(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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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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posted by Helen @ 3:56 PM
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