New Digs, New Responsibilities, Tourist Time

I have moved into my homestay for the next five weeks and feel like order has been established in my life. The last twelve days at my uncle's house were a great vacation. I slept in, ate at random hours and watched a lot of soccer and Korean TV. After just two days with my host parents I have already re-established my sleeping pattern, eating pattern and have even tried to brush up on some basics of the Korean language via my phrase book (thanks, Dani!), my KOR/ENG dictionary and the internet.


Unlike most families in Seoul that live in apartments, my host parents own their house. It is sealed off by a stone wall, complete with a front yard, full bathroom, kitchen, living room and three bedrooms. The houses in this neighborhood are right next to one another and are all less than three stories. I think it would be a great place for a roof top chase scene for the next Jackie Chan, Matt Damon or Harold and Khumar action film.

Picture of House


Living with host parents in very new to me. While in Ghana, I moved from hostel to hostel every few weeks and was left to cook and clean on my own. This time around I do not have those responsibilities as much but have picked up some others. Besides being quiet when coming home and joining my host parents for 7:15am breakfast, I have two other duties around the house: play with their dog and water one of their plants. Their dog is a feisty pup who likes to cuddle in bed and play tug of war with an old slipper. My host parents named him "Mung Mung" which is the noise a dog makes in Korean. It's like naming a dog "bark bark" or "ruff ruff" in English. Rather than calling the dog by the sound he makes, I call him M&M. He has yet to respond to the name but I think he'll get it soon. The funniest part is that he listens to Korean commands. I never imagined my Korean would come in handy to tell a dog to get off my bed or stop licking me. The plant seems like a piece of cake. It's a water plant so all I have to make sure is that it's bowl is full of water. Only downside is that the stagnant water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Fortunately, mosquitoes in Korea are not malarious but they are big and bite hard. I have been bit a few times already but the assurance that no flu like symptoms will result from these bites makes them bearable.

M&M


Non-Malarious Water Plant


I spent all of today on subway and on foot doing some sight seeing and market shopping in two of the most famous areas of Seoul. Dongdaemun and Namdaemun (the Eastern and Northern gate, respectively) were main guardtowers that protected Seoul from the 1300's. Last winter, Namdaemun completely burned due to arson so they are in the process of re-building it. Around both these sites are some of the largest open air markets to be found in Korea. Like any open market, stall workers are shouting about their products and new sales and buyers are haggling to get the same price. One of my goals for this trip is to learn enough Korean to effectively haggle with these workers to get cheap soccer jerseys and tshirts.

Dongdaemun and Namdaemun



Almost getting hit by a Hyundai


I plan to spend this weekend brushing up on some more Korean in preparation for my placement tests this Monday. The last 18 days have been fun but I am ready to begin the purpose of my trip. I will write again soon.


PS- I have had the hardest time finding postcards but think I will get some by next week. I promise they will be in the mail soon.

English, please

I joke a lot about how Koreans use English in a willy nilly way. A great example is this t-shirt i saw a woman wearing on the bus. Try to make some sense of it.

First 24 hours: initial observations

Customs, check. Swine flu screening, check. Baggage claim, check. Meet uncle, check. I am safe and sound.

So far, my observations are few. Besides a Korean BBQ dinner last night, I have spent my first day in my uncle's apartment watching baseball, hockey and bad Korean Saturday morning talk shows. I have no idea where I am right now and not much desire to be a tourist and wander around and take pictures of everything. I will have plenty of time to do that later. Right now, I just want a couple laid back days before i have to start taking notes and do homework again.

As expressed in my first post, I hoped that what Korean I knew would come back to me. I have realized that my Korean is not as bad as I thought but not that good either. I have had a few moments where i did not know what someone was saying but fortunately I have had someone who speaks a little English around to bail me out. These moments have motivated me to do my absolute best once summer school begins.

I will be visiting my grandfather in just a few hours. For those of you who do not know already, I have not seen my grandfather since he suffered a stroke two years ago. Seeing him will be hard for me because he cannot speak much plus he is the most traditional out of all my relatives so I have to remember all the customary things to do and not to do in his presence. My grandfather has been a source of inspiration in my career goals since he was a teacher and principal. I even own the leather bag he used in his first year as a principal. Seeing such a strong and successful family member reduced to a hospital bed will not be easy. Even so, I know I will be able to show a smile and enjoy his company.

I better clean up and look presentable, write again soon.

Pre-departure

About twelve hours before I am in the sky to the motherland.

Surprisingly, I feel quite relaxed considering how quickly I have had to prepare for Korea. I have spent the last week writing papers and studying for finals and have had the last 48 hours to prepare to meet relatives and imagine how I can fit into a culture and society I know little about. Other than my summer classes, this will be my biggest and most important challenge to overcome if I am to enjoy the next seven weeks.

I have spent all day doing laundry, packing and getting briefs from my family members about what to do and not do once I meet my relatives. I am almost done packing and am just waiting... waiting to begin the trip I planned a year ago.

Hoping for safe travels and for what Korean I know to come back to me ASAP.

Talk to you when I am on the other side :)