"You Learn"

My friend provided a link to a Huffington Post article about traveling around the world. 

It's pretty good - check it out.

Just some random cartoons about our silly language and teaching it...

"I Go Back"

I'm back in the good ol' ROK and am ready to ROCK!

Yes, I indeed re-signed my contract for another year (but at this point it's only going to be another 10 months as I completed the remaining 2 months this summer before I went home).  

No, I don't have plans after next June. I'm playing it by ear for now - we shall see!

It was great being home though, the fresh air was just what I needed - well, that, and seeing my family and friends! (and buying new clothes as nothing I owned fit me anymore from losing over 30lbs! - (insert happy face here for being healthy and for getting new clothing!)

Not a whole lot is different being back here after a month. My school apparently re-tiled their floors. It actually looks clean now! The students used to mop the old ones every day but they seemed to be just rubbing in the dirt that has accumulated over the years. Another change was that they turned our staff cafeteria (also known as the Science Lab) into a technology classroom. We just were moved to a room down the hall where we can eat instead - this time without the possibility of eating off a table that was just used for an experiment with chemicals and/or dissected members of the animal kingdom....

A big thing I have noticed that is different from the past month in the U.S. can be summed up in a single word: Humidity.

Some of you will say "Gee, it's been awfully hot and humid in the U.S. this summer" -- trust me, you have no clue what you're talking about. Last summer when I arrived in Korea I thought it was unbearably humid. I had never experienced humidity that badly -- until now. I'm am thankful though that it hasn't been as hot as it was in the U.S.  I seem to recall that temps were in the high 90's and 100's, while here, it was merely in the mid to high 80's.

Yet, everyone always says "it's not the heat, it's the humidity" - which is soooo true. The humidity seems to lock in the heat and let it dangle above your head all day. Honestly, there is no point in taking a shower in the morning because by the time I get to work, I'm already dripping wet. I should just bring some shampoo on my commute. They call Korea the "Land of the Morning Calm" - they should change it to something like "The Land of the Absurd Humidity" or "The Land of Sweaty Foreigners". At least you know what to expect in the summer.

It seems a lot of other foreign teachers re-signed their contracts and we all went back home around the same time. We've all been talking about the differences of being home in comparison to Korea.

Here is a top 10 of what I have noticed about being home to America after living over a year in Korea:

1. Size: Everything is bigger - the people, food portions, cars, homes and apartments.

2. Cost: Many things are more expensive: transportation, dining, entertainment

3. Public transportation: It sucks in the States and is impossible to really get around without a car. I missed not being able to jump on the subway (across from my apartment) or take a dirt cheap taxi.

4. Style: Some people really dress inappropriately in America -  women with a lot of cleavage, fat men with hairy arms in tank tops.... Koreans in contrast are pretty conservative with how they dress (except for the ladies in short skirts) - but at least the majority have amazing legs*!

 vs

(*completely unfair comparison of style and body shape!)

5. Language: My English speaking ability has suffered over the past year. Over vacation I noticed I spoke like an idiot only using very basic vocabulary and leaving out particles.

6. Comfort: Having personal space rocks! I hate dodging people (and cars), but also like not being cut off by adjuma's while waiting in line. Also, just working in the US is more comfortable than Korea. The hours are better, the vacations are longer, and the stress is less - at least compared to Koreans I know who are not teachers and sometimes work 10+ hour days, get 5 days of vacation time a year, and are expected to come to work sick unless they are hospitalized.

7. Customer service: American businesses/employees really don't make the effort like they do in Korea. Here I always get service with a smile and a helping hand as businesses are hungry for your money. The folks at your local stores will always say "Let me know if you need help" but we all know you're just going to say "I'm just browsing" anyways.

8. E-Mart vs. Wal-Mart: This kind of goes with #7 but it was just something I noticed. At E-Mart in Korea, employees are nicely dressed, professional, and focus on service, but at Wal-Mart, employees dress like slobs, aren't very professional, and are more concerned about their break time than you. However, both stores are similar in the fact that only a handful of their employees can speak English.

9. Silence: America is a lot quieter than Korea. We don't honk our car horns every 10 seconds, we don't yell in the subways or on the streets trying to sell you crap you don't need. There are simply less people per square mile and it is very noticeable. I traveled to Boston and thought "this is it?" I used to be intimidated to take the subway and walk around downtown because I thought it was a bustling city - now I am unimpressed and Boston seems very small and quaint.

Boston:

Population: 645,169 

Area: 89.63 sq mi

Seoul: 

Population: 10,464,051 

Area: 233.7 sq mi

Note: Even in comparison to the Greater Boston area, it doesn't compare:

Greater Boston has an area of 947 /sq. mi (4 times larger than Seoul) but only a population of 4.5 million.

10. Diversity: Korea is very homogeneous. It might sound racist, but it is pretty much true. Most Asians look alike. Skin tones, black hair, similar clothing styles (school uniforms and a dress code for hair styles don't help much) similar builds. People just seem to blend in. Americans are very diverse - we all seem to stand out apart from one another. It's nice - but here, it's also nice to be the minority and stand out from the herd - just stop staring at me!

"Home - Part 2"

"When are you going to update your blog?"

This is what I have been hearing for the past few weeks - mostly from family that has seen and talked with me and know what I have been up to while home on vacation.

Well, folks, here it is! The newest update of things you already know about.

Over the past weeks I have been up to no good. I've been to multiple cook-outs, made a trip to Boston, and then headed out to the mid-west to see my cousin tie the knot to his beautiful bride.

Let's get this started then, shall we?

HOME!

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Besides buying a ton of new clothes, I visited a ton of family my first week home. (When you lose 30 pounds eating kimchi every day, you need to visit family and show off your good looks so that they can feed you delicious yet fattening foods and can gain some of it back!)

I used to fit in a size 42 jean - now that just seems enormous. Hwayoung thought it was a huge difference as well as she pointed out while I was packing for home:

I got the chance to see my best friend Patrick at home as well, and enjoyed a couple of dinners with him and family. It was great to catch up, and I already miss him even though I leave for Korea tomorrow. He did get to meet "Lyric" my sisters newest addition to the Broadway Dogs family - or should I say "aggregation"?

She's a super cute puppy - everyone enjoyed her. She even made an entrance at the family cook-out we had for my cousin George as he heads to college this fall. (Congrats Jorge!)

He enjoyed his gifts from my trip to Japan as well -- obviously a little too much.

Most of the cousins at the pool. Good times - great kids!

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My trip to Boston was much needed, as I visited before I left last year to say goodbye to some of my closest friends, and basically did the same thing again this year. However, this year had the bonus opportunity of getting to see a Sox game at Fenway - my first since the strike in 1993. - yes, faaaaaar too long.

It was a perfect day. Even though there were torrential downpours on the drive up, the clouds disappeared as we approached Boston and the sun broke through the sky. We got right on the "T" which also happened to be free at the moment (the must have known I was coming!) We ate dinner at Jerry Remmy's and had a few drinks right before the game started, then found our seats where, in a sold out crowd, no one showed up in the seats around us giving us a great view along the 3rd base line. To top it off, I got to see a grand slam, a Korean played hit a home run (albeit for the other team) and Matsuzaka throw 8 innings solid.

Here are photos:

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The following day I met up with my friends and we toured Downtown (but mostly just ate and drank!)

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Make way for Ducklings!

Where every body knows your name...

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 Cannoli's!

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Near the Commons at sunset

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On my way home we stopped by Buttonwoods Farms in Griswold, CT to get some ice cream and check out the sunflowers. They were mostly dead, but we found a small patch that survived.

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My good friend Kathryn poses near the farm. I just love this photo for some reason.

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The following week, I attended my cousin David's wedding to his beautiful and super-sweet bride Lauren. The drive took about 15 hours to Indiana, but was well worth it! Thursday consisted of the bachelor party, Friday was the preparations and rehearsal, Saturday was the wedding/reception, and Sunday we headed up to Klinger Lake in Michigan to relax with their friends.

More photos...

Making gift bags of truffles - always a fun afternoon...

 

Steak and Shake - one of the finest dining establishments in the mid-west for deliciousness under $6.

Since the bride is mostly deaf, and David is an audiologist, the ceremony was done in sign language with interpreters. It was very well done.

 Lauren's brother sang "Fly me to the moon" to them - it was great.

Father-Daughter dance

 

Post-Wedding fun!

Cornhole!

The drive home through Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

We got stuck in traffic for 1.5 hours due to a horrific 2 truck/3 car accident that killed one and injured at least 2 others. Why not spend the time playing catch in the breakdown lane?

 

I'm heading back to Korea tomorrow, so I'll be still keeping up on this blog. I'm also debating starting a Korean food blog, and will post the announcement if I choose to do so here first with a link.

Thanks for a wonderful vacation everyone. I had a great time seeing everyone, and to those I missed, we'll have to meet up next year! (Unless YOU want to do the traveling to visit ME!)