One

Well I have been sick for over two weeks now, and I’ve been feeling quite down lately. As it turns out, mold has been growing in my apartment and it’s getting pretty gross. And I’m afraid this might be one of the reasons why I’m still sick. I googled mold-related health problems and it’s not pretty!

So anyway, last week-end I decided not to go out and I even missed the Halloween party at the Blue Agave. Instead, I cruised around the island and spotted amazingly cool and beautiful places.





It felt incredibly good to get out of the city and gaze at cows and horses chilling out in the countryside. I can’t tell you how great I felt as I wandered in some forest (just like back when I was living in France!) and looked at the sun shine on fields, grass and everything that’s beautiful down here on earth.



And then I made it right. Then turned left. And straight up a hill. That’s when I saw this gigantic cemetery – some sort of ancestral memorial park filled with countless graves. It was both impressive and scary. The silence was heavy yet refreshing, and the vastness made me feel dizzy but also incredibly free.





I wandered in the graveyard for a while, captivated by its atmosphere and grandeur. Meanwhile a friend texted me, inviting me to a Korean body-building competition, and I thought that was an amusing coincidence – people investing so much effort and energy on the body that’s merely a way of carrying their soul, when in the end, this body… this “temple”, will end up decomposing somewhere in a cemetery, with worms feeding off it.

That’s when it hit me: the perfect unity of everything that exists! The cycle of water, the cycle of life. How we become mere compost and bug food once we’re dead – which in turn nourishes the earth that grows the food that we eat. We are all connected and that’s beautiful.



Everything else just seemed so irrelevant at the moment; glitziness, materialism and cupidity… I just wanted to be surrounded by nothing but nature for as long as I would remember. Ironically, the view from the mountain was on Jeju city and the light brown skyscrapers never looked so hideous.

I thought about pesticides, GMO, computers, TVs, alcoholics and drug addicts. I thought about plastic bottles, trash and the lead in plastic toys “made in China”. I thought about candy, greed and the horrible smells coming from the exhaust of the cars in front of me when I’m driving my scooter in traffic. I felt nauseous. I felt sick of myself. I felt like we’ve lost sight of what’s important, of what’s GOOD. Long time ago.

I went back home to my mold and couldn’t sleep that night. I spent an hour meditating at a Buddhist temple but it didn’t help. I feel so little. So helpless. So corrupted and so sick of whining in vain.



The next day Doug gave me this book about Greenpeace and I got even more depressed – it related the history of nuclear energy/weapons, including the “gadget” Einstein warned Franklin against, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and too many other nuclear “tests”.

Well you know what? History can be pretty sad but in the end, I really do feel like we are all connected –hurting one of us (humans, animals, plants) is like hurting us all. The illusion of invulnerability is a dangerous one that has corrupted very ambitious men and women who blindly act without thinking about the impact/consequences of their actions. We’re like robots living in a crazy world and when I stop and think about it, it scares me.

Enough with the pain and suffering. What is wrong with us? And enough with the mold in my apartment dammit!



More of my pics: http://www.bubbleshare.com/album/255329

More korean beauty

First of all, I’d like to introduce my ABC students because they are so cute! The little one down right is Bob (and he chose that name!!)


So, last week-end was great. Friday night we had dinner and wine up until 5am, so Saturday I was basically lethargic. Nonetheless, I took advantage of the beautiful sunny day on Sunday and decided to go to Udo. I missed the pumpkin festival but apparently it wasn’t worth it anyway.

As you know, I live in Jejudo – an island south of Korea. Udo is another island, just West of Jeju. It’s quite small, but gorgeous! Moreover, a lot of women divers live and work there, and some of Korea’s most beautiful beaches are on that island.

It was an hour scooter ride, and then a 20 minute boat ride to finally get there. I just walked around, hiked a nice hill on a cliff, sat on the beach and cruised. Many women divers were working (on a Sunday?) and, even though the weather was really nice, the air was cold and so was the water.










I met on of them on the street – she was sorting out her picks of the day and she barely looked at me. I noticed she had something in her ears so I spoke louder, offering her a banana. She was thrilled and gave me some of what she had in her bucket… I still don’t know what it is, but it was viscous and slowly moving in my hand. I took a bite, it was alright. I offered her water but she repeated a thousand times “choua! Choua!” (“cold!”) so I thanked her and left.






Here is some more Korean beauty.

































More of my pictures (yes, you see the world through my eyes ;) at http://www.bubbleshare.com/album/250795

Annyong! Annyong?

Picture a Chinese woman. She’s about 25 years old and she’s walking down Ste-Catherine’s street downtown Montreal. She’s minding her own business, enjoying the sunshine and thinking about her day.

Across the street there’s a kid yelling “Ni hao!” (hello in Chinese), but she’s too deep in her thoughts to hear that. As she keeps walking, there’s now 5 or 6 kids staring at her and screaming “NI HAO!! NI HAO!! NI HAO!!! NI HAO!!!”

She finally turns around and waves at them. But waving is not enough. They keep shouting “NI HAO! NI HAO! NI HAO!”

Confused and surprised, she replies back. The kids just look at each other and burst into laughter. Then they run away.

How crazy does that story sound to you? Pretty weird, right? I personally have never witnessed such a thing back home. Canadians won’t yell “Hola!” to a Spaniard until he or she replies. Canadians won’t shout “Jambo Sana!” to a Kenyan until he or she replies. We can smile at them or nod our head but… screaming?

As it turns out, I am the Chinese woman. Well, I’m not Chinese, but you understand my point.

Back when I was living in Seoul, it was bearable, but now that I’m on the island of Jeju, it’s insane! Here are a few examples:

1. Walking by a school
Picture between 10 and 50 kids yelling “What’s your name??? What’s your name??? What’s your name???” and following you around. They won’t quit until you finally answer. The typical reaction is giggling or (that’s actually not bad) “Nice to meet you!”

2. Walking on the street
It’s usually a group of boys of girls hanging out together. It’s like a dare kinda game – the first one to say “Hello!!” to the foreigner is really cool. So they say it, and then burst into laughter. Once they’ve passed you, they’ll keep saying it even if you’ve already replied. On average, a foreigner walks by such a group of kids maybe 3-4 times a day.

3. Driving!
Now I have curly blond hair. So when I put my helmet on, you can still see my hair.

Well get this.

I’m driving on the street and kids are yelling at me “Where are you from??” As if I had time to reply? As if I would stop my scooter,and answer? As if I want to pull over and respond?

At a red light, it’s worse because I can’t escape them. The car next to me typically has to be filled with kids and they have to yell “Hello!! Hello! Hellooooooooooooo!” If I wave or reply, they’ll keep saying it and laughing.

4. Anywhere, really
Is a foreigner swimming in the ocean? Kids and adults come up to him and say “Hello! Hello! Hello!” If you keep swimming, they’ll follow ya. It can actually be quite scary at times.

Is a foreigner shopping at the supermarket? Koreans stare at him/her and of course some of them throw in a “Hello! Nice to meet you! Where are you from? Where are you from? Where are you from? WHERE ARE YOU FROM?”

Is a foreigner eating out in a restaurant (especially McDonald’s)? That one is dead on. Kids STARE at him/her (last time there were 12 middle school kids staring at Bill and I) and even if you say “Hi!”, they’ll keep staring at you while you eat, whispering stuff to each other and giggling. If you ignore them and go on with your conversation, they’ll imitate whichever sound they hear.

Last week I was sick, and I looked sick. I obviously wasn’t all smiles and cheery! Well it happened like 3 times. I had the biggest headache and they were yelling “Hello!!!!!!” until I finally replied and then they looked at each other, said “Oh!!” and laughed.

The thing is that I love those kids! My students are sweet, cute and adorable! They run around in their socks and their smile brightens up the room! And I’m always impressed when they make the effort to speak English – either in class, or on the street. But they throw those words at you and don’t care about the answer and I wonder why, then, do they do this?

Is it an obsession? If I did that back home to a Japanese dude, I would feel like I’m being the biggest dumbass on the planet.

And I understand Koreans don’t see much White people, but… is this actually true? I see a lot of foreigners around and Jeju is a tourist island. I don't know... it's just… weird!

Random stuff

When getting to Korea, one might experience mixed feelings: technology, efficiency and modernity are very familiar and securing. But Korean characters, food, ads, as well as their voice tone and their way of doing things are enough to have you confused. So I thought I’d share some random facts I’ve noticed over the past few months.

1. They're not angry!
Koreans have a way of speaking that sounds like they're either mad or just whining. But they're not. It’s just the way they speak. So don’t take it personal if the bus driver asks for your ticket in voice tone that sounds like “get the fuck out of my bus!”…

2. A smile can mean I’m sorry
While back home we usually look all horrified and sorry when we make a mistake, Koreans actually smile whenever they’re embarrassed. That one is good to know because if one student does something wrong and you reprimand him/her, you might think they don’t take you seriously. In Korea, a smile is generally meant to defuse anger in a difficult situation.

3. No eye contact means respect
Hierarchy is very important here. Confucianism is still very present and/so the most important people are the elderly, the rich and the bosses. Kids are basically at the bottom of the ladder.

As a teacher, I apparently deserve special respect/treatment. Usually when I scold someone or just ask a question, I expect eye contact. But in Korea, making eye contact with someone superior than you is a great sign of disrespect. So kids look down.

4. Two hands
Another sign of respect is handing stuff with two hands. Students should always hand something to their teacher with both hands, otherwise it’s disrespectful. This also applies to any social situation; if I’m going out to dinner with my boss, I should use both hands whenever I give him something or pour him a glass of soju.

On the other hand, people higher than you in the social hierarchy will carelessly hand you stuff and you shouldn’t mind. They didn’t earn your respect, but they certainly expect it.

5. Toilet paper is great!
When going to a restaurant, we usually expect napkins. But don’t be surprised if they give you a roll of toilet paper! It’s just more efficient and this way you won’t bother them again.

6. Mr. Lee is everyone
On top of the Park and Kim, Lee is a very common family name in Korea. It can be quite confusing when talking with your friends… do you mean your boss? The guy at the motorbike shop? The dentist? Your neighbor? The maintenance guy?

7. Sex with cab drivers
If you’re a woman and you sit next to the cab driver, it means you want to have sex. It’s actually not unusual for an older woman to just hop on the front seat and go to a love motel with the cab driver.

I actually had quite a scare once: I had been grocery shopping so I had many heavy bags. I put them on the back seat of the cab, and sat in the front seat. He asked “where to?” and I replied “Aramgaden” – which is a hotel next to my apartment building. The dude started talking about sex and staring at me in a... weird way. That’s when I learned to never sit in the front of a cab!

8. Yo! Be polite!
That’s actually a quote from the lonely planet. As mentioned earlier, confucianism is still prevalent in Korea so when speaking Korean to someone “more important”, one must always add “yo” at the end of the word.
For instance:
- “this” to a kid is “igo” but to an older person it’s “igoyo”
- “over here” to a kid is “yogi” but to a teacher it’s “yogiyo”
- “how much is this?” to a kid would be “olma?’ but to an old lady it would be “olmaeyo?”
- “hello!” to a kid would be “annyong” but to your boss it should be “annyong haseyo”
and so on.

9. Say English words with a Korean accent and you’ll be understood!
This is Konglish. Here are some examples, pretty fun to say too:
A. Cell phone = Hand e pone (hand phone)
B. Banana = Panana
C. Cheese = Chiju
D. Ham = Haem
E. Sprite = Supuratu
F. Pork = Po ke
G. Mango = Maggo
H. Almond = Amondu
I. Coconut = K’ok’onot
J. Lemon = Remon
K. Orange = Orenji
L. Coffee = Kopi
M. Juice = Jusu
N. Hot-Dog = Hattogu
O. Apartment = Apatu
And so on!

Chilling, indeed!

The last month has been quite exciting – holidays, beaching (Gwakji!), teaching, festival and just hanging out. I tell ya, Jeju Island is much better to live in than Seoul! Seoul is fun because there are so many things to do and see, but it’s also a very polluted city where the sky, the moon, the stars and the sun are overshadowed by countless gigantic skyscrapers. In Seoul, life is hectic; everywhere it’s “bali bali!”, “hurry hurry!”

While Jeju is rather overpopulated for an island, I have managed to get some “me” time at the beach. I also bought a scooter, so I can get away whenever I feel like it. It reminds me of good times back in France, when I would drive through winding roads every morning. Oh the view! Oh the feeling! Oh… the helmet…



Of course it’s a little different here in Korea; people cut you off, motorcycles ride on sidewalks, cars park on sidewalks, and pedestrians cross the street whenever/wherever they feel like it. But, believe it or not, it’s better than back on the mainland. Except maybe that men are passing out on the street here too....



So Chuseok was fantastic; we celebrated by going out and hanging at the beach. Chuseok is like Korea’s Thanksgiving Day – families get together for a big meal, they’re thankful for the year’s harvest, and go to their ancestors’ grave to bow and it clean up. People wear the "hanbok" (Korean traditional costume)... even at the beach!



Last week was quite busy – we had to attend (by this I mean: sit for 8 hours) a teachers’ workshop on Thursday. As for Friday and Saturday, it was the “First Jeju Foreign Laguage Festival”; a really cool event where EPIK teachers entertained the kids in English about stuff we do in our part of the world ;) This included cultural booths, plays, music, face painting, games and so on.


At some point it totally seemed like were movie stars or something… there were hords of students asking to get our signature. I guess it was a school homework, but it felt funny. There were so many kids, it was hectic! Some of them were wearing their school uniform... so cute!

One of my duties during the festival was to judge plays! It was simply adorable... from Sherlock Holmes, to Farm animals, the kids had worked really hard!

My apartment is alright and I’ll post pics soon. A staff member came over to check the mold and she said she’ll discuss it sometimes this week.

Meanwhile, everything’s great but I do miss home. My week vacation is not until February (!!), and between October and then, the only holidays we get are Christmas day, New Year’s day and… that’s it! Of course, students get a loooong winter break, but some of them will come to the center so we have to work. Oh well. I’ll have Bali in mind and it should keep me motivated!

Here are random pics of stuff from last month:
http://www.bubbleshare.com/album/244563/overview

Give peace a chance?

South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun's popularity has been steadily decreasing over the past year. In 2004, Roh's opponents staged a failed impeachment attempt and he was then reinstated with a stronger mandate - during which he was highly criticized for sending troops to Iraq, trying to relocate the capital from Seoul to the Chungcheong region, pursuing an engagement policy towards North Korea even after the missiles and nuclear tests, failed promises, weak economy and a sneaky party alliance in an attempt to secure his presidency.

But Roh is still president. And today, he made an historic border crossing as he entered North Korea for a 3-day summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il. While running for presidency, Roh had vowed to put a Korean Peninsula peace arrangement to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War. Maybe this is one promise he will be able to keep?

Korea is an amazing country and it has suffered a great deal in the past - notably the 1950-1953 Korean War which killed thousands of Koreans, and the 1910-1945 Japanese occupation (also referred to as an "attempted cultural genocide") during which Korean men were basically labor slaves and Korean women were treated as sex slaves ("comfort women").

Nevertheless, today’s Korea is doing pretty well; rapid industrialization has made it one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world, yet cheap food and goods are available for low-income families. Employment rates are relatively low, but there’s an effort to create jobs (ex: women being hired to clean subway stations). The literacy rate is over 97% and crime rates are very low.

Of course, Korea’s rapid growth makes it a highly industrialized nation still valuing traditional customs and values. Poverty is still an important problem, but overall Korea’s doing pretty good.

So what would happen is Roh Moo-Hyun and Kim Jong-Il hit it off and go for love making? What if there’s a reunification?

South Koreans, and especially the older generations who suffered the forced division of families, have waited for that moment all their life. I find it quite adorable to notice that my students always draw the whole Korean peninsula and then the divisive line – as if to say that in their mind, the separation is not permanent. There’s definitely hope.

But North Korea is a poor, unhealthy country. Kids are dying of hunger over there. People are brainwashed and under the influence of anti-American propaganda. Politically, it would be a very sensitive issue since Americans support South Korea (there are still US troops patroling the border) but yet they have put North Korea in the “axis of evil”. Economically, it would be quite expensive since the North is so incredibly poor/starving while the South is rising. Culturally, it would be challenging... they both speak Korean but the North has a different dialect, and its mentality is still that of like 50 years ago.

For God’s sake, North Koreans even believe their president was born in a log cabin at his father's guerrilla base on North Korea's highest mountain, (Mt Paektu) and that the event was marked by a double rainbow, and a bright star in the sky.

But in fact, Kim Jong-Il was born born in Siberia when his father, Kim Il-sung, was in exile in the former Soviet Union! South Koreans know that… wouldn’t all the brainwashing be somewhat of a problem? What about political concessions?

Reunification is the way to go because, in theory, it means peace and reunited families. One peninsula, one country. No more communism (except for Cuba but that should be over soon). Food and a decent living for all Korean kids. New opportunities. Human rights. Yes, reunification is the way to go. But it means a lot of hard work and incredibly difficult concessions.

On the other hand, Kim Jong-Il might just be teasing South Koreans and the international community. If he says what they want to hear, he might get more economic aid. I’m sure a freak like him wouldn’t mind lying just to get his way. In fact, there are rumors of a suspected nuclear deal between North Korea and Syria…