Korean's are some of the most vain people that I have met. I should stop being so shocked by it but I just can't. It's ridiculous!
I am currently sitting in a coffee shop and across from me is a table of three girls maybe college age. They all have compact mirrors out and are working on their make-up. This is a normal thing to see everywhere...the subway, the coffee shop, the park, the beach, the grocery store. They are always fixing and applying more make-up. They are always looking at themselves. Even if there isn't a mirror nearby they will use windows or anything else reflective. They seem to care and worry about their looks so much! Sometimes it makes me sick because everyone looks the same...plastic. There is no individuality.
So the girls who are sitting close to me have just begun taking pictures of themselves. They each have their cell phones aimed at themselves and proceed to take picture after picture of the same thing...their face. I'm sure they've each taken at least a hundred pictures by now. I wonder, what can they do with a hundred pictures of their face in the same setting with the same expression. Oh and expression, that's another thing. They never smile in their pictures, and if they do it's just a small little awkward smile. So weird! The girls here are so beautiful, but they never smile or show their teeth in pictures. And they're always worrying about their head size. Maybe they think if they smile with their mouth open it will make their heads look bigger, haha! Some Korean's won't be in pictures with me because I have a small head. How crazy is that?? They say that my small head will make their head look bigger, so they refuse to be in a picture with me.
The girls at the table across from me have now produced a large camera. They are each taking turns standing up and posing while the other girls take pictures. They are posing with their purses, with coffee mugs and with other things in the coffee shop like chairs and tables. What a scene! But no one else notices because this is so normal to them. People taking a million pictures of themselves or of the same object is normal in Korea! Everyone does it. Now the girls are changing their outfits. As if one outfit wasn't enough. They'll proceed to do the same thing in the next outfit and then probably change their outfits 3-5 more times. They'll take all these pictures of themselves, drink their fancy latte with gobs of whipped cream on top, and then leave. I have witnessed this happening with different people in this same coffee shop three times in the last month now.
My astonishment with the things they do in this culture is never ending. It's constant entertainment for me, I just hope it doesn't rub off on me after living here for too long!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
The gym
My latest thing has been exercising in a little gym behind my school. I've exercised in many gyms in my life, but it's a different experience to work out in a gym here in Korea.
The gym is on the second floor of the building directly behind my school. In fact, from the teachers office at my school I can see into the gym. It's very small, just one middle sized room stuffed full of workout equipment. It has everything that that a normal gym would have, just in smaller amounts and all squished into one tight space. I love it though.
When I enter the gym I take off my shoes, place them on a shoe shelf and put on some slippers. Then I walk to the 'front desk' which is actually in the back of the gym and get my locker key. When I enter the small locker room area, I take off my slippers, change, and then put on my inside gym shoes. Oh the process!
Koreans are very particular about the inside of buildings being clean. So in most buildings, houses, restaurants, gyms, schools...etc you have to take off your shoes when you enter and either just wear your socks or wear the complementary slippers that are provided. In the gym you can wear shoes, but they can't be shoes that have touched the ground outside, therefore 'inside shoes'. I learned this all through a rather long process of mistakenly wearing my shoes inside, then taking them off, then putting them back on. I was yelled at, pointed at, lectured to in Korean, lectured in mime...and finally I figured it all out. All of that happened at another gym that I paid a full month membership to and then never went back because I was so embarrassed about the whole shoe incident. Since then I have purchased some shoes that have only been worn indoors. Now I'm a pro at shoe etiquette.
So this new gym that I have started exercising at is great. I think it's owned by a family. A father, his son and his daughter work there. The son and daughter appear to be my age, but who knows since Korean's never look the age you think them to be. They are always so excited when I come in though. Always wanting to say hi and practice a bit of English. I think I am the only foreigner who has ever worked out in this gym, so I am a bit of a celebrity there. Sometimes it's fun, and other times I feel awkward because they watch how I do things...like lifting weights. And I'm no professional at weight lifting, I just do what the picture shows, or what I think I should do. I'm sure I'm doing it wrong half of the time.
So this Korean gym is a bit different than gyms in the states. First of all, they give you clothes to wear. How awesome is that! At first it was weird because I could never find a size that fit me right. But now that I know which pile is which size it's great and I save on doing so much laundry at home. Also, then everyone looks the same while they are working out. This makes working out less intimidating some how. Another different thing is that some people just prefer to work out barefoot rather than purchasing and wearing indoor shoes. This weirds me out a bit. Almost every time I go to the gym one or two people are exercising or lifting weights barefoot, without even a sock on. Something like that is strictly prohibited in the states, but here it's just what people do...strange.
Locker room.
The locker room is a whole story in itself. I could go on and on about the locker room. Usually when I enter the locker room there is at least one or two other people just hanging out naked. Korean's have no shame about being naked. They are either sitting (sitting?!!) in the shower naked, or sitting on a locker room bench naked, or doing their hair naked...it goes on. So usually I quickly change into the gym clothes provided for me and head out of the locker room. After my workout though, it's back to the locker room. Since I exercise near my work I still have to commute home by bus afterward though. Which means I like to shower first. My first time showering at the gym was a bit awkward.
The shower room is just that, a room with a few shower heads. Everyone showers together, they use the communal cloths, the communal soap, and even help to soap each other up. So in I went! It was me and three older Korean woman who were all soaping each other up. So I quickly soaped up, rinsed off and jumped out. Then I used the teeny tiny little towel provided to partially dry myself off, then proceeded to dress quickly while still being fairly wet. Wow, I felt awkward! Things have changed though. I've been going to this gym for a month now and it feels like my second home...almost. I now take my time dressing, showering, and just like the Koreans I prance around naked with all the other ladies. I even dry my hair naked on occasion. :) The other day I met two nice girls in the shower and now we are friends. Maybe they'll help me soap up next time.
All in all, things may be awkward and different the first time I try them, but after a while, no matter how strange it may seem, I find myself adapting. Tis the beauty of living in another culture!
The gym is on the second floor of the building directly behind my school. In fact, from the teachers office at my school I can see into the gym. It's very small, just one middle sized room stuffed full of workout equipment. It has everything that that a normal gym would have, just in smaller amounts and all squished into one tight space. I love it though.
When I enter the gym I take off my shoes, place them on a shoe shelf and put on some slippers. Then I walk to the 'front desk' which is actually in the back of the gym and get my locker key. When I enter the small locker room area, I take off my slippers, change, and then put on my inside gym shoes. Oh the process!
Koreans are very particular about the inside of buildings being clean. So in most buildings, houses, restaurants, gyms, schools...etc you have to take off your shoes when you enter and either just wear your socks or wear the complementary slippers that are provided. In the gym you can wear shoes, but they can't be shoes that have touched the ground outside, therefore 'inside shoes'. I learned this all through a rather long process of mistakenly wearing my shoes inside, then taking them off, then putting them back on. I was yelled at, pointed at, lectured to in Korean, lectured in mime...and finally I figured it all out. All of that happened at another gym that I paid a full month membership to and then never went back because I was so embarrassed about the whole shoe incident. Since then I have purchased some shoes that have only been worn indoors. Now I'm a pro at shoe etiquette.
So this new gym that I have started exercising at is great. I think it's owned by a family. A father, his son and his daughter work there. The son and daughter appear to be my age, but who knows since Korean's never look the age you think them to be. They are always so excited when I come in though. Always wanting to say hi and practice a bit of English. I think I am the only foreigner who has ever worked out in this gym, so I am a bit of a celebrity there. Sometimes it's fun, and other times I feel awkward because they watch how I do things...like lifting weights. And I'm no professional at weight lifting, I just do what the picture shows, or what I think I should do. I'm sure I'm doing it wrong half of the time.
So this Korean gym is a bit different than gyms in the states. First of all, they give you clothes to wear. How awesome is that! At first it was weird because I could never find a size that fit me right. But now that I know which pile is which size it's great and I save on doing so much laundry at home. Also, then everyone looks the same while they are working out. This makes working out less intimidating some how. Another different thing is that some people just prefer to work out barefoot rather than purchasing and wearing indoor shoes. This weirds me out a bit. Almost every time I go to the gym one or two people are exercising or lifting weights barefoot, without even a sock on. Something like that is strictly prohibited in the states, but here it's just what people do...strange.
Locker room.
The locker room is a whole story in itself. I could go on and on about the locker room. Usually when I enter the locker room there is at least one or two other people just hanging out naked. Korean's have no shame about being naked. They are either sitting (sitting?!!) in the shower naked, or sitting on a locker room bench naked, or doing their hair naked...it goes on. So usually I quickly change into the gym clothes provided for me and head out of the locker room. After my workout though, it's back to the locker room. Since I exercise near my work I still have to commute home by bus afterward though. Which means I like to shower first. My first time showering at the gym was a bit awkward.
The shower room is just that, a room with a few shower heads. Everyone showers together, they use the communal cloths, the communal soap, and even help to soap each other up. So in I went! It was me and three older Korean woman who were all soaping each other up. So I quickly soaped up, rinsed off and jumped out. Then I used the teeny tiny little towel provided to partially dry myself off, then proceeded to dress quickly while still being fairly wet. Wow, I felt awkward! Things have changed though. I've been going to this gym for a month now and it feels like my second home...almost. I now take my time dressing, showering, and just like the Koreans I prance around naked with all the other ladies. I even dry my hair naked on occasion. :) The other day I met two nice girls in the shower and now we are friends. Maybe they'll help me soap up next time.
All in all, things may be awkward and different the first time I try them, but after a while, no matter how strange it may seem, I find myself adapting. Tis the beauty of living in another culture!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Oh the humor...
So much has happened that I hardly know where to start. Really most of it is work related, but I'm going to talk about it anyway. I have been in Korea teaching English for 10 months now and numerous things are beginning to get to me. Lately I have been quite annoyed and frustrated, so I am trying to remember humor and see things in a more positive light.
I am currently sitting in a coffee shop next to my school. There are a bunch of little Korean boys running around acting like power-rangers. I have just finished a morning of teaching Kindergarten so normally I would be annoyed that these kids keep coming up to me. They are so cute though, that I can only love them. :) They run circles around my table, then stop and stare. All so normally I begin to make faces at them. I stick out my tongue, puff up my cheeks, pull out my ears... Their mothers watch me from a distance probably thinking I'm a crazy waeguk (foreigner). But the rise that I get out of these kids is wonderful! They are so happy and full of life.
So work....Oh my! In the last 10 months this has been the most stressful job as well as the least stressful job that I have ever worked. Things are one day great and consistent, and the next day everything is pure chaos with on one knowing what to do or what is going on. August was a particularly bad/chaotic month. But I think January may rival it.
In January Heather and I came back from our Thailand Vacation only to start a hectic new year in a new school as well. Our school moved and with the move brought new students, new schedules, new classes, new classrooms, new and chaotic everything. I also started a split-shift day with Kindergarten class in the morning and elementary/middle-school classes in the afternoon/evening. My school day has gotten way longer now because of the split-shift as well as the fact that I can no longer just walk home during my breaks. (I take a bus to and from work now.) Kindergarten has been fun, but it brings an all new set of challenges. I love the kids though, they are adorable and always full of energy. Somedays it's hard to make them work because I just want to play and have fun.
So long story short, aside from the new classes and schedules our school decided to fire one of the foreign teachers two weeks into the new year. He was a great guy, good teacher, but a parent claimed that he was sexually touching their child. He's an honest guy, but the school and the parents didn't believe him so he was fired. That left the rest of us teachers to take over his classes. Then, the newest foreign teacher decided that she didn't like our school and quit. Luckily she is now staying on until some more teachers arrive from the States and then she will leave. All of this on top of the new school craziness though, is causing tons of tension at work. Some days I am so frustrated I just want to scream! I love the kids, and I love teaching, but I hate how hogwans are run. I hate the politics of the hogwan, the unstableness, and all the fakness that I get from some of the Koreans who work there. Bah-humbug!
So to add a bit of humor, I somehow managed to get a piece of my earring lodged in my ear canal. HAHA! It took me a whole day to figure out what on earth was stuck in my ear. Then I finally realized it. Now I just need to figure out how to tell the doctor what is wrong. I tried to get it out on my own, but in the process just lodged it further, ahh! I contemplated going to the ER to get it out, but I went to the ER once before and they just stared at me like I was an alien. I'm pretty sure they'll think I'm a crazy person if I go back there claiming that something is stuck in my ear. Oh my! So I guess tomorrow I'll venture on over to the doctor who enjoys speaking his English far too much, and see if he can help me. How do these things happen to me??
Oh, I also happened to get a doggie. :) She's a teacup terrier. I'll tell her story later.
I am currently sitting in a coffee shop next to my school. There are a bunch of little Korean boys running around acting like power-rangers. I have just finished a morning of teaching Kindergarten so normally I would be annoyed that these kids keep coming up to me. They are so cute though, that I can only love them. :) They run circles around my table, then stop and stare. All so normally I begin to make faces at them. I stick out my tongue, puff up my cheeks, pull out my ears... Their mothers watch me from a distance probably thinking I'm a crazy waeguk (foreigner). But the rise that I get out of these kids is wonderful! They are so happy and full of life.
So work....Oh my! In the last 10 months this has been the most stressful job as well as the least stressful job that I have ever worked. Things are one day great and consistent, and the next day everything is pure chaos with on one knowing what to do or what is going on. August was a particularly bad/chaotic month. But I think January may rival it.
In January Heather and I came back from our Thailand Vacation only to start a hectic new year in a new school as well. Our school moved and with the move brought new students, new schedules, new classes, new classrooms, new and chaotic everything. I also started a split-shift day with Kindergarten class in the morning and elementary/middle-school classes in the afternoon/evening. My school day has gotten way longer now because of the split-shift as well as the fact that I can no longer just walk home during my breaks. (I take a bus to and from work now.) Kindergarten has been fun, but it brings an all new set of challenges. I love the kids though, they are adorable and always full of energy. Somedays it's hard to make them work because I just want to play and have fun.
So long story short, aside from the new classes and schedules our school decided to fire one of the foreign teachers two weeks into the new year. He was a great guy, good teacher, but a parent claimed that he was sexually touching their child. He's an honest guy, but the school and the parents didn't believe him so he was fired. That left the rest of us teachers to take over his classes. Then, the newest foreign teacher decided that she didn't like our school and quit. Luckily she is now staying on until some more teachers arrive from the States and then she will leave. All of this on top of the new school craziness though, is causing tons of tension at work. Some days I am so frustrated I just want to scream! I love the kids, and I love teaching, but I hate how hogwans are run. I hate the politics of the hogwan, the unstableness, and all the fakness that I get from some of the Koreans who work there. Bah-humbug!
So to add a bit of humor, I somehow managed to get a piece of my earring lodged in my ear canal. HAHA! It took me a whole day to figure out what on earth was stuck in my ear. Then I finally realized it. Now I just need to figure out how to tell the doctor what is wrong. I tried to get it out on my own, but in the process just lodged it further, ahh! I contemplated going to the ER to get it out, but I went to the ER once before and they just stared at me like I was an alien. I'm pretty sure they'll think I'm a crazy person if I go back there claiming that something is stuck in my ear. Oh my! So I guess tomorrow I'll venture on over to the doctor who enjoys speaking his English far too much, and see if he can help me. How do these things happen to me??
Oh, I also happened to get a doggie. :) She's a teacup terrier. I'll tell her story later.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
