Gyeongju

Traveling with some friends, I had a chance to see Gyeongju, a very traditional city in terms of culture, sights, and architecture. Gyeongju was the capital of the ancient city of Silla that ruled Korea between the 7th and 9th centuries. The city had much to offer, including some great temples, the burial tombs of ancient royalty, and very traditional roofs on several of the restaurants, houses, and other buildings. At night, I visited Cheomseongdae, which is one of the oldest surviving astronomical observatories in Asia. Among the highlights of this trip, I had the continuing opportunity to be beckoned by some of the older restaurant owners walking in the streets. Each restaurant employed the usual staff, but each seemed to also have an elderly woman working outside to bring in customers. Most of the conversation involved the words “You eat for long time,” and “delicious,” but unfortunately, we could only satisfy one single grandmother in our quest for… lunch.

A Cute Encounter

Today I was walking outside passing some restaurants, and I saw one of the students I teach at school. She was with her family eating at McDonalds. I went up to the window to wave at her, and she got out of her seat to come and say "Hello." A mouthful of hamburger, or possibly cheeseburger fell to the floor as she did so. I think she noticed.

"Teacher, I like Ottawa Senators."

Today I took a break from all the books and papers (somewhere between first and second OT) to teach my favourite class about hockey. I decided that it was time for these young learners to step up and join the Church of Alfie, and the Sens Army. They proved to be great recruits, and as such, I branded them with their new lifestyle choice.

My Relationship with the Korean Grandmother

Most places I go in this country find me having interesting encounters with the locals. Most of these encounters involve astonished looks from younger Korean children shouting the word for "foreigner" as they run over to get the attention of their parents or friends in order to share the moment of unusualness.
Other encounters, however, involve very kind people who simply want to interact with somebody that looks different to them. I've spoken to many people who want to practice their English, ask where I am from, or sneak up behind me because they were dared to say "Hello" before running away giggling.
In my experience, more than the majority of people in Korea are genuinely very nice people, who treat others really well. Something that has been happening a lot lately has been chance encounters with Korean grandmothers. Korea is a country that lends itself to a hierarchy in terms of respect for elders. When you speak to an elder, you want to ensure you are using the honourific form of the Korean language. I've been studying a bit lately, but still don't feel too comfortable having extended conversations with the obligation to carry the honourific form. Sometimes you don't have a choice...
I was coming home on the subway with a friend when a couple of seats opened up on the train. A friendly looking Korean grandmother asked me to sit down. She then ensured that, although we knew exactly how we were to get home, she would see us off the train safely. This was one of my first longer conversations with a local, and was pretty difficult, as she spoke very little English, and I Korean. I gained an appreciation for the Korean grandmother with the kindness exuding from this woman. She was so patient with me as I tried speak with her.
This past weekend I went to sit down at a coffee shop to do some reading. A very friendly grandmother sat down beside me, and gave me a napkin to wipe my hands, as I was eating something rather messy (a greasy pretzel). Maybe she felt it was her job to take care of me while I was in her country. She went over to a counter, poured a glass of water, and brought it back to me before I knew what she was doing. She fished around her purse for some candies, giving me a handful. She also ensured I had enough wet naps for when I was finished with my snack... She ended up stuffing the whole pack of tissues into my hand. We had a short conversation, and I attempted to ask her questions in her language, but I think she was content just knowing that I was comfortable.
I've been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to experience the cultural differences that this country has to offer. Every time I leave my apartment something interesting happens. It always makes me smile when I get a chance to interact with somebody new, as I get to appreciate the truly attractive qualities of the Land of Morning Calm.

McDonald's Guy

One of the countless gems in Korea that has really made me appreciate this country for not only its impressive accomplishments, but also its quirks, is Korean McDonald’s. On any given day of the week, and at any time, the two-decker McDonald’s near my house manages to pack itself full of people hoping to what I can only imagine is find the worst type of food they can get their hands on. McDonald’s has too become a pretty popular meeting place for those who have spent their night drinking water. So even at 4 or 5, or even 7 – if you have really ruled out sleep for the weekend – you can find a full house at McDonald’s, often with at least one person at each table with their heads down after over-indulging.
McDonald’s breakfast here however is nonpareil, and has become a real treat for mornings that I can wake up early enough before work. This leads me to McDonald’s Guy. There’s an unusual character that “works” at the McDonald’s near my place. Whenever I am there for breakfast I always see him, and he’s usually doing something strange and different every time. One time he was walking up the stairs sweeping. It took him about 10 minutes. Then, he came down backwards about an eighth of a stair at a time doing the same job. Another time I saw him pick his nose, then went on to stare at what he found for what seemed like an eternity, before walking through a door that I hope led to once of those delousing chambers. In a country that seems obsessed with efficiency, McDonald’s Guy seems to be a black sheep.

MaGu MaGu

I attended my first Korean baseball game today. It was intense. Koreans care about baseball a great deal, and choose to cheer for one or more of the 8 professional baseball teams with home fields around the country. There were several highlights from the afternoon. I think you are essentially expected to buy those inflatable plastic sticks that you hit together to make noise. I’m sure everyone in the stadium had them. The cheering was phenomenal. During every pitch of the game, supporters of each team would chant the name of the batter. Korean 3 syllable names lend themselves nicely to clever and sometimes silly chants. For instance, for Na Ji Wan, tens of thousands of people were singing “Na na na na na Na Ji Wan…” taken from La Bamba. Also the YMCA song was sung with any given player’s first and second name during the “Hey man” part. In keeping with names, it is interesting to note that 9 of the 18 players fielding tonight either had the last name Lee or Park. Korea is great because there are few places where you can get ripped off. Any sporting event back home would serve a product with ridiculous inflated prices, but in Korea they don’t do that. 10 dollars got a two-person meal of hamburgers, chicken fingers and coke. That type of food sounds normal for a baseball game, but most people were eating/serving ramen, udon, and dried cuttlefish, along with beers and personal bottles of soju for cheap. The home team’s cheerleaders came out to do a nice dance in full baseball uniforms, but soon stripped down to more appropriate attire, next to nothing, which consequently raised more than just eyebrows.

Everland

Several months back, just before Halloween, I visited Korea’s version of Disneyworld: Everland. Everland is a huge amusement park located in the same city in which I live, and welcomes visitors 365 days a year. In the summer they have a separate park exclusively for water slides and rides. I went to the theme park with impressive rides, including a giant wooden rollercoaster, the fastest in Asia, with a 77-degree drop, and a safari tour with all sorts of animals, with the highlight being a real liger. Everything was a Halloween theme when I visited the park, so they hosted many spooky rides, one being a cross between laser tag and a haunted house where ghosts and skeletons pop out, and you proceed to own them. They had an area that sold a collection of international foods from all over the world. There was a diner with the slogan “Tastes better burger. Have a fun in Burgercafe.” I always love the top shelf translation. They also had a spectacular fireworks show that puts any other I have seen to shame. Probably the most interesting thing that I got to see was a “cat show” in which well-trained cats performed pretty peculiar acts like walking on tight ropes and pull ups. Top off the night with a merry-go-round and you’ve got a repeat visitor.