Deoksugung

     On Wednesday (Chuseok), I went to Deoksugung Palace.  It is a palace in the heart of Seoul.  It was an easy bus ride and a taxi (about an hour).  It is quite odd though, this beautiful palace and grounds, surrounded by sky rise buildings and the bustling of a city.  It is also right next to city hall, which is presently decorated for the G20.  The building is wrapped in pictures of people.  I decided to become one (notice the picture I posted). 

     Conveniently located next to the palace grounds, is a Dunkin Donuts.  I grabbed a hot chocolate and was on my way.  The entrance gate is beautiful and is called Daehanmun.  It is surrounded by a wall and is quite breathtaking when you walk through the gate.  To top everything off, it was free!

     A little history on the “Palace of Virtue and Longevity”:  The palace was built during the mid-1400s as a private aristocratic villa for Prince Wolsan, but when the Japanese Hideyoshi invasions of the late 16th century left all of Seoul’s palaces burning, the villa was converted into a temporary palace until Changdeokgung became the new royal residence.  It became a secondary palace when King Gojong moved in.  Gojong lived here until he died in 1919.  His son, Sunjong, reigned as a puppet emperor until the Japanese brought the Joseon dynasty to an abrupt end after more than 500 years. The palace was originally comprised of about 180 structures and over times, now is about one dozen buildings. The current palace has influences of russian and japanese arcitecture.



The throne in Junghwajeon Hall



Junghwajeon
The stone mythical creatures (haetae) next to me, are to protect the palace from fire.
 In 1904, they must have fallen asleep, because the palace burnt down.

     I enjoyed a self guided tour.  It was very peaceful.  The architecture and roof tiles are interesting to view. I enjoyed my hot chocolate, while I looked into buildings through their wooden screens.  Surprisingly, there was not any furniture or displays set up in the buildings.  So if you go, bring your imagination. 



The Front Gate

      I had arrived in the evening, so I unfortunately did not get to see the changing of the guards.  I plan to attend this in the upcoming weekends.  I would really enjoy the opportunity to witness this and compare it to the changing of the guards in London.  I also would like to visit the art museum that is on the palace grounds. 

Bronze Statue of King Sejong

    



















      After the visit to the palace, I went to a free concert in the city.  It was right across from the palace!  It was a Chuseok concert.  They had drummers in the traditional colors of yellow and blue.  They put on a great show.  They twirled ribbons, balanced plates, and played along with an orchestra.  The show also included traditional korean singers and a single drummer.  One odd thing: Nobody brought chairs.  They passed out little mats, to sit cross legged on. 




Drummers from the concert balancing plates











 *If you are interested in Deoksugung Palace, you can visit the website:     http://english.cha.go.kr/

I Love Cookie

I Love Cookie - This is my secret find!  It is a little store about two blocks from my school and everything in it is imported from America.  Can you believe it!  A store that has every item of food in english!  I saw macaroni n cheese and grabbed the last box.  They had campbell's chicken noodle soup and Hamburger Helper.  They also have real deodorant.  Korean's use a spray on deodorant and the kind that I am used to is hard to find.  Don't worry, Koreans do not stink.  I was so excited about this find, that I went to work and showed everyone my Macoroni n Cheese.  They all laughed and the next day, one of my co-workers brought me in a box.  He said that he saw how excited I was, and he didn't need it (he brought it back with him, after visiting the states).  It is funny though, everytime I visit the store, there is always americans in it.  I guess the secret is out!

Lotte World

     Lotte World is a mini Disney World. It even has a replica of the Disney castle!  Lotte World, was like no other amusement park.  It has a unique design, where half of the amusement park is inside and the other half is outside.  The infastructure is huge!  The ceiling is entirely glass and it has multiple levels.  The bottom level has an ice skating rink, bowling alley, and shooting range.  The next floor is comprised of restaraunts.  The remaining floors are the amusement park. 
     I traveled by subway a total of 40 minutes, with only one transfer.  The subway station is located in the bottom of Lotte World, so you do not have to worry about finding your way through the city.  My companions were two fellow teachers and their Korean girlfriends.  We had such a great time.  We recieved half off the ticket price, with a coupon and our AR (residence) card.  For $22 we had an all access pass to the park. 
     The inside structure included an upside down roller coaster, hot air balloon ride (takes you around the inside on the ceiling), mini monorail, and numerous other rides.  It was very modern as well.  Similar to Disney World, you watch a movie (which I could not understand) or walk through great scenery while you are waiting for the ride.  They also have what is called a fast pass, where you can skip the line.  The amusement park had a lot of adult rides, such as The adventures of Sinbad, Jungle Adventure, and Pharoh's Fury.  The last one mentioned, is a jeep that moves throught adventure scenes (similar to the dinosaur thrill ride in Disney). 
     At night, they have an electric parade.  They turn off the lights inside, and everyone lines up on the street.  They then have an amazing parade go around.  They have characters, floats, and dancers.  It was amazing!  I ate with my friends at Pizza Hut (lol) and had a great time.  You do not have to worry about snacks.  They have hot dogs, popcorn, ice cream, any type of carnival food that you can think of. 
     There were only two negative points.  The first was that the inside structure is not air conditioned.  It was a very hot and humid day.  I drank three bottled waters alone.  The second, was that it rained all day.  Parts of Seoul actually flooded, so I was not able to go to the outside portion of the park. 
     We spent the whole day there.  I learned about korean history in the korean folk museum and learned great tips from my co-teachers and their korean girlfriends.  The two male teachers have lived in Korea for 3 and 5 years.  So, they gave me a lot of great tips.  Their girlfriends also said that they are willing to help out, translate, and take me around town.  They also invited me to a traditional korean dinner. 
     I have posted Lotte World's website on the right side.  Check it out!

Chuseok

     Today is Chuseok, also known as Hangawi (great middle of August).  Chuseok is the biggest and most important holiday in Korea.  It is a time when Korean families come together to share food, stories, and to give thanks to their ancestors for the abundant harvest.  The exact origin of Chuseok is not determined; however, it can be traced back to ancient religious practices that centered around the moon and the lunar calendar.  
      During Chuseok, Korean families will honor their ancestors and present a food offering, during a memorial service.  The families also visit ancestoral graves, called Seongmyo.  While at the grave sites, they will clear away any weeds that have grown in over the summer season.
     My students celebrated Chuseok on Monday.  They came to school dressed in their Hanboks (traditional Korean attire).  They started class with a presentation on the history of Chuseok.  Next, they played Tuho, a traditional arrow-throwing game.  After lunch, my students made songpyeon.  Songpyeon is a rice cake filled with either seasame seeds, red beans (paste), or chestnuts.  They are usually about the size of a golf ball. 
     The students also played jegichagi, a game similar to hacky sack.  The students created a shuttlecock, made of coins wrapped in paper, with feathers attached.  The shuttlecock must be kept in the air, using nothing but one's foot.
     My expierence with Chuseok has been wonderful.  I recieved multiple gifts from my students.  These gifts consisted of Songpyeon and pastry desserts.  I was thankful that I was able to try a traditional rice cake.  It is actually quite tasty.  The outside is a little doughy, but the inside is filled with red bean paste or chestnut cream.  I also have three days off from work.  It is tradition that Koreans celebrate the days before and after Chuseok. 

Tuho
An arrow-throwing game

Jegichagi
students making a shuttlecock

Odd, Awkward, and Funny Moments

Spoon in the bowl.
     -Koreans generally believe that sharing food from one bowl makes a relationship closer, so a lot of the dishes come and everyone in your party shares.  Rice is always your own bowl.  I went out with the teachers the other night to a korean barbeque.  The waitress placed a bowl of soup in front of me.  So, I put my spoon in and left it.  Don't do this!  Everyone was laughing and disgusted that I left my spoon in the bowl.  Apparently I tainted the bowl with my germs.  I thought soup was for one person.   If everyone dips their spoon in, whats the difference. lol

4th Floor
     -Koreans are superstitious about the fourth floor, similar to the thirteenth floor in America.  I found this out, when I was in an elevator, looking for the fourth floor.  There was not a button for it.  They will sometimes use an F.  Who knew!

Name in Red
     -My first day in class, I was going over my discipline policy with the students.  I statted that if you break a rule, I will place your name on the board.  Next, I wrote my name on the board with a red marker.  I looked at the class and it looked like I put the fear of god into them.  I thought, wow, this discipline policy is really effective.  I student raised his hand and asked if I was going to put their names in red on the board.  I then learned that Koreans believe that if your name is written in red, it is associated with death and brings bad luck.  So, where does this taboo come from in Korea? I have heard that one theory is that during the Japanese occupation in Korea, Japanese adapted a system called the “family census register” which still is in effect in Korea, but computerized nowadays. Before it was computerized, they used to cross out the names of a dead person in red. Also, during the Japanese colonization period, they used to cross out the names of those independence fighters, therefore people still mistakenly believe that if a perosn goes to prison, then his name is crossed out in red on the family census registration record. Oops, who would have known.


Hot Water
     -If you arrive in Korea and take a cold shower, I will not be surprised.  The hot water tanks are not on, unless you turn them on.  I was aware of this coming into Korea, however, I learned how to turn it on, on an older model of thermostat.  My apartment is modern, with a digital thermostat and all the buttons are in korean!  Many cold showers later, I figured it out. lol.

Cooking
     -Most Koreans do not have an oven, so everything is cooked on the stovetop.  I only have one burner.  I have thus become a pro at pasta and soup dishes.  I am the one burner wonder!

The Overworked Teacher

     I apologize for not updating my blog lately.  I have been really overworked!  My day begins at 8:00, when I arrive at the Poly School.  I prepare my plans, worksheets, and lessons for the day.  The students arrive at 9:30 and I begin teaching at 9:40.  My morning session is with pre-kindergardeners; although the curriculum is not at this level.  I am actually teaching first grade material.  It is funny, because the book that I use, is the same book that I used for reading, during my first grade student teaching assignment!  I teach reading, shared reading, and phonics to two prekinder classes.  So, I only need to plan for three lessons.  I repeat the same lesson to each class.  The classes are 40 minutes long, with a ten minute break in between.  During this time, the KT (Korean Teacher) comes into the room and watches the students.  The english teachers then are free for 10 minutes to prepare, grab a snack, or use the restroom.  The pre-kindergardeners are my favorite.  They are very intelligent for their age and love school!  I also get to take them to the library every M,W,F and on T,THR I teach music.  The curriculum and lesson plans are provided for this and it is really fun! 
     I have a co-teacher that teaches with me.  We rotate between the two rooms.  He teaches, physical education, action time (art), and science.  It works out great.  We share ideas, discipline policies, and support each other. 
     I do not have to eat lunch with the students and the best part, is that lunch is provided to me for free!  It is always Korean cuisine.  But it always me to try new foods.  Sometimes, (I'll admit) it is a little scary.  But overall, pretty good.  I have learned to survive on soup, rice, fried chicken, and eggs. (lol).  There are three korean/american teachers who are great.  They help me out with translations, give tips on where to eat, and tell me the names of the food I like. 
     My afternoon is a little hectic.  I am finished with the pre-kinders at about 2:00.  I have an hour planning period and start my afternnon session at 3:00.  Every day of the week, I have 2 first grade classes (40 minutes each).  I am their vocabulary, writing, phonics, and spelling teacher.  They are really good students, but the planning is intense.  I teach out of four books and believe this:  I teach one unit in 40 minutes!  It is hard to provide all of the information that they need, in such a short amount of time.  Normally, you have a week to 2 weeks to teach a unit.  They all very intelligent children.
     On M,W,F I teach second and third graders Grammar, vocabulary, and writing.  I teach them after the first graders.  We are on a block schedule.  When I am teaching my subject, the other class is learning reading comprehension from the co teacher, then we switch classes.  Similar to high school, except the teachers change rooms, with a 5 minute break in between.  They are my favorite students.  They are all returnees, which means they have lived in america and have been in american schools.  Their english is perfect and they comprehend everything.  Some have even lived in India, Europe, and Dubai.  Tue and Thur, I have my first graders and fifth graders.  I teach reading to the fifth graders.  They are very intelligent also, and remind me of the fifth graders in the states.  They all have a chip on their shoulder. 
     My classes are small and range from 5 students to 12 (12 being the maximum in any classroom).  The students names are translated into english.  So I have for example, John, Lilly, Sara.  There are only a few students that have their korean name.  Boy, do I botch those.  They just laugh, because I never pronounce them right. lol
     I finish my day on M, T, F at 7:25 (when my last class finishes).  On T, Th, 6:25.  I usually stay for an hour, to grade homework.  It is a lot to do, but I love it.  The days go by really fast, the students are great, but I am definitely exhausted.  By the time the weekend comes, I have a beer and prepare my lesson plans for the next week.  All the teachers advise, that after a month, I'll get into the swing of things and I will be able to leave earlier.  I hope their right.

Umbrellas, The Korean Accessory

     Rain, rain, rain.  Ask me about the weather and I will tell you rain.  The summer here is hot and humid, to top it off, the rainy season came late.  There is always a mist above the hills and even if it is sunny, it is going to rain.  So, word of advice to fellow travelers, make sure you bring a really good umbrella.
     Yesterday, I woke up in the middle of the night from severe winds and rain.  Kompasu, a typhoon went through Bundang and most of Korea.  The worst part of it all, I don't have contact with the outside world.  Without a tv or internet in my apartment, I did not know the severity of the storm (or even that it was coming) until I arrived at school.  On my walk to school, trees were blown down, branches were in the sidewalks, signs were detached from buildings, and some of my students had cracked windows. The power went in and out at the school that I teach at.  It was quite scary, but I managed to survive another day in Korea.