Essential Korean For Foreigners

Besides hello, goodbye (not many of which really grasp, there being different forms depending on who's leaving and who's staying), thank you, and tuna kimbap please, there are some words and phrases that, by living in Korea, are unavoidable. These include:

바보 [babo] : a fool. Can also mean stupid, silly, an idiot, a dunce, a dumb bunny. My worst experience with this word was having a kid in tears self-declaring himself a 'babo' because he couldn't do my worksheet.

아줌마 [ajumma] : aunt. This can be a derogatory term for an old lady. Galbijim states, "The stereotypical 'ajumma' image is that of a short, stocky, tough old woman who wears purple pants and permed hair, and has sharp elbows on the subway." I can't put it any more eloquently than that.

미치다 [mitchida] : to be crazy. As in mad, insane. Pronouncing "you're crazy" to somebody (even if you innocently mean "enthusiastic") can be wildly offensive. My students have taken to asking me, "Mary Teacher, are you crazy?" Cheeky buggers.

가위 바위 보! [kawi bawi bo!] : rock, paper, scissors. This game is the Korean teacher's God-send. Used by children and adults alike, it is the ultimate decider and can appease the most tense of disagreements.

Got any more to add?

Happy Lunar New Year

I've taken on some extra part-time work this week, so have been forced to favour my computer screen this long weekend rather than partake in extended family rituals this year.

This also means that instead of gorging myself on festive foods indoors, I've experienced the one time of year that Seoul closes down. Shops and restaurants might be open on Christmas Day in Korea, but the 24-hour convenience lifestyle is annually renounced for the first day of the year by the lunar calendar.

This year that day is today, Monday 26th January.

One thing that the second national turnaround does give, is an excuse for establishments to keep their excessive Christmas decorations up a little longer, much to the horror of Korea's western residents. Although the shops are shut, Yongsan's CGV was screening some films which gave me the perfect excuse to dust my camera and snap some shots at the I-Park Mall - hence the unseasonal photograph.

Subok and I checked out Changeling, and despite craning our necks to view the big screen from the second row as we battled all the other cinema-goers on this national holiday, it was an excellent choice. Definitely recommended.

Blogging about blogging

What is it that we expect from an expat blog? New experiences, cultural observations, day-to-day life in a foreign country, perhaps. Things that surprise us, things that annoy us, our jobs, our friends. But when one has been in a country for over a year and the daily routine doesn't differ that much from one day to the next, it rather leaves a void for potentially bloggable subjects. I guess this is the part where it's less of a "cultural experience" and more of a "life". Not that we're not always living, of course. But that's not my point.

I guess it doesn't help that Marie is counting down the days until she flies home to Australia for a couple of weeks before the beginning of the new school year in March. It rather puts my imminent departure to the UK at the forefront of my mind, which is now a mere five weeks away. I do suppose that the fact that I'm looking forward to going home is a sign that I've made the right decision. It doesn't necessarily mean I'm looking forward to leaving, mind you.

Not that I'm particularly making the most of my final weeks in Korea. The pro-active-me would be ticking off all those niggly bits of sight-seeing that I've been wanting to do. The apathetic-me is quite happy embracing solitude and the warmth of the indoors. Because how often in life do you get to do that? And I did take a brief/thorough look through my guidebook for anything pressing I've managed to miss in the last 15 months. Nothing is jumping out at me.

So the daily routine is sitting all right with me at the moment. Of course the prospect of work is never particularly appealing, and this week has certainly dragged. But perhaps it takes a while to readjust to the 9-5 routine. Perhaps the promise of the end of the school year in just three weeks time allows us to wish away the time. Regardless, kids are dropping off classes like flies, and I'm reasonably certain it's the pressures of school life and the end of term that are to blame. So guilt-free I can enjoy classes where all the children fit round a 12-seater table. And hell, if the teacher is nodding off by the end of the day, it's little wonder the kids aren't too motivated for a hardcore lesson on vowel sounds.

But it's probably not healthy to spend all your time alone. Especially when you're inclined to thrive on human contact. In the past five days I've chatted with Marie, imparted knowledge on the children, exchanged necessary information with other co-workers, and greeted the man at the grocery store. Recluse is a term I've been using a lot lately. But I'm fine. (Would I be writing this if I wasn't? Would I be writing this if I was?)

We may be inclined to write about the fun times, the annoying times, the interesting times. But non-descript times are inevitable. Do they not deserve blog posts too?

Whiling away the winter weather

So rather than brace the zero degree temperatures (which admittedly really aren't that cold, and definitely preferable to the -14 of last week, rather showing that I'm not really English anymore) I've found a new source of entertainment. Don't get too excited. I replaced the batteries in my television remote control. Yep, that's right. My excuse for lack of blog posts is I've been watching TV.

When I think about it, that's six months of MegaTV (Korean on-demand service) I've been paying for but not taking advantage of because my remote was dead. So I could say that I'm just getting my money's worth now. I even skipped salsa class on Saturday for it. But one needs nothing time once in a while. Right?

Well, I did go to a ballroom dance workshop on Sunday. All is not completely lost. And this weekend is Lunar New Year, which translates as a 4-day-weekend. Watch this space for non-TV related blog posts. :|

Back to work

Unfortunately we all have to go back sometime, and it's not like I'm actually teaching until Friday...I just feel my time doing nothing could be spent so much better away from my desk...ㅠ.ㅠ...^.^

But my last few days have been wonderfully productive in my doing nothing; an excellent recovery from an excellently relaxing holiday. Gosh, life is tough sometimes. I wish it were just a tad warmer to enjoy all the freedom outside without the promise of flaking skin and matted hair...

(Let's see how many blog posts arise from whiling away the hours at work this week ;-) )

Back in transit

The last couple of days of our holiday were wonderfully relaxing. We spent Wednesday in FRIM - the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia. Unfortunately our taxi driver thought he'd make a few more pennies out of us and dropped us at the far edge of the forest, leaving us to wander around before finding both the information centre and the fact that we'd missed the opportunity to walk on the canopy walkway. Still it was nice to take a wander avoiding leeches and mosquitos and enjoying the greenery just a step outside of the big city. We headed for Berjaya Times Square in the afternoon to try out the "Premiere Class" cinema: a screen dedicated to couples kitted out with two-seater chairs only. If I'd have been in the UK I'd have definitely complained about the level of air-conditioning though; I think all three couples who'd gone to watch "Bedtime Stories" (quite amusing by the way) came out of the film shivering.

After a brief wander round Merdeka Square in the hottest midday sun we'd encountered all holiday, yesterday we went back to Times Square to get our fill of indoor amusement park. We weren't overly impressed that one of the attendants fell asleep leaving us battling with the centrifugal force(-? I'm no physicist) of Ooert's Express (right) for a good ten minutes. But it was quite novel to ride a rollercoaster over the top of a huge department store.

So I'm back in Beijing airport after a sad final parting and a six hour flight from KL waiting out the seven hours until my connecting flight to Seoul. It's -13 degrees outside, but this time I brought gloves to the computer to save my freezing fingers. It's been a truly wonderful holiday...and it's just another four weeks of teaching the kiddies before the pack up and goodbye from Korea!

Singapore

Not fancying a long bus journey, we took an even longer 7.5 hour train journey from Singapore to KL yesterday. We forgot to buy food, so by 9.30pm we were pretty hungry. We just checked into a cheap hotel near Sentral station and went for a delicious Indian meal next door. After Singapore we are now able to fully appreciate Malaysian prices.

So the first thing that I found when we drove onto Singaporian soil was some twinge of longing in my heart as similarities with British road systems were overpoweringly apparent. In fact, I couldn't help feeling that Singapore was a hotter, more multi-cultural version of the UK. Everyone might speak English in Malaysia, but in Singapore it's the national language. Going out on New Year's Eve and hearing the distinct voices of British expats. It's not something I come across often in Korea.

So after a lazy morning on the first day of the year, we met Jaideep to take a lazy tour of the city. We took the "Duck Tour" - a half land/half water vehicle complete with cheesy tour guide and duck whistles for sale. It was good to get an overview of the city and some sunset pictures of the Singapore skyline from the river. We took in the less-extravagant-than-apparently-usual Christmas lights down the designer label Orchard Road before heading for the world's only "Night Safari" at the zoo: a chance to watch the animals sleeping in the most eco-friendly zoo a zoo can be. It was so good we spent the whole of the next day getting tired feet taking in the daytime zoo. Trying to imitate animals' natural habitats is inarguably exemplary, but it does mean that sometimes you have to search for a sighting in amongst all the greenery.

On Saturday we met Adeline, one of Ian's university friends, who gave us the most comprehensive walking tour of Singapore's cultural districts that we could have asked for. We took in Chinatown, the Arab quarter and Little India in a very thorough four hours. And to round it all off we spent the next day in Sentosa, Singapore's "best Thai beach outside of Thailand" [Jaideep]. Just as I was beginning to shake off the feeling of artificialness of Singapore prompted by staying at Clarke Quay - rows of sparkling trendy bars on the riverfront - Singapore's contrived manufactured beach resort certainly sparked it up again. But we had fun going round the unimpressive aquarium and taking the trip up Singapore's symbolic Merlion. There was a really poor laser show that inspires wonder at whom it is that buys the DVD.

So that was Singapore. Certainly I have mixed feelings about it. Clean and safe, for sure, with an excellent zoo and great night life. People are friendly and everyone seems to mix well despite differences in their cultural backgrounds, but artificial is definitely a word to describe it. And expensive. Malaysia really is comparable heaven for the back pocket.

And we're down to the last few days before the holiday ends and work begins again for the year. Today we spent an excellent three hours in Petrosains: a fully interactive science museum sponsored by Petronas, before taking our free tickets up to the Skybridge of the towers. Malaysia sure is proud of its oil.

Happy New Year!

So yesterday we made it to Singapore ready to see the new year in. Jaideep gave us the local's tour of Clarke Quay, taking in the end-of-year fireworks display, the huge mobs of people attempting to cross the city, and of course the lychee martinis and Flaming Lamborghinis. It was great to meet his friends and family and spend some time with a close friend in his own city.

Happy new year to all, wherever in this world you may be!