My body is a little achy these days, accumulating a collection of small nagging injuries that Korea seems bent on preventing me from properly healing. My trips to the doctor have provided me with strange sorts of remedies, some of which you already know if you've read my entry on the herb-doctor. Since that time, I've developed a possible case of sciatica, bruised/sprained my knee playing hockey, and my shoulder has begun to act up with some sort of weird usage pain. The shoulder is the most annoying one, as it seems to be a result of not being able to sleep on my side properly (from the sciatica and the ol' case of bursitis) plus my school computer has been set up to be used in the most awkward manner possible, straining my arm everyday when I work.
Now, things aren't all bad. I told my doctor here and a friend at home about the sciatica, and that doesn't seems to be going away, and my knee and shoulder are sloooowwwly mending, but I tell you, being overseas and being injured (even slightly) is a giant, giant pain in the neck (or wherever you're hurting). The unfamiliarity of the medical offices and procedures, the language barrier when explaining problems, and the uncertainty as to what's being done to you makes getting treatment a very onerous and daunting experience.
I took the day off school on Wednesday, which is something Koreans don't really ever do. I've missed two days due to "sickness" all year, and that's 2 days more than the rest of the teachers combined (I think, I'm not always sure who's here and who's not). Anyway, the point is, I decided to take the day off for a number of reasons, the main one being - there's now a dog in the house.
You'll notice I didn't say "Shannon and I have a dog now," because we shouldn't quite call him ours yet. He was a stray puppy, who followed a friend of ours home one day, and we've decided to take care of him until we can find him a good home. This means holding onto him until we come to Canada in August, and sending him off with a new family. So, while I don't want to distance myself from the cute little guy, I do need to be wary that he's not "mine".
So, if you know someone who's interested in giving a cute little dog a home, here's what he's like: His name is either "Crunky" or "Miso", we haven't decided which yet. He's a Chipin, a cross between a miniature pincer and a chihuahua - he looks like a miniature pincer except for larger eyes and ears. He's extremely loving, wants nothing more than to curl up in someone's lap, though we're training him to play fetch and to sleep in his own bed, as he likes crawling under the covers when we sleep.
So that's that. He'll be 9 months old in August, so he's still pretty young and impressionable right now. If you know anyone who's interested, send me an email or write a line or two in the comments here.
I'm learning more and more about the priorities at schools here in Korea, and while giving the kids a good environment to work and learn in is a desirable outcome, other things seem to be more important. Paperwork for example, and maybe volleyball. Just now, while photocopying materials for class, I was stopped to make sure my personal attendance forms were filled in correctly. The process took 25 minutes to resolve, because I put things from April and March on one sheet, and I missed 15 minutes of my class. I've had whole classes canceled so I can "train" for volleyball. My extra class that runs three times a week is never questioned, checked up on, and the students are never examined to see if they're learning anything. I must, however, be sure to keep up the work log. Attendance also has to be taken rigourously, though the kids are allowed to be absent with no consequences whatsoever.
Anyway, it's time to get back to work. I've got a class to teach in a few minutes, and while it doesn't matter what I teach them (perhaps today I'll teach them some French), I do need to write down what it is I'm teaching them in the book. Till next week!
Friday, April 27, 2007
Friday, April 20, 2007
What Doing Nothing Can Do To You
I've worked a total of 6 hours this week. That's it, just six total hours of class. Take away the 10 minutes of prep before and clean up after each class, and really I've only worked 4 1/2 hours this week.
And wow, am I bored. I thought it would be cool to have nothing to do, but my body's stiff from sitting still so long - I've spent nearly 30 hours in front of my computer this week, doing nothing! Well, 5 minutes and I'm out of here to go home and this week's over. Ooough, I need stimulus so badly! Why didn't I bring a book to school!
And wow, am I bored. I thought it would be cool to have nothing to do, but my body's stiff from sitting still so long - I've spent nearly 30 hours in front of my computer this week, doing nothing! Well, 5 minutes and I'm out of here to go home and this week's over. Ooough, I need stimulus so badly! Why didn't I bring a book to school!
Thursday, April 19, 2007
All Whacky on the Eastern Front
One of my more noble (More noble? Nobler? Do I really teach this language?) goals here in Korea was to learn the Korean language. After 8 months, which it will be in just a few days, I think I could now comfortably say I can speak beginner Korean. I can communicate how I feel, give terrible directions, muddle through dates and times, and basically explain what I want in the most basic of possible terms to someone who doesn't speak English. I've learned also that I'm not a natural when it comes to learning a language, and that most times common sense and a little insight will get you much farther in a conversation than knowing the right words. I can't count the times that Shannon and I have been in a cab and she's able to answer questions the cab driver has much faster than I am based solely on how he asks them, the look he gives and by remembering that no one ever really asks anything original anymore (where are you from, what do you do here, etc.).
Still, I'm trying to get better, and sometimes having no teacher can be incredibly frustrating. For example, I'm trying to learn how to say "just", as in "I just want cheese on my pizza." No big deal right? Well, here's how it's gone so far...
The first book I went to had two definitions, "o-chik" and "kyeo-oo". Well that makes sense, "just" can have variations to it's meaning. So, I look up "only", which is maybe a more accurate word for what I want. "o-chik" it says, problem solved, right? You'd think so, only (did you catch that there?) even the word "only" can be used different ways, just like "just". So, onto the next book.
I look up "just" first - "kuh-nyang" it says, adding a third word to my list of possible definitions. This obviously doesn't help me,so I look up "only" again in the second book It gives me a fourth word, "mal", adding even more confusion to my definition search. In an attempt to eliminate something, I look up "right" (as in "it's right (just) beside me"), and I get "ba-ro". This is not going well.
My next stop is to use online translators, which of course gives me three more definitions, "da-man", "dan-chi" and "kwon-ri". At this point, I'm completely lost, and practically give up all hope, which is the exact reason why I started writing on the blog here, to vent a little frustration at not being able to sort out the language problems I'm having. However, since starting my entry here, I was able to remember seeing the word "just" used in the context I wanted, and have found that "mal" was the word I wanted, but this kind of situation happens with apoplectic regularity.
A brief lesson in the Korean language: At home, it's pretty easy to slip in and out of formal speaking when necessary. You ease up on the abbreviations, watch the slang, maybe even stiffen your shoulders a bit to look more proper. In Korea, all that holds true, but the language - the words used to form sentences - actually changes. An example was given to me regarding going out for a meal. There are at least three different words for "meal", one that's casually used among close friends, one with people older than you, and one that's highly formal and very respectful. Each word is completely different, it's conjugated differently when used as a verb, yet they all have identical meanings. And it's like this for just about everything; even just asking someone's name can become two completely different sentences without changing the meaning or sentence order, it just depends who you're talking to.
I've finally finished my first Korean language book, so I can occasionally sound as though I know what I'm talking about when speaking. This however has turned into as much of a drawback as a good thing. Korean people who don't know you will talk your head off if they think you know Korean, and they quickly become frustrated when they learn you aren't able to say more than a few basic commands. One taxi driver was so incensed he spent most of the cab ride complaining about English teachers moving to Korea and not learning any of the Korean language before arriving.
Well, that's my language rant for today. I've had to teach a total of 6 hours this week, so I've felt a little bored and restless, and it doesn't feel as though anything has really happened since last time I blogged. With the hockey playoffs on right now, I'm spending more time watching TV on the computer than I am working with the students at school, which seems like a bit of a waste of time and energy, but I really don't have a whole lot else to do. Till next week!
Still, I'm trying to get better, and sometimes having no teacher can be incredibly frustrating. For example, I'm trying to learn how to say "just", as in "I just want cheese on my pizza." No big deal right? Well, here's how it's gone so far...
The first book I went to had two definitions, "o-chik" and "kyeo-oo". Well that makes sense, "just" can have variations to it's meaning. So, I look up "only", which is maybe a more accurate word for what I want. "o-chik" it says, problem solved, right? You'd think so, only (did you catch that there?) even the word "only" can be used different ways, just like "just". So, onto the next book.
I look up "just" first - "kuh-nyang" it says, adding a third word to my list of possible definitions. This obviously doesn't help me,so I look up "only" again in the second book It gives me a fourth word, "mal", adding even more confusion to my definition search. In an attempt to eliminate something, I look up "right" (as in "it's right (just) beside me"), and I get "ba-ro". This is not going well.
My next stop is to use online translators, which of course gives me three more definitions, "da-man", "dan-chi" and "kwon-ri". At this point, I'm completely lost, and practically give up all hope, which is the exact reason why I started writing on the blog here, to vent a little frustration at not being able to sort out the language problems I'm having. However, since starting my entry here, I was able to remember seeing the word "just" used in the context I wanted, and have found that "mal" was the word I wanted, but this kind of situation happens with apoplectic regularity.
A brief lesson in the Korean language: At home, it's pretty easy to slip in and out of formal speaking when necessary. You ease up on the abbreviations, watch the slang, maybe even stiffen your shoulders a bit to look more proper. In Korea, all that holds true, but the language - the words used to form sentences - actually changes. An example was given to me regarding going out for a meal. There are at least three different words for "meal", one that's casually used among close friends, one with people older than you, and one that's highly formal and very respectful. Each word is completely different, it's conjugated differently when used as a verb, yet they all have identical meanings. And it's like this for just about everything; even just asking someone's name can become two completely different sentences without changing the meaning or sentence order, it just depends who you're talking to.
I've finally finished my first Korean language book, so I can occasionally sound as though I know what I'm talking about when speaking. This however has turned into as much of a drawback as a good thing. Korean people who don't know you will talk your head off if they think you know Korean, and they quickly become frustrated when they learn you aren't able to say more than a few basic commands. One taxi driver was so incensed he spent most of the cab ride complaining about English teachers moving to Korea and not learning any of the Korean language before arriving.
Well, that's my language rant for today. I've had to teach a total of 6 hours this week, so I've felt a little bored and restless, and it doesn't feel as though anything has really happened since last time I blogged. With the hockey playoffs on right now, I'm spending more time watching TV on the computer than I am working with the students at school, which seems like a bit of a waste of time and energy, but I really don't have a whole lot else to do. Till next week!
Friday, April 13, 2007
Busan, Seoul, Itaewon and Paju
My school is like a ghost town right now - it's so quiet in here, I had to peek in a classroom just to make sure the kids were at school today. Indeed they are, but I guess it's a big test day or something. I wonder if I'll have any classes today?
So what's been happening in Korea lately? Well, a little bit of traveling around the country, that's what. Korea is only about 100,000 km²(compared to 10,000,000 km² for Canada), so getting around to places generally doesn't take too much effort. In the past few weeks, Shannon and I have been to Seoul and Busan, the two largest cities in Korea, as well as a few other minor stops in between.
The first stop was Seoul, which was really just a necessary detour on the way to Paju. Paju is home to the largest "English Village" in Korea. "What's an English Village?" you say? Glad you asked! It's a few things:
1) It's a giant replica of what an western-style town looks like with a slightly Asian feel to it.
2) It's a small western-style town turned into a mini-Disneyland and called an educational experience.
3) It's a giant drain on the local governments tax funds, as there's no way educating children on how to speak English requires a giant concert hall, two swimming pools and a fully operational (yet destination limited) trolley car.
Shannon and I are thinking of working at this English Village, as it pays fairly well and most of the teachers working there seem to like it (it has one of the highest resigning rates we've heard of in the country). However, it's rather isolated, and sits a stone's-throw away from the DMZ, so barbed wire and military posts would be a regular part of our lives living there.
*Quick Interlude: One class has come so far today, my grade 1's. The kids tricked me into saying the crayons were "poo-colour", which was pretty funny.*
After visiting Paju, we made the two-hour trek (along with a friend of ours who's moved to Paju) back into Seoul. Technically we were in Seoul, but the area of town we went to, named Itaewon, is so far removed from what anything else in Korea is like, it's hard to imagine it as being a legitimate part of the country. Most restaurants, stores and bars here all cater to different people and cultures from around the world, and English is spoken more commonly than Korean. We actually found it a bit overwhelming, and ducked out to a small Korean restaurant for a while. I know I've put down Korean food a lot in the past, but this place turned out to be unexpectedly delicious, so much so that we ordered double of everything we had (the beer included). And, after eating enough food to fill up 7 people, it only cost us $9 each.
Last weekend Shannon and I went to Busan, the second largest city in Korea. There was an ultimate hat tournament taking place there, right on the main beach in town, so the two of us hopped on a bus and had a monsterously good time meeting new people and playing sports for the weekend.
Of course, even an amazing experience doesn't come without it's own little tidbits of weirdness, challenges and unexpected oddities. Take the beach for example. The whole thing (well, the sand anyway) was shipped in from somewhere else so that Busan could have a nice, authentic beach feel to it. It's the flattest beach you'll find anywhere, as the tides never rise above up more than a quarter way up the beach. They have to clean the sand regularly just to keep all the crud from building up, though I still managed to gouge myself nicely on a hunk of mystery material while diving for the disc.
The tournament itself was great, with my team being given a serious advantage on experienced players. It wasn't until the final game that anyone managed to score more than 7 or 8 points on us (games go to 13), and though we lost in the final, it will be remembered (by me anyway) as a questionable matter,
as the other team lost one of their weakest players and replaced him with the hottest guy (in terms of skill, not aesthetics) in the tournament. In the end we lost 13-8, but it was a nice and intense affair for everyone involved. Running on sand for 4 hours a day, two days in a row, is a tiring affair, and after getting back to Mokpo, my body nearly shut down completely. My first day back, I hardly had enough energy to give the kids word search puzzles, much less actually teach them anything. 
If you want to check out the rest of the photos from the weekend, go to http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1811&l=e8f88&id=515456629 I put most of the epic shots I have here, but there are a few goodies still to see. Be warned - there are shots of partying and mildly lewd behaviour in there, nothing to get your heart racing, but enough that you might question the actual maturity level we professional English teachers actually hold. Enjoy!
So what's been happening in Korea lately? Well, a little bit of traveling around the country, that's what. Korea is only about 100,000 km²(compared to 10,000,000 km² for Canada), so getting around to places generally doesn't take too much effort. In the past few weeks, Shannon and I have been to Seoul and Busan, the two largest cities in Korea, as well as a few other minor stops in between.
The first stop was Seoul, which was really just a necessary detour on the way to Paju. Paju is home to the largest "English Village" in Korea. "What's an English Village?" you say? Glad you asked! It's a few things:
1) It's a giant replica of what an western-style town looks like with a slightly Asian feel to it.
2) It's a small western-style town turned into a mini-Disneyland and called an educational experience.
3) It's a giant drain on the local governments tax funds, as there's no way educating children on how to speak English requires a giant concert hall, two swimming pools and a fully operational (yet destination limited) trolley car.
Shannon and I are thinking of working at this English Village, as it pays fairly well and most of the teachers working there seem to like it (it has one of the highest resigning rates we've heard of in the country). However, it's rather isolated, and sits a stone's-throw away from the DMZ, so barbed wire and military posts would be a regular part of our lives living there.
*Quick Interlude: One class has come so far today, my grade 1's. The kids tricked me into saying the crayons were "poo-colour", which was pretty funny.*
After visiting Paju, we made the two-hour trek (along with a friend of ours who's moved to Paju) back into Seoul. Technically we were in Seoul, but the area of town we went to, named Itaewon, is so far removed from what anything else in Korea is like, it's hard to imagine it as being a legitimate part of the country. Most restaurants, stores and bars here all cater to different people and cultures from around the world, and English is spoken more commonly than Korean. We actually found it a bit overwhelming, and ducked out to a small Korean restaurant for a while. I know I've put down Korean food a lot in the past, but this place turned out to be unexpectedly delicious, so much so that we ordered double of everything we had (the beer included). And, after eating enough food to fill up 7 people, it only cost us $9 each.
Last weekend Shannon and I went to Busan, the second largest city in Korea. There was an ultimate hat tournament taking place there, right on the main beach in town, so the two of us hopped on a bus and had a monsterously good time meeting new people and playing sports for the weekend.
Of course, even an amazing experience doesn't come without it's own little tidbits of weirdness, challenges and unexpected oddities. Take the beach for example. The whole thing (well, the sand anyway) was shipped in from somewhere else so that Busan could have a nice, authentic beach feel to it. It's the flattest beach you'll find anywhere, as the tides never rise above up more than a quarter way up the beach. They have to clean the sand regularly just to keep all the crud from building up, though I still managed to gouge myself nicely on a hunk of mystery material while diving for the disc.
The tournament itself was great, with my team being given a serious advantage on experienced players. It wasn't until the final game that anyone managed to score more than 7 or 8 points on us (games go to 13), and though we lost in the final, it will be remembered (by me anyway) as a questionable matter,
as the other team lost one of their weakest players and replaced him with the hottest guy (in terms of skill, not aesthetics) in the tournament. In the end we lost 13-8, but it was a nice and intense affair for everyone involved. Running on sand for 4 hours a day, two days in a row, is a tiring affair, and after getting back to Mokpo, my body nearly shut down completely. My first day back, I hardly had enough energy to give the kids word search puzzles, much less actually teach them anything. 
If you want to check out the rest of the photos from the weekend, go to http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1811&l=e8f88&id=515456629 I put most of the epic shots I have here, but there are a few goodies still to see. Be warned - there are shots of partying and mildly lewd behaviour in there, nothing to get your heart racing, but enough that you might question the actual maturity level we professional English teachers actually hold. Enjoy!
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Did Somebody Call For an Herb Doctor?
In January 2006 (perhaps less than an hour into the new year), I hurt my hip in an unfortunate tobogganing accident. I was the only person injured during the event, made more bizarre by the fact I wasn't even in a toboggan at the time, and I've had some slight discomfort ever since. Multiple trips to the doctor with X-rays and many furrowed brows determined I was most likely suffering from bursitis, a swelling of the bursae sacs around my hip. Since the only problem was a little discomfort while sleeping, everyone said "let's see what happens." Here's what happened:
A few days ago, at Taekwondo (a whole blog unto itself), I was doing some stretching and ratcheted my hip awkwardly. It was bad enough that I told my school the next day I was going to Gwangju (nearby large city) to see an English speaking doctor. Instead, they directed me to the nearby "herb doctor", or practitioner or Chinese medicine. Well, Western medicine just told me to wait around the last time I was checked out, so why not give it a try I figured.
From what I can gather, the herb doctor's is a place you go for general body aches and pains, injuries, and anything that looks like it doesn't need surgery. I met with Jo Joon Boem's father (see my blog "My Dinner with Jo Joon Boem"), who checked my mobility, then I was off to the treatment room.
No one here could speak much English (the doctor knew some words), so the process of getting me prepped for deeper observation was a challenge. They had to get at my hip, so I was told to undo my pants. Makes sense, but in my mind, that meant take them right off. So that's what I did, right there in front of the nurse, who gave a good loud scream and ran into the back room. I had underwear on, but it didn't seem to be enough to calm her down, so I wrapped a towel around myself, shouted some "I'm sorry"s over the curtain, and got back down on the table.
A few pin pricks later, it was determined I had some "bad blood" in the area, and that it was best to have it removed. They stuck some acupuncture pins into my hip and buttocks and after a few minutes at rest, attached some electrodes to the pins. So began my "shock therapy", as minor jolts were sent through my lower body. After this, I had electric massage paddles placed on me, and was given a lengthy electric massage. Finally, they came back to draw out my bad blood.
A suction cup was placed over the area to draw out the blood. The pressure pulls much of the blood to the surface for the later sucking process. After the cup is removed, a big hand "wacker" that looks something between a ear-piercing gun and a stapler that lost its base is used to plunk some holes in your skin. Then the suction cup is thrown back on again (it's like a tall, skinny tea cup) and it sucks all the blood out of these holes in your body. They then finish it off with an ultrasound, and send you on your way.
Did it work? Well, I'm not sure yet. I've got some slight bruising and soreness from the blood sucking/suction cupping, and I went back a second time to get it redone because they missed the right spot the first time (even the second was still slightly off target). However, I'm less swollen now than I've been since the injury, and the new pain I had from Taekwondo is all gone. I'll have to get back to everyone in a week or two and see how it goes; for now I'm not sold on the idea of TCM (traditional Chinese medicine), but if I get even a little better, maybe it's worth it.
A few days ago, at Taekwondo (a whole blog unto itself), I was doing some stretching and ratcheted my hip awkwardly. It was bad enough that I told my school the next day I was going to Gwangju (nearby large city) to see an English speaking doctor. Instead, they directed me to the nearby "herb doctor", or practitioner or Chinese medicine. Well, Western medicine just told me to wait around the last time I was checked out, so why not give it a try I figured.
From what I can gather, the herb doctor's is a place you go for general body aches and pains, injuries, and anything that looks like it doesn't need surgery. I met with Jo Joon Boem's father (see my blog "My Dinner with Jo Joon Boem"), who checked my mobility, then I was off to the treatment room.
No one here could speak much English (the doctor knew some words), so the process of getting me prepped for deeper observation was a challenge. They had to get at my hip, so I was told to undo my pants. Makes sense, but in my mind, that meant take them right off. So that's what I did, right there in front of the nurse, who gave a good loud scream and ran into the back room. I had underwear on, but it didn't seem to be enough to calm her down, so I wrapped a towel around myself, shouted some "I'm sorry"s over the curtain, and got back down on the table.
A few pin pricks later, it was determined I had some "bad blood" in the area, and that it was best to have it removed. They stuck some acupuncture pins into my hip and buttocks and after a few minutes at rest, attached some electrodes to the pins. So began my "shock therapy", as minor jolts were sent through my lower body. After this, I had electric massage paddles placed on me, and was given a lengthy electric massage. Finally, they came back to draw out my bad blood.
A suction cup was placed over the area to draw out the blood. The pressure pulls much of the blood to the surface for the later sucking process. After the cup is removed, a big hand "wacker" that looks something between a ear-piercing gun and a stapler that lost its base is used to plunk some holes in your skin. Then the suction cup is thrown back on again (it's like a tall, skinny tea cup) and it sucks all the blood out of these holes in your body. They then finish it off with an ultrasound, and send you on your way.
Did it work? Well, I'm not sure yet. I've got some slight bruising and soreness from the blood sucking/suction cupping, and I went back a second time to get it redone because they missed the right spot the first time (even the second was still slightly off target). However, I'm less swollen now than I've been since the injury, and the new pain I had from Taekwondo is all gone. I'll have to get back to everyone in a week or two and see how it goes; for now I'm not sold on the idea of TCM (traditional Chinese medicine), but if I get even a little better, maybe it's worth it.
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