguk', which is England. Not surprisingly the kids are big into their pens and pencils and have some of the best pencil cases I have seen- with some of the funniest English on them. But the really surprising thing, from my point of view, is what lurks inside the pencil cases- they all seem to carry knives. Not hoofing great machetes or anything like that- just little craft knives to sharpen their pencils with. Not pencil sharpeners here. Or very few at least. Can you imagine if the kids back home routinely carried little knives?? I told my adult class what a shock it was to see kids as young as six carrying knives and it was really a concept that they couldn't get their heads around. I don't think that we even started to sharpen our own pencils until after the age of seven and I wouldn't trust myself with a knife to do it even now.

And there seems to be no big stigma for the boys to carry pencil cases covered in hearts and all pink and words like 'My love for you is endless just as there is no end to the universe' written on them. In fact one of my middle school students pulled out a cloth to wipe his glasses on and it was absolutely covered in big pink flowers. Imagine the reaction that would get from his classmates back home. I am not saying that it is right to laugh at boys for having pencil cases covered in cute rabbits, I am just saying that a boy doing that back home would be lucky to make it through puberty.

This Friday is Arbor Day- a National Holiday. On this day, thousands of Koreans plant trees to help the reforestation program. Some of my students have told me that they will be going to the mountains on Friday to plant trees near the graves of their grandparents. They told me most of this by drawing me a picture on the board of a grave mound- complete with dead grandparent in a coffin- you just have to love the kids sometimes! Of course the plans for the Mokpo crew on this day have little to do with trees and more to do with soju. We are off to Pusan and I will tell you all about it next week!
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(part 2) - water update, hangovers and irons...

..........Getting home was no problem - Mokpo cab drivers seem to have few qualms about taking drunk people in their cabs - either that or they don't know enough English to tell us that if we throw up we pay for it. Cab home then and I sat up and watched 'Married with Children' before laying down and getting some shut-eye. But I woke up a little while later and was distressed to see that I had left the bathroom light on and it was shining through the glass door and not letting me go back to sleep. I tried to sleep for a few minutes and then got up, wrapped myself in my blanket and staggered across the floor to turn the light off. But when I hit the switch the light came on. The light that had woken me up was the sun! Resigned to the light I went back to bed, pulled the blanket over my head and went back to sleep. When I eventually did wake up I turned on the TV to the SAME episode of 'Married with Children', which set the day up with a surreal start.

Surprisingly I didn't feel too bad yesterday - I went shopping with a friend and we bought all kinds of cute stuff again and a couple of CDs each. I just watched videos last night. Today I went to E-mart (part of my usual Sunday routine) and I bought an iron for the first time ever in my life. I borrowed Tim's when I first got here but three months with crumpled shirts is enough for any man so I said that I would give it back and buy my own. Which I did. I have never bought an iron before though I have owned an old one of my mum's, which I lost at some point in the last ten years. So you can imagine just how excited I was about this purchase - should I get steam? Easy glide? Cordless? Or just the cheapest one in the store? Guess. But I am sure that it will do the job OK - it is not as if it will lead a taxing life with me - I am not the World's least crumpled person after all. And I went a bit girlie for a minute and bought cleanser and toner and foaming face wash - can't wait to shower now!!

Oh yes, I should probably tell you what happened with the water in the end too. It went off on the Wednesday, was back on Thursday morning long enough for me to wash up and flush the toilet. It had gone by the time I got to school. And remained off this time until Saturday morning. On the Friday night we were flushing the toilet in the bar using water out of huge barrels put in there for that purpose. My own facility was not that well equipped and I have never been as pleased with flush technology as I was when the water came back on on Saturday morning, let me tell you! So we have water now, I am not sure for how long this time but hopefully it will be a while and at least next time I will know what to do - PANIC!

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(part 1)- Easter, trash and soju...

Just when you thought that I had forgotten all about you all on the cusp of week 13 I hit you with week 12's bit of news. Yes, week 12 which means that I have now been here just over three months so I am a quarter of the way through my contract here in Mokpo-Si. And a good time it has been so far.

Today is Easter Sunday though we were all completely unaware of this fact until someone rang home and was told by their parents. There is a complete lack of anything made of chocolate in the shape of an egg in Mokpo and in fact the kids are horrified at the mere thought of such a confectionary item (I chickened out of telling them about the Easter Bunny for fear of being committed to the nearest lunatic asylum- 'yes, dear, of course a rabbit brings you chocolate in the shape of an egg once a year, now stand still while we put this lovely white jacket on you, nice and snug'). I thought that I was grown up enough to survive Easter without an Easter Egg but it turns out that I was WRONG! I have been in a bit of a sulk all day - after all, what is Easter without that slight nausea caused by the consumption of too much chocolate? Dismal, that is what it is! So if anyone sees any cheap Easter Eggs left over after today back in their home country then feel free to purchase them and post them over to the grateful teachers in Korea!!!!

Let me get off the path of bitterness for a while and think what has happened in the last week. Well, I found a great table in the trash last Sunday so I brought that home and showered it down a bit. It is a low one - i.e. you have to sit on the floor to use it - and the legs fold up so I can store it down the side of my washing machine - handy in a pad the size of mine. Have I ever sung the praises of the trash over here? I think that I might have mentioned how great it is once or twice. Already I have rescued two chairs, a coffee table, an ironing board, bookcase and dining table and a very large and ugly pink piggy bank without a stopper that sits by my toilet and tries to scare away any burglars that make it in through the window. I have also trash picked for my friend, Eric, who is the proud owner of an ex-rash sofa, chair and small table. I am a bit worried now because my home is full and I can't really fit any more furniture in it and I don't know how I will survive the next nine months without anymore trash picking. Guess that I can always 'upgrade' my furniture whenever I get the opportunity. I love the trash here and am always a little disappointed when all it contains is real trash!

Having got a table I, of course, organised a dinner party straight away. It was planned for Wednesday night - all the RSVPs were in and all were attending. Then I got to school and got invited out by the hagwon. I really had to go to that as the whole school was going out for a meal at MIDNIGHT!! Not so odd when you think that the latest some of the teachers finish is around that time so it is the only available time slot for all. So I had a beer with friends first then went and met Tim for another beer and went on to meet the rest of the teachers in a traditional restaurant. We had a barbecue thing and the director was most impressed when he saw me using chopsticks - the last time we ate together was when he picked me up from the airport after 24 hours of travelling and took me out for a meal and I looked at the chopsticks with horror and despair. He was very proud of himself for buying two forks when he furnished my flat - so proud in fact that I didn't dare ask him for knives as well! So at home I am the proud owner of three spoons, three pairs of metal chopsticks, six pairs of wooden chopsticks and two forks. (Before you ask, I butter my bread with the back of a spoon). He congratulated me on my mastering of the eating utensils and then kindly turned a blind eye as I dropped food all over the table and myself - bless! A lot of the dinner conversation was in Korean so Tim and I did our best to wipe the table clear of soju. And succeeded in the most part. We left around three-around about the time I heard Mr Kim mention Nori bang. It is certainly not something often seen in the UK- when a boss takes his entire staff out on the piss until the wee early hours of a school morning. The next day he handed out hangover cures and vitamin pills, which was quite funny. School was not exactly my favourite on Thursday and there was a lot of game playing had by all. Some of my students asked me if they could play games again the next day but didn't seem to understand when I muttered 'only if I am as hung over as this again' under my breath.

I can't think that I have a lot else to tell you really. Friday night turned into a bit of a pub crawl - we started in the Harry Potter bar (yes, that really is the name of the bar and there is even a bolt of lightning on the door but no sign of Hedwig inside) which proved to be too small to take the ever increasing crowd that arrived in dribs and drabs throughout the night. A couple of folks went out on a fearless reccie and reported back saying that they had found a bar big enough and empty enough to take us all. We followed them to the new bar but several of us ended up spending most of the night at the soju tent across the road - just popping back to the bar to say hi and use the toilet. Drinking soju in a tent - albeit a large one - really gave the evening a bit of a festival atmosphere and I felt like I should be hurrying off to see who was playing on the Pyramid Stage - but I stayed put until all the soju was drunk or we were all drunk - one or the other I forget which.

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Easter, trash and soju...

Just when you thought that I had forgotten all about you all on the cusp of week 13 I hit you with week 12's bit of news. Yes, week 12 which means that I have now been here just over three months so I am a quarter of the way through my contract here in Mokpo-Si. And a good time it has been so far.

Today is Easter Sunday though we were all completely unaware of this fact until someone rang home and was told by their parents. There is a complete lack of anything made of chocolate in the shape of an egg in Mokpo and in fact the kids are horrified at the mere thought of such a confectionary item (I chickened out of telling them about the Easter Bunny for fear of being committed to the nearest lunatic asylum- 'yes, dear, of course a rabbit brings you chocolate in the shape of an egg once a year, now stand still while we put this lovely white jacket on you, nice and snug'). I thought that I was grown up enough to survive Easter without an Easter Egg but it turns out that I was WRONG! I have been in a bit of a sulk all day - after all, what is Easter without that slight nausea caused by the consumption of too much chocolate? Dismal, that is what it is! So if anyone sees any cheap Easter Eggs left over after today back in their home country then feel free to purchase them and post them over to the grateful teachers in Korea!!!!
Let me get off the path of bitterness for a while and think what has happened in the last week. Well, I found a great table in the trash last Sunday so I brought that home and showered it down a bit. It is a low one - i.e. you have to sit on the floor to use it - and the legs fold up so I can store it down the side of my washing machine - handy in a pad the size of mine. Have I ever sung the praises of the trash over here? I think that I might have mentioned how great it is once or twice. Already I have rescued two chairs, a coffee table, an ironing board, bookcase and dining table and a very large and ugly pink piggy bank without a stopper that sits by my toilet and tries to scare away any burglars that make it in through the window. I have also trash picked for my friend, Eric, who is the proud owner of an ex-rash sofa, chair and small table. I am a bit worried now because my home is full and I can't really fit any more furniture in it and I don't know how I will survive the next nine months without anymore trash picking. Guess that I can always 'upgrade' my furniture whenever I get the opportunity. I love the trash here and am always a little disappointed when all it contains is real trash!

Having got a table I, of course, organised a dinner party straight away. It was planned for Wednesday night - all the RSVPs were in and all were attending. Then I got to school and got invited out by the hagwon. I really had to go to that as the whole school was going out for a meal at MIDNIGHT!! Not so odd when you think that the latest some of the teachers finish is around that time so it is the only available time slot for all. So I had a beer with friends first then went and met Tim for another beer and went on to meet the rest of the teachers in a traditional restaurant. We had a barbecue thing and the director was most impressed when he saw me using chopsticks - the last time we ate together was when he picked me up from the airport after 24 hours of travelling and took me out for a meal and I looked at the chopsticks with horror and despair. He was very proud of himself for buying two forks when he furnished my flat - so proud in fact that I didn't dare ask him for knives as well! So at home I am the proud owner of three spoons, three pairs of metal chopsticks, six pairs of wooden chopsticks and two forks. (Before you ask, I butter my bread with the back of a spoon). He congratulated me on my mastering of the eating utensils and then kindly turned a blind eye as I dropped food all over the table and myself - bless! A lot of the dinner conversation was in Korean so Tim and I did our best to wipe the table clear of soju. And succeeded in the most part. We left around three-around about the time I heard Mr Kim mention Nori bang. It is certainly not something often seen in the UK- when a boss takes his entire staff out on the piss until the wee early hours of a school morning. The next day he handed out hangover cures and vitamin pills, which was quite funny. School was not exactly my favourite on Thursday and there was a lot of game playing had by all. Some of my students asked me if they could play games again the next day but didn't seem to understand when I muttered 'only if I am as hung over as this again' under my breath.
I can't think that I have a lot else to tell you really. Friday night turned into a bit of a pub crawl - we started in the Harry Potter bar (yes, that really is the name of the bar and there is even a bolt of lightning on the door but no sign of Hedwig inside) which proved to be too small to take the ever increasing crowd that arrived in dribs and drabs throughout the night. A couple of folks went out on a fearless reccie and reported back saying that they had found a bar big enough and empty enough to take us all. We followed them to the new bar but several of us ended up spending most of the night at the soju tent across the road - just popping back to the bar to say hi and use the toilet. Drinking soju in a tent - albeit a large one - really gave the evening a bit of a festival atmosphere and I felt like I should be hurrying off to see who was playing on the Pyramid Stage - but I stayed put until all the soju was drunk or we were all drunk - one or the other I forget which.