Update from SK

So I'm sitting in the Busan bus station, waiting for my 3:30 connection to Taejon. Sarah and I said our goodbyes about 2 hours ago and I'm in scarf, mittens, and a wool coat (there don't keep the doors closed here). It feels weird to be typing without access to an exclamation point, kinda funny to realize how much I use it :)

There are a few differences that I have noticed already between Taiwan and South Korea. Well, first off, it's way colder here (enough said, I'll stop talking about that now). It's also much cleaner and more "Western" in its appearance. The streets are wider and much, much tidier. The biggest factor is probably the air pollution caused by scooters in Taiwan. The air is definitely cleaner and fresher here. Something else that I've noticed is the differing attitude towards foreigners. At times it seems clear that we are not welcome. For instance, at the fish market yesterday, Sarah and I were told (while being shooed away) that a certain tea was, "not for foreigners". Sarah has also told me about specific instances in which she has been asked to leave restaurants because she is not Korean. Yikes (imagine an exclamation point right here). I have not heard of these situations arising in Taiwan, nor have I experienced them myself.

But, of course, most folks are extremely courteous, respectful, and helpful. I just had a handful of people assist me at the bus station and they really appreciate it when you make an effort to speak Korean. I've already learned how to say: hello, no, yes, thankyou, and (my favorite) Gimchichigay a particularly delicious soup that consists of Gimchi (can be pronounced Kimchi depending upon where you're from), tuna, tofu and rice. Korean food is AWESOME. So healthy and flavourful. A meal at a basic "fast-food" (NOT what you'd think of, like, Mickey D's or some other horrible slop) restaurant is about 3 bucks USD. More expensive than Taiwan.

During our short visit Sarah and I visited the Beomo temple (Beomeosa), the Pusan National University area for shopping (actually found some great jeans), Nampo Dong for more shopping (where I bought four ceramic bowls in the traditional Korean green for 2 bucks a piece) , and the Jagalchi fish market. Once again, I have the impression that Busan is an interesting mix of old and new. You'll see the Busan Tower next to dried fish stands as in Hong Kong.

A couple of notes on the Korean language that I've learned thus far: B's and P's are interchangeable (Busan and Pusan are the same), R's and L's are interchangeable, and so are D's and T's (for example: Daejon and Taejon). Their written language is extremely easy to learn and is based on phonics. There are 24 different characters that all represent one sound each. So, if you know what the spoken Korean word means, you can read just about anything. Truly brillant. Mandarin is MUCH more complicated (each word has it's OWN character, thousands upon thousands).

Also, the written and spoken language is much softer to my ear than Mandarin or Taiwanese. It's breathier and their characters incorporate circles and ovals instead of straight lines and sharp angles. Interesting, very interesting. I've also been fortunate enough to see many Hamboks (the traditional Korean garb) as they are currently celebrating the Lunar New Year.

I must go find my platform. I'll update soon from Daejon (Taejon).
love Rach

Chilly South Korea

I've arrived in Busan, South Korea! Traveling yesterday was not as bad as expected....although it is Chinese New Year (based on the lunar calendar), which is likened to Christmas in terms of hectic traveling. Sarah met me at the Gimhae domestic airport and we headed for her place in the Yeonsan Il Dong. It was great to see her again, after 18 months! Totally surreal to see her in Asia.

Last night we went out for Gamgatang with some of Sarah's co-workers. You really do get used to eating food communally, even soup! I tried my first shot of Soju, which actually wasn't that bad (they sell them here for a buck at any convenience store). Sar's right though ~ it does get worse with each shot.

Just wanted to let everyone know that I arrived safely! Today we're heading to a temple on the outskirts of the city. I've already aclimatized to Asia and feel really cold in South Korea (and it's about 7 or 8 degrees). When I left Taiwan yesterday it was 22 degrees.

I'll write soon with more updates and photos!
love Rach

Miscellaneous Life Events

So I don't have a theme this week, just giving you guys an update on my hectic life. Much has happened, like it usually does in crazy Taiwan.

This week I decided to give-up my evening school hours. I might have some more private clients and the school was pretty disorganized. Three nights per week I would show up to teach children who knew very little English (and therefore could not understand me when I said, "please be quiet!!"). On top of that I didn't know any of their names because there were too many classes in rotation (made discipline even harder) and I would have literally 1.5 hours to teach MAYBE four pages of a book. And trust me, there really isn't much to work with on these pages. So basically, we would play games that challenged them to learn the material. It was exhausting. Time to move on!

Other than that I went on a trip to Costco with my French student and bought V8 juice, soup, and Canadian halibut, yum!!! April and I went to see Memoirs of a Geisha and it was fantastic! Definitely did the book justice and I would like to own it on DVD (that says a lot considering that I have almost no DVD's).

It was a beautiful weekend here in Kaohsiung. I felt the need to get out of the city so Yit and I took a drive to the ocean yesterday afternoon. It was truly glorious. We climbed up a little lookout and relaxed for a nice sunbathing session. You guys in Canada probably don't want to hear this but it's 25 degrees outside and blue sky. Gorgeous.

Afterwards, we went to a western style restaurant and ordered Korean kimchi (apparently I'm preparing for my trip in just two weeks). Later on that night, we saw some live music and went out dancing with some folks from the building.

Today was really beatiful too. I headed to Chengching lake and discovered new little paths in the mountains. Believe it or not, I actually craved karaoke and we found the best restaurant at the end of one of these paths. They served beer, simple food, had karaoke and an awesome view of Kaohsiung. Behind the restaurant were winding paths that took us to pinapple and bamboo fields.

After returning to the city, April and I went out for dinner and found the best little spot. For 9 dollars CAD we got a table d'hote that included soup, salad, drink, main course, and dessert. Delicious! All the food was western style, which seems to be key these days. Sometimes I miss Canadian dishes!

Well, I'm heading out for my Mandarin lesson now. Take care and be well,
love Rach

Mandarin Lessons

I'm seriously going to try and write once per week. There's lots going on and I don't want to miss anything. Sometimes I feel like if I start writing, it'll be hard to stop. Details are good but how much can you write before crossing the line and going overboard?

One week ago today I started Mandarin lessons with a co-worker from V+T school. We're doing a language exchange, which is quite popular here. For an hour long Mandarin lesson, I give him a 30 minute French lesson. Not bad from my end. My tutor's name is Robin and he's fantastic. His English is quite good as he spent two years in Toronto volunteering as a Mormon missionary. We meet one a week and will start working out of a book tonight.

Robin burned a CD of the Mandarin Romanization sound system known as Pinging. Every possible phenome is represented (about 427 in total) and the student practices each sound with the first tone (high, steady pitch). There are four other tones: ascending, descending, ascending+descending, and low. So far I find that Mandarin is straightforward in terms of grammar. For instance, there are no articles (the, a, an) and verb conjunction is not dependent on the subject (i.e. "to be" is the same for I, you, he, she, etc). Also, each word is one syllable in length. You do have to be quite consciencious of your tones because they are easily mis-interpreted. For example, "shir" with a rising tone means "ten" and with a low, flat tone it means "to be".

I also have an excellent CD series called the Pimsler Language Method for Mandarin. Tomek sent me this program and it's fantastic! They are 30 minute lessons and use recall in order to store new vocabulary into long-term memory. I've already received a few compliments on my pronounciation.

It's really exciting to understand more as I commute to work or am at the market. I catch words here and there and it's so validating! The more I learn, the more I want to learn!

So, this week has been awesome. I find that time places by so quickly and that the work week is done before you know it. Some people believe that this is because of the short days (the sun sets at about 5 pm all year round). All of the sudden it's nighttime and you're getting ready for the next day.

On Thursday morning, as I was leaving my kindergarden class, the director of Knight's English asked me if I was available for a Chinese New Year party on Saturday evening. I didn't have any plans and got excited at the prospect of going to a formal dinner. This is an annual tradition and I was invited at the last minute so really didn't know what to expect. I got my hair done (straight again, I seem to be preferring this recently) and put on my one and only dress. We arrived at this swanky restaurant and were escorted to a private room for one hundred guests! It was a 10 course meal that included sashimi, prawns, hot pot, soup, lamb chops, etc, etc, etc. I was floored, so unexpected!!! They also had a draw for dozens of prizes including a LG flatscreen TV! And this sort of thing is completely normal here!

When I was sitting there I had one of those, "I can't believe this is my life" moments. You know, one of those unbelievable feelings where you become completely present to your situation and acknowledge the goodness and significance of a particular time. I was in awe while looking around at such unbelievable generousity and good company. This is my life! Wow!

Just wanted to share these stories from my past week.
love you all,
Rach