Busan weekend

I manged to cross of quite a few things on my Korea bucket list this weekend. I've been wanting to visit the peninsula's second largest city since arriving here. Busan has a reputation for gorgeous beaches, good public infrastructure, and a loud, brash, and relatively laid back population. It also houses a number of internationally acclaimed universities, some of which I have recently applied to for English lecturing positions.

Since Thursday was the school's birthday, and Friday was Buddha's birthday, I had an extra long weekend and was able to get a head start on the long weekend traffic, which I have heard nightmarish stories about. I played Ultimate with a few students in the morning, and packed a quick weekend bag and hopped on the bus. As i traveled south, the insanity began. As the end of Thursday's work day approached, the freeway and bus stops became more and more crowded. By the time we stopped in Andong there were all out shouting matches over standing room in the bus aisle.

Five and a half hours and one transfer later I arrived at Busan's central bus terminal, which is conveniently located directly on the subway. It took me another hour to get to Dadaepo beach, where Busan's annual "bids on the beach" Ultimate tournament was being held. I grabbed a swanky love motel, showered under multi colored lights in an enclosed glass water fall shower, and then passed out in a king sized bed. Little did I know it would be the last good night's sleep I would get in Busan!

Because of the long weekend there is a lot of competition for rooms....so the hotel wouldn't let me re book the room for the whole weekend. I was told to come back at 8 pm the next day to claim one.

I checked out and headed to Beomeosa, Busan's biggest buddhist temple. I know it would be insane, being Buddha's birthday and all, but I was unprepared for the 500 meter line up for the bus. There were continuous busses leaving the stop for the temple (literally bumper to bumper). The temple itself was packed, a constant stream of humanity pouring up the steps to bow and pray. Amazingly, the temple was also feeding everyone giant bowls of vegetarian bibimbap (for free - if you were willing to stand in line for it). And of course the paths were lined with vendors selling food, ice cream, rice wine, and offerings for Buddha.

I found some solitude in the amazing cloud forest of wisteria and bamboo (over 6500 flowering wisteria trees), and then headed back into the city to see Busan's most famous beach, Haeyundae (also packed), and then finished off the day at beautiful Spa Land, a giant jjinjibang with multiple floors, indoor and outdoor pools, and all manner of amazing things. After soaking in the hot pools, I accidentally fell asleep on the heated marble floor...so of course I was late getting back to Dadaepo, and by the time I got there every room was booked up. :/

The love motel I eventually found with a room was one of the sketchiest places I have ever slept. The only exception I can think of is the hostel I slept in Peru on Easter weekend: that one was literally just a tsunami-ruined shell with a door that wouldn't lock, surrounded by shady looking Peruvians who definitely seriously considered robbing us. This motel was only less sketchy in that it's Korea, so robbery is almost unheard of. The owner greeted me through a tiny, dirty window with a glare and a toothbrush sticking out if his mouth, shoved a key in my hand, and slammed the window again. The room itself had about two inches of cigarette grime on the walls, one tiny window, and was hot and damp. It was the kind of place where you feel like you could catch an STD just from standing in it. But, it had a bed, so I couldn't really complain.

The next day I coffee'd up and headed to the beach for Ultie. Dadaepo is a gorgeous place, and is relatively difficult to get to, so it was not nearly as crowded as Haeyundae. It actually has the feel of wilderness, if you don't turn around and look at the giant apartment complexes that back it. It was gorgeous and sunny all day, and we won every game. I finished sunburned and happy. Afterwards there was beer on the beach until 1 am, and, since the tournament was Game of Thrones themed, all out running battles with foam weapons. I didn't stay late, being old and un fun.

Accommodation was equally difficult to secure my third night, so I decided to try over nighting at a jjinjibang, something else I've been wanting to do since arriving in Korea...but thus far I have never quite been desperate enough to willingly forgo a bed. The great thing about jjinjibangs is that there is no limit on your stay (usually), and they will provide you with PJ's blankets, and little square pillows. They are wonderfully communal places, used by all ages and all levels of society. I can't speak for the men's experience, but the woman's side is always full of laughing friends, mothers, daughters, grandmothers, and children...all totally naked and bathing together, and all totally cool with it. Unlike the serene Japanese Onsens, Korea's jjinjibangs are noisy, rowdy, chaotic places. Kids are splashing around, teenaged girls are giggling and running from pool to pool, women are scrubbing eachother down, yelling at kids, and gossiping. Public baths have erased any discomfort I may have previously had about my own body. I think they should be mandatory for insecure teenaged girls and stuck up body shy westerners.

After stretching in the sauna and soaking in herbal scented pools, I headed up the the relaxation rooms (mixed gender). I read my book and ate a red bean/ice dessert...then retreated to the warm granite floor in a darkened women's sleeping chambers to try and catch some sleep. It wasn't easy...not only was the room stifflingly hot, but I am also not accustomed to sleeping without a mattress. It was insanely crowded with snoring asjumas, younger women, and restless children covering every surface. But even though I didn't sleep well, there is definitely something comforting about curling up on the floor amongst your fellow humans, reduced to near anonymity by the ubiquitous PJ's and the darkness.

This morning I headed back to the beach for about 20 minutes of play before I had to catch a bus back to my town.

Photos are out of order, since I uploaded from my phone! Haeyundae beach, Dadaepo beach, wisteria forest, the nice love motel, and Beomeosa pics included!

Heaven

Okay, I know this is my third post in an hour, but I have to get these photos up before I have new photos to take their place next week!!!

Last Saturday I showed Gyejoksan to some English-teacher friends. Its a tough mountain, so we didn't do the whole thing. We hiked to the archaeological site, and back down and over to the exit trail where there's a little river that cascades down over sandstone. It was completely gorgeous - hard work in the hot sun followed by a cool swim in crystal clear water. And the whole mountain practically to ourselves.

The site with Balsan and Bongnaesan in the background

The inner slate wall of the fortress

Gyejoksan summit...unconquered today. 

Apple blossoms and crystal clear pools

The boar meadow (where I ran into two boar a few weeks ago). They tear up so much earth here it looks like a farmer's tilled field. 

Just looking at this picture makes me feel refreshed all over again.

Me under the water after a dive into a mountain pool

To me the funniest thing about Gyejoksan is the fact that the trail begins and ends next to this horrible monstrosity of a power plant. Its such a contrast and a shock to the eyes that I don't even feel like it detracts from the mountain's beauty (it helps that you can't see or hear it after the first 10 mins of hiking). Its just like...another example of how ridiculous and full of contradiction this country can be.

Gyejoksan has a great history: During the three kingdoms period, the area was the centre of a lot of warfare. Jeongyang hill fort was built around the summit of Gyejokmountain as part of a series of forts in the region. It was built and used during the 5th and 6th century and was used continuously into the 13th. It has an outer earthen wall and an inner wall built of stone slate, most of which is still intact. It housed refrigeration chambers, living quarters, terraced fields, and a small well. It fell into disuse after the Joseon period. Gyejoksan seems to have had a brief revival in popularity in the 1930s, when a cable-car was built to its summit. I guess the Korean war put a stop to that...all the remains is the rusted cable and winch, lying in the bush.

Now I guess it has started its next life as being completely perfect in every way. Yes, I can see myself escaping the heat up there all summer!

Sports Day and Field Trip Day

Monday was hell. Students had zero motivation. It was hot. I couldn't make them do anything. After 45 minutes of standing on my head to try and get the attention of my first class, I guilt-tripped the living daylights out of them, and then just gave up for the rest of the day - games and movies it is.

In retrospect, I didn't actually stand a chance. They essentially had a 1-day work-week: Tuesday was sports day, Wednesday was field-trip day, Thursday is the school's birthday, Friday is Buddha's birthday. Oh yeah. And midterms just finished last week. 

Sports day did not actually include any sports for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed the chance to hang out with the students one on one or in small groups. I also really enjoyed seeing kids who I have never communicated with really shine on the soccer pitch or the basketball court or in the gym. I've said it before, and I'll say it again...but my students are amazing and talented young people. I regret that I can't know all of them better than I do. 

I watched one kid (the fastest high school runner in Gangwondo) run the relay and had my mind completely blown. He just ate up the track. A lot of the students who play Ultie with me are also super good at other sports. It was cool to watch them. 

The best part was taking endless selfies with them (not going to post them here since its public - check my FB). Everyone wanted a picture. Makes a girl feel loved.

Today I headed out with the Grade 3 classes for a tour of the county. Here is how it went: I was told to show up at 8:40. That was all. I did, and was the first teacher there. After everyone finally showed up, one of the better English students agreed to be my guide (he and another guy led me around all day - they were fabulous). We went to the photo museum and a local lookout. At noon we all stopped for lunch...guess everyone except me was told to bring their own! No problem, because Koreans are hella generous and I had little pieces of everyone elses' food which ended up being way more than enough. 

Next we went to another lookout above one of the local rivers. Then we went to a geography museum, where we listened to a propaganda lecture about Dokdo.

Seeing that kind of thing is vaguely disturbing and reminiscent, to me, of indoctrination methods of the early 20th century. Students are not encouraged to think about the issue critically at all. Instead they are encouraged to feel defensive and enraged at Japan, and are fed sensationalized and one-sided evidence. These kids are hands down brilliant. If they were given the evidence in a more objective way that encouraged them to think about the history of Dokdo, possession, tension with Japan, and the motives of both governments, they would likely reach the same conclusions they are being force-fed, and actually learn something valuable in the process.

If I sound a little bitter towards the Korean education system, it might be because I'm really sick of watching kids worked to death to memorize things for an exam that is ultimately an extremely poor test of intelligence. Maybe that's my rose coloured glasses coming off a little more...one thing is for sure: blaming the education system for kids' behaviour is a lot easier than blaming myself as a teacher or blaming those freakishly adorable boys.

Anyway, I was happy to hear one of the brightest students say "yeah, we need to stop talking about Dokdo" afterwards. And my guide slept through the whole thing, so if he had an opinion I didn't get to hear it. 

Then we got back on the bus and headed back to town because we were going to go see a temple...but everyone was practically asleep at that point, so the bus just dropped everyone off at the school.  There were no English-speaking teachers around, and my guides both went home....so I did too, even though it was only 3. Have I mentioned recently that this country is weird?

Tomorrow I'm playing Ultie with some kids in the morning and then headed to Busan in the evening for "Bids on the Beach," an Ultimate tournament held annually in Korea's second biggest city. I'm excited to finally visit Busan! And to lay out in the sand, obviously.

And some GREAT news! On Monday it took me a while to realize that my hip didn't hurt any more...BUT the numb spot on my thigh was hurting! Which doesn't sound great, but is because it's the first time I've felt anything there in months! After my acupuncture massage at the traditional medicine clinic yesterday, even that pain is gone and the whole area seems to be back to normal. I've been told "light" exercise for two weeks.


Yeah right.

It's done.

I've started applying for work in Korea at various universities...which, if successful, means another year here in crazy-land. It seems like everyone else already knew this was coming. If you're reading this and you're my friends and family and this is the first time you are hearing about it - then I'm sorry I couldn't tell you face-to-face...but look at it this way: Now its very likely that you have a whole 'nother YEAR to come visit me and see what all the fuss is about.

Why? Well, when it really came down to it, I realized my charts and lists of pros and cons were meaningless. As a good friend pointed out, I ranked "I miss family and friends" with only 1 "x", while "I miss the Canadian wilderness" got two. Plus I couldn't put Jim on there - our relationship is too sacred to reduce to a few stars on a chart. I eventually had to face it: Either I'm a sociopath OR writing up charts was just a symbolic exercise to convince myself that I was analyzing my choices rationally. I really hope we can all agree that the latter is the case.

In reality, there was only one thing to consider: What do I want? And I think its pretty obvious by now that underneath it all, staying in Korea is simply what I want to do.

Of course I have constant doubts. On my mom's advice (you're the best, mom) I wrote up a list of the little reasons for my decision...so I can come back and read them later when/if those feelings get too strong.

- I'm not finished learning about Korean language and culture
- Looking for work in BC is incredibly depressing. Job listings are few and far between, pay is poor, and the available work is not very desirable.
- I want to spend more time exploring Korea, especially its national parks and mountains, and I want to see another seasonal cycle.
- I want to spend more time travelling the rest of Asia (Japan x2, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, China).
- I am very, very happy here because I have the time and resources to pursue the things I enjoy, and my work is stimulating and fun.
- I am well-suited to the busy, highly competitive, "bali-bali" working and living culture here - it drives me to be more productive and engaged with life.
- Korean food is awesome.
- Its a good way to advance my Canadian career, as working at a university will look good on my resume wherever I go.
- I am being constantly challenged mentally and physically, so I am learning a lot and growing significantly as a person.
- I will save even more money.
- Everything will still be there when I get back.
- I might be able to publish my thesis as articles if I have the extra time and support for research at a Korean university.
- If I teach at a University, I will be doing something almost totally brand new, so I am unlikely to get bored before the year is up.
- If I stay at my current job, I get to spend another year with my current (amazing) students.

BUT, as my Haedong master said (with his usual wisdom): There is no right or wrong choice. One way or the other - there will be good and bad. The details are irrelevant. The only decision is "what is really important?"

So actually, this is the only list I need:

Happiness is important to me.
Health is important to me.
Learning is important to me.
Adventure is important to me.

Done.

Adventures in Korean Medicine Part III - Korean Traditional Medicine IS AWESOME.

The problem this time: Back in March I took a stupid tumble over a friend while skiing at High1 Resort. I had pain on my right side, hip, back, and leg, but thought it would go away. In April it was still bothering me...and I developed a numb area on my thigh. If you've been reading my blog, you'll know that my Haedong master took a bamboo stick to the area for three days straight...which brought feeling back, all right, as well as a nice bruise from hip to knee. Unfortunately relief was temporary, and my run up Gyecheoksan last week confirmed for me that I actually needed to do something about it.

The treatment: A combination of threats and encouragement from my Haedong master and zero desire to be put on necessary numbers of mystery pills led me to consider Korean traditional medicine.There's a clinic near to the bus terminal that another native English teacher had used in the past. Inside, the clinic looked just like any doctor's or dentist's clinic, except that it smelled pleasantly herbs and had large wooden shelves and drawers marked with Chinese characters and filled with all sorts of mysterious things.

I turned over my insurance and ARC card to the nurse at the front desk, who wrote up a chart for me, and was ushered into a consultation room. The  staff spoke about as much English as I speak Korean, but the doctor himself had very good English so I was able to communicate my problem really easily! He tested my range of movement, stated that acupuncture could help me, and within ten minutes I was lying on a warm granite slab in a back room with nurses helping me remove my clothes and physically positioning me for treatment.

I started with acupuncture, with heated needles in my hip, butt, feet, hands, and lower back. As I was lying there, many patients came in...from working guys to old ladies to a mother with a new baby. It was interesting to see the range of people that use these services.

After about 20 minutes I had suction therapy, which I have seen women doing at Jjimjibangs and is exactly as horrible as it sounds. They stick suction cups on you, and they pull hard enough to leave little round bruises. Uhg.

After that I had some kind of electromagnetic massage thing, which was LOVELY. The guy next to me fell asleep while it was on, and I had a hard time not doing the same. It hit exactly on the problem spot and massaged exactly the right muscle...combined with a heated granite it was enough to turn me into a puddle of relaxation.

And that was it! I was efficiently ushered out of the room by one of the staff members, and I was told to come back tomorrow, as I will need repeated treatments.

Total bill for a full hour of treatment? 7,500 won (about $6).

EDITED WEDNESDAY TO ADD: The effect: When the needles go in it initially hurts and sometimes causes a spasm, and then I feel the muscles just give and relax wonderfully. Today I got to skip the suction cup thing (does my doctor read my blog?) So far, I have increased mobility in the hip, although the thigh is still numb. I get a day off tomorrow, then back in on Friday.  If nothing else, I leave feeling totally zen...and that is worth my $6 right there.

Updated Chart of (in)Decision - Korea still winning.

REASON	STAY	GO
I love the people here and want to see the boys graduate	XX
I want to start a career in Canada		XXXX
I’m sick of being a minority		X
I miss the Canadian wilderness/I want to do the Bowron Chain		XXX
I enjoy having a stable job and regular income	X
I’m happy here, and have a lot of leisure time to pursue the things that I enjoy	X
I’m not finished learning Korean language and culture, and if I leave I probably won’t come back.	XXXX
I want to travel Asia more	XX
I could save more money	X
I’m sick of everything being really difficult and complicated		X
I miss my friends and family and I’m a little bit lonely living alone		X
Another year of experience here, especially at a university, looks good on a CV and will help me develop my public speaking, planning, classroom management skills.	XX
I might be able to publish articles from my thesis if I worked at a University.	X
If I worked at a University I would have time to do privates and potentially double my salary	X
Korea is beautiful, and I want explore the outdoors more/see another seasonal cycle	X
If I work at a university I will have to leave Yeongwol and live in a city.		XX
I might get bored		X
Everything in Canada will still be there when I get back	X
I miss horses		X
TOTALS	17	14

If you need me, I'll be the girl with the Gumdo sword and four Ultie discs in downtown Daegu

It was delightful to get out of town this weekend, for the first time in fourteen days. Although I could never pretend to be anonymous in Korea, its a relief to go somewhere where I'm not Mica, YW high school teacher. Instead I can be just another waygoookin female. And today I happen to be just another waygookin female with aviators, a wooden gumbo sword, and four Ultie discs....stuff I picked up from friends at or 포항 game this weekend. I stick out so badly that before I got on the bus, the driver asked me to pull down my glasses and strike a pose for his amusement. I think I must be the most badass looking person in Korea. 

포항 is a large industrial city on the south east coast of Korea. Its most famous for being home of Posco Steel, which is something like the second largest steel manufacturer in the world. Indeed, we played on a disc golf course with the plant as a back drop, and it dominated the skyline no matter where I went. But surprisingly, its presence definitely doesn't make 포항 an ugly city. Quite the contrary. From my love motel on Bukho beach I spent a lot of time admiring what I thought was a gorgeous neon downtown cityscape across the water, with lit up towers in multiple colors that reflected off the water. In the morning I realized I'd been looking at Posco again, and downtown was actually in the opposite direction. Industry: not always ugly. You're doing it right, 포항.

We played two games of Ultimate on Saturday in gorgeous hot sunshine. It's as hot here in May as it is mid summer in BC. I played hard and touched the disc a lot, so I'm happy. I have some sweet grass burn to show for it  too. I feel a little guilty that my poor high school students will have spent the weekend indoors studying for midterms. Especially since I recently added some of them (on restricted settings) to Facebook so they know that their teacher was out having fun in the sun all weekend while they were stuck I at desks.

At first I was entirely against adding students to Facebook...it's unprofessional to me, even though I know they text and are "friends" with many of their Korean teachers (a side effect of the 'teachers = family'/blend of home life and school life/community child raising way of life here). I broke down because lately a few kids have approached me about wanting to do extra conversation practice...but none of them have spare time. Adding them to my social network is a great way to language exchange with them without adding to their already brutal study schedule. A little research assured me that there were ways to do it professionally and to keep the kids from seeing too much. Plus there's the added benefit of getting to know them on a personal level. One of the most important lessons I've learned here is that in order to be an effective teacher you have to understand your students. I think that's something that many foreign teachers fail to do, and yet every time I learn some small thing about how my students tick my teaching improves dramatically. It can be tough to get at those inner workings. There have been many times when my questions about them, their studies, their country, their lives, and even their other English classes have been meet with "it doesn't matter, teacher" or is impeded by our language barrier. I hope social networking with them in a controlled way can help over come some of that.

I woke up late Sunday morning in my lovely motel (Manstar motel on Bukho beach is highly recommended - it's just off the main drag, so it was a cheap 40, 000 won for a big clean room with a view of the harbor, a queen bed, and a huge bathroom...plus the usual red mood lighting, overly elaborate bedding, gratis condoms, and more mirrors than is really decent). After a shower and a coffee I headed downtown and managed to buy a pair of jeans that actually fits me. The prospect of staying here one more year has me a little worried about whether I have the resources for 12 more months in a country full of pixie-sized super models. My dress pants are looking a little worn and I was down to one pair of jeans, before today. I have lots of dresses and skirts, but I have yet to entirely shed the shadow of my Tomboy past, and I don't feel entirely comfortable without two distinct tubes for my legs.

Indeed, it's looking more and more likely that I will stay. I've added a bit to my chart, which I'll put I'm this entry once I get back to my computer tonight. The desire to get back to Canada to start a career is strong, but while job searches in BC turn up next to nothing, job searches in Korea promise full time faculty positions, (some if which allow you to lecture in your specialty, although most are English conversation), housing allowances, high salaries, support for research, publishing, and conferences, and five or more months paid vacation every year. Even with a PhD in Canada, such jobs are highly competitive and definitely don't come with the vacation time. It's incredibly tempting.

This bus is, as usual, stiflingly hot. It's making consciousness difficult. Before I give in, I want to note something that has really struck me lately, but that I haven't found a good reason to really talk about: Korea is really like an amazing natural fantasy land. The Mountains are steep and lush green like the Andes, and dotted with sub-tropical pink and red flowering trees. The soil is red, and the trees are a mix of crooked pines and leafy deciduous, all covered with climbing vines. Bright temples perch on their cliffs, and deer, rabbits, snakes, and boar hide in the thickest foliage. Between the mountains are emerald green rivers, fed by stunning little creeks that run off of every mountainside, making the most amazing white cascades and deep blue pools. The rivers flow out on to creamy beaches pounded by green seas...when the sun isn't shining, the peninsula is often shrouded in mist or soaked in cool rain...its seriously like something out if a book. Its development by people is not always so pretty...garbage removal issues and a general lack of cultural reverence for wilderness leads to some unsightly landscapes...but to me the enormous elevated freeways that span entire valleys....or the neon city lights....or the low curved roofs and terraced fields of the farms...are almost equally amazing. I'm still seeing Korea through rose colored glasses...i wonder when/if they will ever come off!