I’m off work this week and decided to spend time in town rather than travel to more distant places. Saving some cash isn’t a bad idea either. So, I drove out west of town to the Paraeso Waterfalls in one of the national parks. The park is in the Yongnam Alps, a mountain range than runs parallel to the eastern coast of Korea. MyeongHee and I had gone there a couple of times to escape the city’s summer heat by relaxing in the shade of trees along the river. Back then, the banks of the river were as thick with Koreans as the leaves on the trees shading us.

We had tried to go to the waterfalls back then, but the road was clogged with cars and the parking lots were all full. We would have had to walk more than a mile uphill in stifling heat to get to the falls. We weren’t interested in hiking far to get to cool waters, so we stayed near the main road and the rushing stream.

This week, I had the place to myself and the forest echoed with my footfalls. The trees were all bare of leaves and the slight breeze whistled easily through and around them. It’s the dry season here and the stream, although still running, was smaller than I imagine it would be in the hot, rainy summer. Still, the falls were beautiful and tinkling of the water begged me to come back in the summer when the swollen stream fills the gaps in the rocks and the sounds of rushing water would drown out all else. I think it will take getting up early to beat the crowds and keep from having to walk too far to see this in full flow.

While I was waiting for MyeongHee to finish working on Christmas Day I had time to ponder why I was alone in my apartment, half a world away from my family. Christmas has always been a very family-oriented day for me and I was feeling a little down about not seeing them.

It didn’t take me long to reflect, though, on where I’ve been and what I’ve seen during all the time I’ve been away. I came to Korea, not to get away from anyone or anything, but rather to see the world. Being here gives me an opportunity to see places that I’d never be able to see if I were still home doing the 9-5 with two weeks of vacation every year. I thought I’d compile some pictures of just some of the places I’ve been able to see since 2004 when I began traveling.

Making this video was beneficial in two ways; it helped pass the time alone while my girlfriend was at work on a holiday, and it helped to remind me of why I’m across the globe away from my family.

Here in Korea, Christmas is a different animal than the consumer-oriented gift-fest that America has.

First, the advertising. For stores that had Christmas decorations, foods, or gift ideas, didn’t begin until December. Back in America it begins on Halloween day, before the first piece of candy is passed out and the first costume makeup is applied. Stores rip out the Halloween candy and costume aisle before nightfall and replace it with Christmas paraphernalia nearly two months before the actual holiday. I think I noticed the first decorations here in Korea in early December. I saw the first tree in mid-December. On the 19th, when Koreans had the day off to vote, I noticed the first batch of shoppers buying what looked to be gifts (i.e middle-aged men buying babydolls and toy trucks.)

They decorated the city public places sometime within the first week of December. I found it refreshing that their governmental offices had no problem spending taxpayer money on  prettying things up for a specific religion, despite the fact that only half the citizens are members of that religion. Of course, turn-about is fair play, and in May, they’ll beautify the place for Buddha’s birthday. Americans seem to have no problem having their city put up Christmas decorations, but I bet they’d pitch a fit if someone put up a Muslim decoration. To wit, Green Bay, WI recently put up a Wiccan decoration but since halted ALL decorations after vandals knocked it down. So much for religious tolerance in the land founded by those seeking religious freedoms. Here, they don’t care what religion you are. None are officially supported or denied.

On Christmas day, it was sort of lonely. Since I don’t have family here, I had no big gathering to attend. I hung around all day at the apartment and watched a movie, took a nap, read a book and waited for MyeongHee.  She went to work as she normally does and was actually quite busy giving hair cuts, perms and colorings. Nearly all the stores were open. Only a few mom-and-pop shops were closed for the holiday. At 7:30pm, I picked her and we went out for dinner. We ate a huge bowl of Hae-Jeon-Guk (a spicy pork and cabbage soup.) Afterward, we went to small nightclub and watched some live music. Not quite danceable tunes, but it got us in the mood for dancing. So we decided to go to one of the new nightclubs and kick our heels up a little. I was pleasantly surprised by the crowds and the dance floor was thick with Koreans gyrating to 120 beats per minute music (Yes, I counted – they like it fast here.)

Since the day after Christmas is a work day, we, along with many others there, filed out before midnight. We’d both had several drinks, so MyeongHee took a taxi home. I had a proxy-driver come and drive me and my car home.  For just slightly more money than a taxi, I let someone sober drive and I don’t have to look for my car the next morning. Good thing, too, because the police were out in force with their cell-phone size Breathalyzers. At almost  every red light, they’d come out into the streets and have the drivers blow into it. That sure keeps the drunk drivers in check, and I wonder why America doesn’t adopt similar measures.

After a quiet day, the evening was a lot of fun. Not at all like Christmas at home. But, I guess if I wanted Christmas to be like it is at home, I’d have stayed there. We didn’t even exchange gifts. She didn’t need or want anything, and neither did I. We said Merry Christmas to each other, we had some good food, drinks, dancing and a good time.

I finally got my plane ticket home today. The travel agency isn’t quite on their game lately and they missed phone calls, emails and bank transfers before finally getting things right. I leave Busan on February 2nd and arrive in Dallas at 5pm.  I get to stay in town almost two weeks and will leave on the 16th at 8am.

I’m looking forward to coming home and seeing all my family and friends.  I won’t be bringing MyeongHee with me as visas are still a pain to get for many nationalities. She’ll have to wait until next time.

Once a week I get an email from NASA called the Earth Observatory. This week they highlighted, among other places, eastern South Korea where the recent oil spill occurred.

The news here is thick with stories on the spill and how thousands of Koreans and foreigners alike have turned out to help clean the coast. The link above goes to the general story, but clicking on the image gives you a much larger view where you can see the extent the spill has penetrated the rugged coast. The Koreans are fairly upset about it. I can’t blame them – its blackened some very ecologically (and economically) sensitive areas. It’s all a bad accident caused by a ship that came un-moored in high seas and ran into a old single-hulled tanker.

There’s a link at the bottom of the page I link if you’re interested in subscribing to NASA’s  emails. I’m a geography hound and have always enjoyed their articles and hi-res pictures.

Not a problem here in Korea. We get a day off on December 19th just to make sure we vote. I say “we” in the general sense, as I personally am not allowed to vote. In America, you’ve got to either go early before work, find time during work or after work before the polls close to get your vote in. Not surprising, therefore, that voter turnout in America amounts to less than 50% of the voting age population. In the last recorded presidential election here in Korea, nearly 92% of the voting age population voted. These numbers come from the IDEA, The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance.

It makes me wonder if Americans would be encouraged more to vote if it was made it a national holiday as it is here. I personally feel there’s too much ignorance and apathy in the US.  As for me, I just don’t know and I don’t care.

In the meanwhile, I’m going to enjoy my day off tomorrow. Maybe I’ll do some Christmas shopping. Retail stores, restaurants and bars won’t miss out on a few million Koreans out and about for a day.

It was a nice quiet day today. Too cold to do much of anything outside. MyeongHee and I stayed indoors and watched TV. A rerun of the 2005 movie, King Kong, was on and we watched that. She had seen the 1970s version with Jessica Lange, but not the older B&W 1933 version. It got me thinking about other classic movies they’ve imported over here.

The Wizard of Oz was always one of my favorite movies of all time.  I did a quick search of bit-torrent sites and found multiple entries for the movie. I then went to GOM TV here in Korea and downloaded a set of subtitles in Korean. Before the first King Kong movie was finished, I had downloaded a complete and decent copy of the Wizard of Oz. We switched over and watched that on our new big screen. MyeongHee had never seen nor even heard of the movie, but within minutes she was singing along with “Over the Rainbow.” Apparently, the soundtrack has made it across the ocean intact if not the film itself. It turns out she knew several of the songs and hummed along as the movie played. She laughed and jumped at the same parts we did when we were kids, watching it while lying down on the living room floor. I loved when that movie came out once a year on our three available channels. The notion of reruns and 500 channels with nothing on was still decades in the future. While watching, I was transported back to when I was a boy, hiding my face in the blankets piled around us on the floor when the flying monkees came for the foursome in the dark woods. It was wonderful to see her smile when they danced “If I only had a…” and at the end, when Dorothy had to say goodbye, she cried as I did, too.

I think everyone in America has seen that movie at some time or another. But to introduce a  classic like that to an adult, and have them appreciate it the same as I always have was simply golden.

And after it was over, I made a nice American style dinner and she put kimchee all over it.

This month in Korea the rules for foreigners getting a visa to work here changed. Before, all one needed (at least to teach English) was a proper set of university records and a valid passport. Now they require a criminal background check and a health exam.

I guess its not difficult to blame them for wanting either. Some foreigner, it was recently discovered, was a pedophile in his own country. They certainly don’t need that kind of person here, especially one who would be teaching youngsters. Sometimes, even in private lessons, as many of us do. So, proving you don’t have a criminal record is now a requirement.

The “health statement” I’m not so sure of. It asks about drug use, HIV/AIDS and mental health, but the ramifications of how one answered was not clear at all.

I started my quest for these things last week. The first I learned was that my own US Embassy was of absolutely no help. Not a whit. Their answer to how one obtains a criminal record was “We don’t know. Call your  local law enforcement back home.” So, I did. Only to learn that I can’t get a criminal back ground check done and sent to me over the phone. I have to show up in person. Moreover, it would only show any arrest I had while living in that particular city. Since I only lived there for year, it wouldn’t prove much. Would I be required to visit every place I’d lived in the past X years to get a complete picture? No one knows the answer to that. Getting a nationwide check is not an available option to individuals – only to law enforcement, or businesses that require it such as schools or public safety type jobs. I can’t request one for myself. The sad part is that whatever work I would do would prove that I have a completely clean record. Those that have a criminal record could easily sidestep the issue by only collecting information from places they knew they’d never been arrested.

Then I started on getting my health statement. According to Korean Immigration, I could go to any hospital and they’d conduct one. Nope. Not even close. I went to four different hospitals before I found one that even knew what I was talking about. The fifth one seemed to understand, but not really. I ended up calling Korean Immigration while at the clinic and then handed the phone to the Dr. to have them explain, in Korean, what was required. Then I sat for 45 minutes while they discussed among themselves (apparently thinking I don’t understand any Korean) what all these required tests were and how they were supposed to be done. At one point, I  interrupted and told them how to spell a certain substance they were supposed to test for. Then they told me it was lunch time and could I come back in an hour and a half. Oh, and could I please bring a passport-size picture to attach to the form. Frustrated and angry, I left and came back to the school to tell my tale of woe.

Not wanting to let their native English speaker slips through the cracks and not be allowed to stay, they jumped into action. I repeatedly heard yelling from the office while they talked with immigration on the new rules.

In the end, I dodged a bullet.  While the new rules took affect on Dec. 1st, my director learned that if a new contract was signed and paperwork processed before Dec. 15th, the old rules would apply. We signed a new contract this week (we had already agreed on terms back in November) and I should have my new visa within a few days. By the time this one expires next year, I hope to have a “Family” visa, as I’ll be married to a Korean national. The rest of the poor schmucks teaching here? That’s their problem.

Just a few more thoughts on the weekend in Pohang with MyeongHee’s family.

When MH comes over to my house, she often makes dinner. She’s a good cook. At first, she wanted to clean up after, but I said that in America we share duties and if she cooks I’ll clean and vice versa. She’s gotten somewhat comfortable with the dual roles and while she’ll let me wash the dishes, she’s apt to help by piling up the dishes on the table and covering up the tupperware leftovers. She hasn’t quite gotten to the point of simply getting up and moving to the living room while I clean. But she’s getting there.

Not so at her mother’s home.  Women cook and clean. Men eat after the table has been set  and after they’ve eaten simply lean back and talk or go out and smoke. The kids simply got up and went back to watch TV. MyeongHee’s sisters-in-law did the brunt of the work. It seems that taking care of the man AND his family is the role women in Korea have been given. Even MyeongHee seemed to change a little, asking if I wanted this or that and then bringing me whatever is it. Coffee (instant in most Korean homes) was brought out to me on a tray. If I was hungry, something would be placed before me. And not just MH, but her sisters-in-law as well. Twice they brought me things to eat and drink. If their husbands asked, it was immediately done.

It’s hard to gauge whether they feel the imbalance. I detected no  underlying sense of unfairness. I saw no one roll their eyes or sigh with exasperation at the men’s lack of help. It’s just Korean style.

When Mark was here, he said it eloquently. He said its just that men and women have their own roles and its not a sexist thing; men have their duties, and women have theirs. Each acquiesces to their lot in life without quarrel.

That’s not to say that all people feel that way. The teachers I work with have advanced degrees in English and thus have been exposed to far more western ways. They expressed some sense of unfairness about the women’s roles and  have in the past rebelled in their own homes. It seems to be a matter of awareness that determines behavior.  The ones who don’t have as much insight into western, particular American, culture are content to carry on serving and cleaning up after their men.

I grew, at least in my early years, up in the era when women stayed home and men worked. By the time I reached my teenage years, however, mom (and many others like her) worked and women’s demand for careers skyrocketed in the 70s. Feminism took root and grew. Men my age don’t know sometimes whether to pay on a date or go dutch, open a door or let her do it herself. Life switched on us in the middle.

It’s interesting to consider  where Korea is now and whether the boys I teach today will be like I am now. The girls I teach want careers and don’t expect to feed and clean up after their men. When I ask the boys, they expect their women not to work and to be served and cleaned up after.

We’ll see who wins.

MyeongHee and I went to Pohang this weekend for her mother’s 70th birthday party. In Korea, the 70th is a big deal and they break out all the traditions.

Above, my “JangMoNim,”  Korean for mother-in-law, is dressed in her hanbok  gown and seated at the table. Only the fruit and multi-tiered cake are real – the rest are plastic imitations of traditional foods. The screen behind her showing traditional Korean lifestyle they bring out for celebrations  such as this. Ordinarily, its a beautiful wooden chest that holds their bedding.

I don’t her name, I just called her JangMoNim, even though I’m not yet married to MyeongHee. Koreans don’t use names for family members. The concept is not totally foreign – as an American, Mom and Dad were what I called my parents. Koreans take it a step further. Actually, many steps further.

Above, the entire family gathers around the birthday girl.  On the left, in their own hanboks, is my JeoNam (brother in law) and his wife. He is MyeongHee’s younger brother, who she only refers to as DongSaeng, or younger brother. His wife is known only as sister. Next, in the western suit, is MyeongHee’s older brother, who she refers to as ObPa, or a woman’s older brother. He says I am to call him HeungNim, which is a man’s older brother. Below him is his son, ChangHyeon. To his left is his wife, known only as sister. Their daughter, MinGyeong, is on her right. She is in high school and gets good grades in English. She has taken an English nickname of Haley. Next is my honey, MyeongHee and her son, who she only calls Adul, which is simply son. His name is DongHyeon. Only children have names. Everyone else has a title they are known by. MyeongHee’s niece and nephew call her GoMo, which is a father’s sister.  A GoMo’s husband, and what they call me, is GoMoBu. I prefer to be called Martin, but they can’t seem to bring themselves to break tradition and do that.

A son-in-law is called a “Sawi” although that’s only a 3rd person name. When addressing a sawi, one uses their first name, first syllable with “SaBang” after it. I would therefore be called “MaSaBang” by my JangMoNim, but after multiple corrections that she call me simply Martin she finally broke. The adults now all  simply call me Martin. It’s their one concession to my foreigner status among them.

For the birthday occasion, my JeoNam splurged and paid for an elaborate buffet lunch. There was enough food for 50 people, although it was only the 10 of us and 10 or so neighbors, mostly old-timers, from the fishing village where she lives.  The food was awesome and I gorged on beef ribs, sushi (both Korean style and Japanese style), bulgogi, chicken, rice, noodles, veggies, breads and fruits. There was so much that we ate the leftovers all weekend and the women never cooked other than to warm up some of the soup.

For the entire weekend, we ate, sat and slept on the floor. There’s not a stick of furniture except for the foldout tables they use to hold the food. My backside ached by the time we left and I was ready for chair of any sort to stretch my long legs out. I took frequent walks to take my dog out for a potty break, just to keep from sitting on the floor for so long. On one of my walks through the village, I came across this string of squid drying in the sun.

Yum, yum! Looks delicious, doesn’t it? On another occasion, I came across a boat with a net draped across it. Dozens of fish, recently filleted, were spread across the net. Some still twitched and squirmed as if they were still alive, although their heads and innards were absent. I think American health inspectors would shit a golden brick to see so much food lying about in the open air.  But that’s typical in Korea and the little fishing village my JangMoNim lives in is plum with such sights.

After ten months of austere living, I’ve succumbed and gone materialistic.

I bought a TV. A nice big one. I had a smallish TV that the landlord provided, but I my old-ass eyes were just tired of squinting. When MyeongHee and I watch TV, someone has to read the subtitles. Neither of us is well versed enough in the other’s native tongue to understand the rapid-fire speaking. Subtitles are a pain in the size we watched.

And, frankly, I was spoiled. I had a nice 53″ TV at home and now Teri has that comfortably in her apartment awaiting my return. I liked having a screen large enough to see from across the room and I especially liked the Hi-Def channels. Now I have a 42″ HDTV (funny, in a land where the metric system prevails, TVs, even those that never get exported to America, are sold in “inches”). One of the discount chains had a big sale this weekend and MyeongHee and I splurged.

10,000W to the reader who can identify the movie playing on screen.

That’s my 19″ (Yup, monitors are sold in inches in Korea, too)  LCD computer screen next to the TV.

The bad news for this TV?  All the menus and the manual are in Korean. 🙁