And On the Sixth Day ...

Un-young-ha-say-yo that’s Korean for hello (if you speak with a Kiwi accent, a bit different if you have an American accent.)

Let me apologise for the lateness of this blog, when I started writing it, it was the sixth day, now it is something like the ninth day. My connection to the internet is very dodgy, plus I seem to get kicked off the moment my roommate turns on her computer, it seems to be that her computer signal is interfering with my signal. Have started writing the blog in ‘Word’ so I can just copy and paste it into the blog as the internet allows. This problem will be rectified on Sunday when we get sent out to our schools. (I’m rather looking forward to being in the classroom again.)

Going back in time...

Today marks the end of my sixth day in Korea and was also my first Sabbath. Have had a delightful day! Went to Sabbath School and Church, ate meals with my Orientation group and explored the ‘mountain’ behind the hospital. (It’s not really a mountain, more of a small hill.) It has a track along the top and various side tracks and also exercise stations where you can stop and lift weights or do flexibility exercises etc. One of the stopping places was a rock garden in the shape of a foot. The toes were lots of little stones set poking up in cement so that you could walk on them and massage the bottom of your feet. The heel and the rest of the foot were plants. The picture does not do it justice, but it was a high as I could get to try and give an idea of the foot shape of the garden.

This was taken from as high as I could hold the camera, the garden end is the heel and soul of the foot the toes in the far distance are made or little rocks.

The Big Toe

Looking across the toes

Somebody massaging their feet.

I tried walking on the rocks – they hurt, all the old ladies sitting on the benches around the edge of the garden laughed at the faces I pulled.

What else? There is sooo much to tell! Have been keeping a list so that I don’t forget anything. Won’t tell it all here – too much, will save some for the boring days. – So you might not hear those stories till after I get home ;-)

I have decided against rigging up the shower with string. Fast reflexes are more important. Have also discovered that the hot and cold has a cycle it works through and playing with the position of the tap does not help at all. All it does is interrupt the cycle and restart it in another position. So does flushing the toilet, and people turning on any other water source in the house.

We have been going through classroom protocol in our orientation sessions. One thing that amazed me is that we took 20 minutes to discuss how to mark a roll. Then I have to remind myself that the others in the class are not teachers and maybe it’s not as straight forward to them ... (Still 20 minutes??) The actual classroom procedures to this point are quite simple, lots of 'repeat after me' and drills. But I think the second half of the lessons will be more interesting – we learn about them tomorrow and Monday. 

The Korean people are very friendly, I find myself smiling and nodding a LOT! They also are very eager to practise their English and will say 'Hello' and stop to chat if they can. I was in a little corner store the other day, waiting in line to pay and a boy of maybe 12 walked past, “hello” he says very loudly and then, “I pronounce good” and runs off giggling with his friends. I had to laugh, his pronunciation was excellent – his grammar on the other hand ... lol. 

On Friday afternoon we went to the National Museum of Korea – basically Korea’s version of Te Papa. Was very interesting, took lots and lots and lots of photo’s, the best ones are on Facebook. The building is impressive, and all the exhibits are interesting and informative. I’m going back on my own sometime, will get one of those machines that give you a guided tour. There is so much there you can’t possibly see it all in one day, but I’ll do my best. I think my favourite part of the museum was the building itself, the detailing and other features. Was designed with an artist’s eye. At Amazing Facts lots of my class mates were into photography, and from looking at their pictures I realised that a photo does not have to be a ‘memory snap’ it can be a piece of art. I’m finding as I walk around I’m seeing things much more in terms of ‘how would that look framed up in a picture?’ And totally enjoying myself! Think I may have to buy one of those cameras you focus yourself eventually, however at the moment my little point and shoot camera does everything I require.

This is taken at just outside the Museum where the architecture gives the effect of a giant window frame.

Hidden messages that most people miss.

A happy turtle!

Taking pictures on the fireworks setting by mistake - I love the effect it gives of these three Buddha's

Beautiful - no idea what it's for, except for catching dust.

While waiting for the group to reassemble to go home three students from one of the local universities came up and asked if they could interview us for an assignment for their English class. The boy who interviewed me begins with ‘What is your name?’ progresses through ‘how old are you?’ (I told him to guess, he said 20, friend for life!! hahaha – I don’t care that he was obviously lying!!) next question was ‘how long have you been in Korea?’ 6 days, and then I get ‘What would you do if I asked you to marry me?’ when I finished laughing he finished the interview with ‘What would you do if I stole your wallet?’ One wonders if these two concepts are linked in Korean society??

Also at the museum, I went to the bathroom, my first public toilet in Korea, was not one of the squat ones, although I have been told I will come accros them. This was a traditional European toilet, but there were two things worthy of note about the bathroom:

1. The paper towels for drying hands were really rolls of toilet paper – apparently this is quite common and we have been informed that it won’t be unusual to see toilet rolls hanging on the walls of restaurants. (The serviettes on the tables at the cafeteria is actually a box of tissues...)

2. The Koreans value privacy as much as we Kiwi’s do. Was reassuring to see that there were no gaps around the door of the stall. That was my first culture shock experience when I arrived in the States, the Americans have traded privacy for safety and have big gaps around the stall doors in public bathrooms. As a result you have to be very careful where you look in the mirrors when washing your hands or you will see way more than you bargained for!

Left: Scary American toilet door with BIG gaps.
Right: Nice private Korean toilet door with NO gaps.

Back to the future ...

One of the things I read in the online course I had to do before coming is that I was likely to have just as much culture shock from the other missionaries as from the Koreans. This is turning out to be true. Most of the people in the orientation group I am in are from South Africa, listening to them talk has been an education all on its own. Especially the girls. Technically they are women, but I am older than everyone here by miles (they’re all between 21 and 29 in age I think – so are the boys) and find I have to keep reminding myself that these are women, who have successfully completed degrees. Not students who have escaped from my classroom. It is funny we’ve been taken down into the subways a few times now and I found I had to fight the urge to count heads,  by the end of yesterdays trip I had managed to suppress the urge to an almost in audible whisper – was relatively easy as it turns out, and oh so restful! Very very nice not to be the person who is in charge of everybody’s safety, and filling in RAM’s forms etc.

Will round this entry off now and try and post it, then will start in on describing our trip to the theatre yesterday – awesome!!!

Have a blessed week until I write again

Love to all

Cat