Not only am I a foreigner here, but I am also the youngest teacher in the school. When I talk to the students I like to think that I am really not much older than them. I feel like I can relate to them in a way other teachers may not be able to. After all, I’m just out of college! And before that, I was just out of high school! I was a high school student not too long ago! Right? Right...?
Imagine my surprise when I opened a journal by one student and saw a birth-date followed by the year 1992!
Wait. What? 1992? Wasn’t that just...like...10 years ago?
Let’s see... I graduated high school in 2002, and it is still just barely the 21 century. If these kids were born in 1992, they must be like 12 years old!
In disbelief and shock I whipped out my calculator and figured out how many years ago 1992 was. I almost fell out of my chair when I found out that the new students were a mere 15 years old. Even more flooring was that we are, indeed, in 2007, and that I am 7 years older than them! That’s an entire generation gap!
I realized I have lived my life in decades. I was born in 1984 and everyone I ever really talked to about birth years (friends, sisters) were also born in the 1980s. People born in the 1990s were too young, and if you were born in the 70s, I just couldn’t be bothered to do the math to see how old you really were. When we’re talking decades, everyone was pretty much the same age as me. Born in the 80s. Now I’m 2 years into my third decade and I’m noticing!
When I see news articles reflect dates like 2010 I wonder who on earth would think that far into the future?! Then, I remember it’s only 3 years away.
REALITY CHECK.
Working with students really does keep you young. In spirit, anyway...
And now to give you a glimpse of my students here is a short video for you. On Friday, I had a small BBQ with my English Club. It was exciting for me because I started the fire all by myself, and exciting for them because...well...it's an American thing to do. We had hamburgers and hot dogs. I had to improvise with the ingredients but overall it went pretty well.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Lovely Spring
Japan is beeeea-u-ti-ful during spring! We made it through a long winter and we are enjoying the mild tempertures until the horrid humidity arrives. These pictures are actually from about a month ago, but I have been meaning to share them with you.
In honor of Children's Day (which was last weekend) various koi nobori, or flags representing carp fish, are hung around town. These flags represent boys who their parents hope will grow up healthy and strong. We found some giant koi nobori hung along a river. It was gorgeous to watch them flow in the breeze.
Japan is famous for sakura, or cherry blossoms, and rightly so. They only bloom for about two weeks, and the Japanese say their fleeting beauty is a reminder that life is brief and beautiful. It is custom to have hanami - large picnics under the sakura to enjoy friends, family and booze. Lots of booze.
Most of the rivers are lined with sakura. These are just beginning to bloom. Imagine what it is like a few days later!
Lots of energy has been put into the public parks. You can see a hanami there if you look closely. All the people gathered under the sakura to enjoy the season.
We have been capturing lots of beautiful and quirky stuff on our video camera. It's been many places and it is a goal to do something with all that footage. Sounds like a project for a rainy day. Until that day arrives, we have been spending as much time as possible outside!
We hope you're all enjoying spring as much as we are.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
South Korea
In what will be our final international adventure before we head back stateside, Shawn and I took a quick jaunt to South Korea for a whirlwind 5 days. Definitely not enough time to explore an entire country, but it was a nice little vacation. From the western side of Kyushu to the eastern tip of Korea it was only a 3 hour ferry ride!
Shawn got bored.
When we arrived in Busan, Korea we then took a three hour train ride up to Seoul. Actually, it was a really long day getting from place to place. By the time we got from our doorstep to our hotel, it was about 12 hours of traveling. Yuck!
A friend of ours, Eric, graciously agreed to show us parts of Seoul and teach us the ins and outs of Korean culture. He is there teaching for a year. And, what is more Korean than a delectible meal of dog meat? Many apologies to those of you out there who can't imagine eating man's best friend, but be consoled in the fact this dog meat is not Fido from next door. It's a special breed just for eating. I had to try it, Shawn declined. For the record, it wasn't all that tasty. It was pretty stringy and tough.
We stumbled across a random parade happening just around the corner from our hotel. Lots of traditional Korean wear (hanbok) and flags.
We took a guided tour of the Chandeokgung Palace. There are lots of palaces and temples around Seoul, but we chose to hit this one because it was right outside of our hotel, and it boasted a "Secret Garden." You can only gain entrance to this secret garden by guided tour. The allure of a secret garden fit for kings was enough to pique my interest. It was a giant garden, but the tour took us through just a small part and we were rushed, as I'm learning most tours are. In my opinion there was too much of the palace itself and not enough time in the gardens. I suppose you can see where my priorities are!
People used to be so small! Mini door at the palace.
This is me with Eric and another friend, James.
Part of the secret garden - a lotus pond.
That afternoon we decided to get out of the city and head to the most visited national park in the world - Bukansan National Park. It is the most visited becuase it is connected to subways and buses just outside of Seoul and, well, Korean people love hiking. So much, in fact, that every single person that day was dressed in head-to-toe hiking gear. We're talking pristine (and matching!) lightweight wicking pants and shirts, hiking boots, windbreakers, backpacks, hats, gloves and hiking poles. I thought we had stepped into some elite hiking club. As I'm learning in Japan - and the same is true in Korea - if you're going to do something, you do it right. And the right way to hike is in hiking clothes. It doesn't matter if you only hike once a year, or once in your life. We felt slightly underdressed walking up in our t-shirts and cargo shorts. Later, as I browsed through magazines at a coffee shop I noticed almost every single advertisement was for hiking gear.
Here's a picture of the view and a neighboring peak. The yellow sand from China and the city's smog marred the clarity.
At the top of the mountain there was a large fortress wall that deterred people from attacking the city of Seoul. Now, the city almost surrounds the mountain, and said wall would not be so effective. But back in the day, it protected the city from intruders.
Yes, we even toted our video camera up that mountain.
At the very top of the peak there was a Korean flag. We felt like conquerers!
The climb was pretty steep towards the end. We had to pull ourselves up wtih the cables you see attached to the mountain. (Reminds me of that hike we did at Lake Powell.)
Although the next day our muscles were screaming we went to a park and rented rollerblades! As kids, Shawn and I both used to rollerblade for hours in our garages. It was awesome to bring back that nostalgic feeling! We have resolved (or.. I have and Shawn doesn't know it yet) to get rollerblades when we get back to the US. It's just so fun! And not to mention a great workout.
In Yeouido Park there were various statues, etc. One such statue:
Seoul has some really beautiful things to do at night. One is to walk down what I would call a canal that has been restored with lights and lovely walkways through the middle of the city. It's quite romantic.
There were tons of itty-bitty alley ways.
One of my old roomies, Alia, flew into to visit. We caught her just for one night before we had to leave, but it was great to see her. Classic Alia picture. :)
Whenever we leave Japan we realize how much we have adapted in our mannerisms, thoughts and, really, everything we do. One thing that became very apparent was how small our stomachs have become! This is the sight of Korean typical meal - a large bowl or grill in the middle of a table with a trillion side dishes - most of which are some sort of kimchi. Did you know that kimchi isn't just the cabbage kimchi we all know? There are over 160 types of kimchi, kimchi refers to that red spicy sauce. Needless to say we were kimchi-ed out!
While walking around before our ferry back to Japan we stumbled upon a small produce/fish market.
It was great to visit Korea and it is really amazing how similar Japansese people and Korean people are. At the same time, there were very obvious differences between the two places. Perhaps I'll tell you them someday if you ask me. As for now, I'm tired of typing!
Don't forget to leave a comment! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside to know people read this blog.
Enjoy spring!
Shawn got bored.
When we arrived in Busan, Korea we then took a three hour train ride up to Seoul. Actually, it was a really long day getting from place to place. By the time we got from our doorstep to our hotel, it was about 12 hours of traveling. Yuck!
A friend of ours, Eric, graciously agreed to show us parts of Seoul and teach us the ins and outs of Korean culture. He is there teaching for a year. And, what is more Korean than a delectible meal of dog meat? Many apologies to those of you out there who can't imagine eating man's best friend, but be consoled in the fact this dog meat is not Fido from next door. It's a special breed just for eating. I had to try it, Shawn declined. For the record, it wasn't all that tasty. It was pretty stringy and tough.
We stumbled across a random parade happening just around the corner from our hotel. Lots of traditional Korean wear (hanbok) and flags.
We took a guided tour of the Chandeokgung Palace. There are lots of palaces and temples around Seoul, but we chose to hit this one because it was right outside of our hotel, and it boasted a "Secret Garden." You can only gain entrance to this secret garden by guided tour. The allure of a secret garden fit for kings was enough to pique my interest. It was a giant garden, but the tour took us through just a small part and we were rushed, as I'm learning most tours are. In my opinion there was too much of the palace itself and not enough time in the gardens. I suppose you can see where my priorities are!
People used to be so small! Mini door at the palace.
This is me with Eric and another friend, James.
Part of the secret garden - a lotus pond.
That afternoon we decided to get out of the city and head to the most visited national park in the world - Bukansan National Park. It is the most visited becuase it is connected to subways and buses just outside of Seoul and, well, Korean people love hiking. So much, in fact, that every single person that day was dressed in head-to-toe hiking gear. We're talking pristine (and matching!) lightweight wicking pants and shirts, hiking boots, windbreakers, backpacks, hats, gloves and hiking poles. I thought we had stepped into some elite hiking club. As I'm learning in Japan - and the same is true in Korea - if you're going to do something, you do it right. And the right way to hike is in hiking clothes. It doesn't matter if you only hike once a year, or once in your life. We felt slightly underdressed walking up in our t-shirts and cargo shorts. Later, as I browsed through magazines at a coffee shop I noticed almost every single advertisement was for hiking gear.
Here's a picture of the view and a neighboring peak. The yellow sand from China and the city's smog marred the clarity.
At the top of the mountain there was a large fortress wall that deterred people from attacking the city of Seoul. Now, the city almost surrounds the mountain, and said wall would not be so effective. But back in the day, it protected the city from intruders.
Yes, we even toted our video camera up that mountain.
At the very top of the peak there was a Korean flag. We felt like conquerers!
The climb was pretty steep towards the end. We had to pull ourselves up wtih the cables you see attached to the mountain. (Reminds me of that hike we did at Lake Powell.)
Although the next day our muscles were screaming we went to a park and rented rollerblades! As kids, Shawn and I both used to rollerblade for hours in our garages. It was awesome to bring back that nostalgic feeling! We have resolved (or.. I have and Shawn doesn't know it yet) to get rollerblades when we get back to the US. It's just so fun! And not to mention a great workout.
In Yeouido Park there were various statues, etc. One such statue:
Seoul has some really beautiful things to do at night. One is to walk down what I would call a canal that has been restored with lights and lovely walkways through the middle of the city. It's quite romantic.
There were tons of itty-bitty alley ways.
One of my old roomies, Alia, flew into to visit. We caught her just for one night before we had to leave, but it was great to see her. Classic Alia picture. :)
Whenever we leave Japan we realize how much we have adapted in our mannerisms, thoughts and, really, everything we do. One thing that became very apparent was how small our stomachs have become! This is the sight of Korean typical meal - a large bowl or grill in the middle of a table with a trillion side dishes - most of which are some sort of kimchi. Did you know that kimchi isn't just the cabbage kimchi we all know? There are over 160 types of kimchi, kimchi refers to that red spicy sauce. Needless to say we were kimchi-ed out!
While walking around before our ferry back to Japan we stumbled upon a small produce/fish market.
It was great to visit Korea and it is really amazing how similar Japansese people and Korean people are. At the same time, there were very obvious differences between the two places. Perhaps I'll tell you them someday if you ask me. As for now, I'm tired of typing!
Don't forget to leave a comment! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside to know people read this blog.
Enjoy spring!
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