Gwangyang Living: Year Two

Hi everyone! Since my last post, I have been busy moving into my one-room apartment in Gwangyang, transitioning back into school mode, and catching up with local friends.

Most of the second-year ETAs!

On Friday, August 21st, all of the ETAs departed Jungwon University en route to our placements. I had one of the longer trips as I live in the south, so the other ETA in my city (Josh) and I were some of the first people to get out of there. As soon as I arrived in Gwangyang, I had to transport all my luggage to my new apartment. Luckily, my school was willing to let me keep most of my belongings there during break, so I was able to have my co-worker help me move the bags from the school to the apartment.

My bed!

Moving in has gone a lot smoother than I anticipated, which I am extremely grateful for. I was happy to have a full weekend to get settled in before heading back to school and teaching again. After unpacking all my belongings, my good friend Eun Jeong took me shopping to a large grocery/home store, where I was able to buy plenty of necessities. I am lucky to have such a selfless, kind friend, willing to drop everything and help me. Thank you, EJ! While out shopping, I bought a bookcase, shower cabinet, and other basic necessities. I ended up having to make a couple extra trips to the store on my own after getting everything in place and then remembering something else I needed to buy. Haha! But I am nearly two weeks into my apartment living, and all is good. It is a perfect apartment for one person, and I feel very comfortable. Although I miss my host family a lot, it is nice to have my personal space. Luckily I am only five minutes away from my host family, so I can visit them a lot this year!

Panorama view from my apartment window

One-room apartment

Besides moving in, I am currently training for a half marathon in November. It will be held in Suncheon, and last year I participated in the 10K race. I'm excited and nervous about running my first half marathon, but I am looking forward to crossing it off my bucket list. On top of my training, I signed up for Korean classes which keeps me busy after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I am happy that a lot of my friends in Gwangyang/Suncheon are also taking the class, so we can all hang out and study together! Bonus: the class is free and is taught by a certified Ganada instructor (a popular Korean language hagwon/private tutoring organization). I'm really hoping to bump up my Korean by at least two levels this year.

Our welcome dinner in Suncheon

Going back to school has been another quick transition; I'm loaded with a full 22+ hours this semester, so not as much down time during the school days as I have had before. It feels good to be back, though. The students and my co-workers seemed happy to have me back, as noticed by random shouts in the hallway "HI HILLARY! SO PRETTY!". They also loved my "Summer Vacation" lesson, which was basically me standing in front of the class showing off my pictures from vacation back home. They were mesmerized by the size of American homes and schools. We pulled up Google Earth Street View and I showed them what everything looked like. It was interesting to hear their questions and gasps of shock when I showed them the size of our sports facilities. Haha!

Photo by Mokhwa Kim

On Friday night, the Gwangyang/Suncheon foreigners had a welcome (back) dinner for the newcomers. We all met at a restaurant and had dakgalbi, a stir-fried marinated diced chicken in a gochujang based sauce, and sliced cabbage, sweet potato, scallions, onions, perilla leaves, and tteok together on a hot plate. After dinner, we headed to a convenience store to buy alcohol and drink by a lake, which was displaying fireworks and a live concert. The night continued at a bar named Elvis, where we hit the dance floor and had a good time. I met some other people from Gwangyang, so I am happy to know that there are actually other foreigners in my area! Hooray!

Photo by Mokhwa Kim

On Sunday, I met up with my Korean friend, Mokhwa, at Suncheon University. She had contacted me and asked me if I could "model" for her, as a part of a photography project she's doing at her university. I reluctantly agreed, but there was a small part of me that was actually excited about doing something I've never done before (although I was self-conscious about my crooked nose the entire time... good thing there's photoshop!). Anyway, we met, and Mokhwa did my hair, makeup, and dressed me in traditional Korean attire called Hanbok. She had me do all these awkward poses I never even thought could be sexy or chic, but it turns out something went right. She was very encouraging throughout the shoot, and a great scaffolder at showing me the ropes of posing. We played some music while we were shooting and had a great time. I never knew modeling could be so fun. America's Next Top Model always makes it seem so serious and edgy. Overall, it was a fun experience and I'm glad I tried it out! Modeling is definitely not for me, but I was happy to be a volunteer and help Mokhwa with her project. Her photography and photoshop skills made me look much better than I actually was, I'm sure - haha!

Photo by Mokhwa Kim

This week has been busy as the students are preparing for speaking tests. The first-year students are presenting about "Saving the Earth" (how to be eco-friendly), and the second-year students will present about "My Vision" (future job, dreams, goals). I am looking forward to hearing the students' ideas and passions for their future! I am working hard to prepare the students as best as I can, so I hope that the student-product will exemplify the same effort. Stay tuned for my next post, as I will likely update with some unique/outstanding student work from the speaking tests, as well as updates on whatever else is happening in my life at that time! Thanks for reading.

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An official member of a rap crew

My JMF uniform!

That's right, the title says it all: I'm officially a part of my student Hyeon Min's rap crew! Our crew name is JMF, which means Just Mad Ferocity. What makes me official is that Hyeon Min and the seven other members who are a part of the team all ordered uniforms, and they included me in it too. My crew color is yellow. Our uniforms: oversized polo shirts. Check out the picture! Even though oversized polos for men aren't really my style, I was flattered by the gesture, and the fact that Hyeon Min and I are developing a close friendship. If this were to happen in the United States, I would have been fired from my teaching job in an instant, which is unfortunate. Another ETA in the Fulbright Korea program actually wrote a literary piece about this very ideal in the newest volume of Infusion, Fulbright Korea's very own literary magazine. I encourage all of you to check it out.

Lucky to spend another year in Gwangyang

Dakgalbi (YUM!)

To further my point about having close friendships with students, it is a totally normal thing to do in Korea. Because students are at school for longer than twelve hours a day, nearly every day of the week, it's only natural that teachers and students are going to develop strong connections. This is one aspect of Korean culture that I wish I could bring back to the U.S. Unfortunately, if this type of relationship formed in most American schools, many people would suspect "risky business".

Mango cheesecake bingsu

Anyway, after the Final Dinner gathering in Seoul, I had one full week left of school before I would head back to Jungwon University in Goesan, where the Fulbright Korea ETA Orientation is held. I was prepared to have a fantastic last week of school with the boys full of games and snacks. We sang some songs, which you can witness a small preview below. My last week of school luckily wasn't sad for me because I will be going back to Gwangyang Boys High School upon my return to Korea in August! So, I was relieved that it was just a "see you later" rather than a "so long". On the other hand, I did have to sort-of say goodbye to my home stay family. When I return in August, I will be moving into a one-room apartment, so I spent my last week enjoying the time with my home stay family. Luckily, my apartment building is located just a few blocks away from my home stay family, so I will definitely be in touch and expect to hang out with them throughout my second year in Gwangyang.

Thanks for being a great friend, Zoe!

Most unfortunate, though, was saying goodbye to wonderful friends that I have made through the Fulbright Korea program. Although there are 52 of us who will renew our contracts, some of my closest friends will be heading back to the States to pursue other opportunities. I had a great time meeting up with my buddy Zoe in Gwangju one last time in Gwangju, and we enjoyed dakgalbi (stir-fried marinated diced chicken in a gochujang (chili pepper paste) based sauce, and sliced cabbage, sweet potato, scallions, onions, perilla leaves, and tteok (rice cake) together on a hot plate). For dessert we devoured patbingsu and beer (haha). It was all so delicious!

My new hiking friend!

One interesting thing to note during my last week in Gwangyang before heading off to vacation was meeting a clever older man while I was running along the bike path. He was very eager to practice English and help me practice Korean, so we set up a language exchange when I come back to Gwangyang in August. He was so excited that I would be happy to do a language exchange that he invited me to go hiking the following evening! While we were hiking and practicing Korean/English, I introduced him to the deliciousness that are smoothies. So, after we finished hiking we headed to a coffee shop and had some mango smoothies! It was so fun, and I'm looking forward to meeting him again when I am back in Gwangyang.

At the moment, I am blogging live from Jungwon University in Goesan~!~!~! I am visiting here for three days as I lead a few workshops related to teaching and extracurriculars during the ETAs' grant year. There are 70 incoming ETAs, and even from my short time here, I am really excited about this group! They are very outgoing and eager to get in their placements (already!). It has been great being able to connect with them early on because at times it can be difficult for renewees and incoming ETAs to really get to know each other when we are all together in a huge group. So far, they seem to be a mixture of personalities, as is expected with Fulbright. Quirky, outgoing, yet nervous, humbled, and eager. It's a solid dynamic. Having the time to talk with the ETAs personally and share my experience with them has been valuable, and I hope that I will make 70 new friends this year!

Dry ice berry bingsu

At the orientation, I led workshops about Classroom Management, the Alumni Relations Committee, and participated in a panel open Winter Camp, Club Classes, and beyond. It's been really interesting being back here and looking at orientation from a different perspective now! While being here, I have been reminiscing and being nostalgic on all the great times my grant class had during our orientation period at the time last year. It's crazy how fast a year has flown by, and coming back here before heading home is the perfect closure to my first grant year. Incoming ETAs: FIGHTING!!! Enjoy orientation and enjoy the time spent with your 70 new best friends!

See you all in Illinois~!~!~!

See you in a month, Gwangyang1

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Crazy May, pt. II

Welcome to Crazy May, part II of two. If you missed part one, check it out here.

Buddhist Temple

First off, let me share some good news by saying that I AM RENEWING MY GRANT with Fulbright! I will be staying another year, and I will remain living with my home stay family in Gwangyang and teaching at the all-boys high school. I am looking forward to expanding upon all that I have experienced within my first year in South Korea, and I am excited to find out what more is in store. With that said, I will be traveling back to Illinois this summer to enjoy some much needed quality time with friends, family, my dog, and American food. I will be home from July 19th until August 16th, so I hope to see as many of you as possible during that time.

Local Celebrity

Now, back to the crazy happenings in May. After I became a breakthrough rap artist with my student during the festival, local Gwangyang celebrities hired me to present at Buddha's Birthday Celebration. Not really, but my host father works for the Gwangyang Public Office, and when we went to a temple to have free lunch during Buddha's Birthday Holiday, I was asked to pose for pictures with a famous monk. So, my celeb status is clearly on the rise! Haha. Buddha's Birthday is a special holiday that gets everyone out of school for a day (thanks, Buddha!). It is also super spectacular because if you go to a temple, you get served a free meal! It was nice to spend the day with my host family. Although they aren't religious, and I am not Buddhist, we still felt the love and appreciated the various religious celebrations that are out there.

At the end of May, I made yet another trip to Seoul, where I had a reunion with some fellow Fulbrighters. However, this is a special group because these are the friends that I spent six weeks learning the Korean language with. We met up with one of our Korean professors, who took us to a baseball game! It was my first Korean professional baseball game, and it was super fun! The fans do a lot more chanting and singing than they do in the United States. And everything is CHEAP and you can bring your own booze and food inside the stadium. They also hand out a bunch of free junk, like posters, towels, and food. It was a fun time!

Beginner B Class!

One super duper exciting thing that has been happening during this transition into summer is night time outdoor aerobics classes! Since I usually go for a run late in the evening, by the time I finish up, free, night time aerobic classes have started at a public park where I typically exercise. So, I decided to join in on the fun and improve my aerobics/dance skills. Korean ladies get quite "into it", and they are very talented. I wish I could shake my booty like some of them.

The crew

On the school side of things, a group of four students and I prepared for two months to participate in an English debate competition with ten other Fulbright schools in the area. The conference, called Youth Diplomacy and Activism Conference, is sponsored by the U.S. Embassy and organized by Fulbright English Teaching Assistants. For the debate, we prepared a 5-7 speech about a topic of our choice, and we had to present it to judges (myself and other Fulbrighters). After the speech, students from participating schools had the opportunity to ask questions and simulate a debate. The teams were scored on their content, pronunciation, and ability to respond/defend questions presented to them by other teams. The topics were SO interesting! My boys decided to research the Legalization of Medical Marijuana, while other schools focused on topics like the Treatment of Gay People in South Korea, Traditional Markets, Plastic Surgery, Safety Frigidity, among others. I am happy to say that our boys earned second place at the conference! They were so nervous while we were preparing, but I was confident they would perform well.

Nice work!

Aside from each school presenting their speeches and having time for debate and discussion, the conference also included a "Mock Crisis" scenario, in which the students worked mixed in small groups to come up with a resolution to a hypothetical world crisis situation. Each group has one hour to write a speech to the UN/EU, and acts as South Korea's spokespeople on how SK would react in the circumstance. This was a great activity to get students thinking on the spot, utilizing their critical thinking, writing, and speaking skills, while working with their new friends from other schools. I was very impressed with how the students managed to do all of this within a one hour time frame!

Off-sync at outdoor aerobics

Also, the YDAC students were able to listen to a presentation by two guys who work for the U.S. Embassy in Seoul. As many of the students who participate in YDAC are interested in pursuing a future in politics, diplomacy, or other related fields, this was a special opportunity for them to ask questions and learn more about these types of jobs. After the all-day event, the teachers and students all decided to go out to dinner together at TGI Friday's, which was a perfect way to celebrate the conference.

It's hard to believe that it is already the middle of June - exactly one month from today, I will be heading home to the U.S. for a one-month vacation before coming back for another year with Fulbright. At times this grant year has seemed extremely long, but looking back on it, it has all passed so quickly, and I have learned so much. Learned so much about this country, its people, the culture - and also learned a lot about myself. Living abroad for an extended period of time is no easy task, but it is something that I am very grateful for. This is a special opportunity in life, and I often think about how lucky I am to have the opportunity to travel the world and experience new things each and every day.

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Springtime in Gwangyang

Spring has come and flowers are here

Gwangyang is beautiful, tourists draw near

We are famous for Maehwa, the apricot blossom

A week of festivity is really quite awesome

I will tell you the meaning of this unique city name

"Sunshine" is Gwangyang's major claim to fame

Although I am biased, I have to agree

A small, cozy town - perfect fit for me

Enjoy the nature with a walk along the river

A lights and water show the public office will deliver
The locals greet me with bright smiling faces
They tell me about Gwangyang's interesting places

"Ride your bike along the river," they say,

"You won't be disappointed; I'll show you the way"

Longing for adventure, I quickly say, "Okay!"

We rode the whole day, laughing along the way

Springtime marks the season of new beginning
A time to enjoy company with friends at the top of the inning
Eating chicken and beer, soak up the sun
Cheering so loudly, our team hit a home run

The boys are back at school, it's a brand new year

Fresh faces in my classes, the first-years full of fear

I walk into the room and ask, "How are you?"

Drowned out by the sound of, "I'm fine, thank you, and you?"

A busy semester full of teaching and learning
Stuck in the classroom, to play outside the students are yearning
Club activity comes, time to change clothes
Ready to play basketball, sink some free throws

Evening arrives and the streets become empty

Clear skies in the night, the stars are aplenty

The serenity of Gwangyang is comforting to me

"What will tomorrow bring?"

I can't wait to see

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Mom and Dad Visit Korea!

Hi everybody! I hope you are all having a fabulous beginning to the spring season, whether in South Korea, USA, or elsewhere. The new semester started in March, so I have been scrambling to get back into the swing of things and prepping myself for full-teaching mode again. I am a little ways behind where I want to be regarding my blog posts - but this one is dedicated to my mom and dad's visit to Korea during February - my last couple weeks before school started again.

Gyeongbokgung Palace

After my vacation throughout SE Asia, I had about a week of rest and get excited for my parents' visit (I was already super excited beforehand, so that didn't take much effort). I was so happy and ready to show my parents where I have been living and teaching for the past 7-8 months. My mom and dad were able to stay for about 8 days, which we split between Seoul and my "hometown", Gwangyang. We spent about 5 days in Seoul and 2 days in Gwangyang (I wish we would have stayed longer in Gwangyang!!!). 

Gyeongbokgung Palace

When my parents arrived, I couldn't contain my joy - this was the longest time I had ever gone without physically seeing them. We checked into our hotel, rested awhile, and I took them out for Chicken and Beer, also known as Chimek (치맥) because of "Chicken" and "Beer" (in Korean means "Maekju"), the combination makes "Chimek". It was a delicious and relaxing start to our time together in Korea.

Tteokbokki

On my parents' first full day in Seoul, we had quite a busy schedule. Looking back, I should have been more forgiving for the jet-lag and tiredness, but there were so many things I wanted to show them. First, we went to Gyeongbokgung Palace, which was built during the Joseon Dynasty in 1395. Although much of the premises were destroyed during a Japanese invasion from 1592-1598, some of the most representative artifacts of the palace have remained intact. The palace houses more than 7,700 rooms - needless to say, it took a long time to walk through the palace grounds. My parents and I were fascinated by the rich history and intricate designs that were displayed to us. I, myself was not too familiar with Korean history before arriving here, so this all has been an interesting learning experience for me as well. 

Ready for the tour!

With South Korean border military

After exploring the palace and surrounding museums, we decided it was nap time back at the hotel. Unfortunately, we had a rainy trip walking to the subway, and I found out that my dad was not a fan of the public transportation in Seoul. The subway was quite crowded, stuffy, and full of germs, which were not to his liking (or mine, or anybody's for that matter)! Sorry dad! After a well-deserved nap at the hotel, I begged my parents to try some authentic Korean cuisine. We decided to go for "fusion-style" pizza and 떡볶이 (tteokbokki), a spicy rice-cake, fish cake, and sweet-red chili sauce. I was very proud of my parents for giving it a shot, although it was a bit too spicy, even for my standards. 

Insadong

HONEY BREAD!!!

Day two was one of the highlights of the trip, as we spent the majority of the day on a tour through the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). We hopped on a bus with some other tourists and our hilariously outgoing tour guide, and took a trip north. Our trip took us to Panmunjom, an abandoned village on the de facto border between North and South Korea, where the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement that paused the Korean War was signed. My parents and I were equally intrigued to learn about the history current situation of the North/South border, and being able to stand where it all took place was pretty amazing. When I booked the tour, I was uncertain how my parents would react, but I was relieved to see that they enjoyed the tour and learned a lot about Korean history that they didn't know beforehand. After the tour, my parents and I met up with another Fulbrighter, Emily, and we had dinner and drinks together in Gangnam! My parents were excited to hang out with one of my friends and talk about our lives in Korea.

A short video of the tour

Seoul Tower

Day three consisted of a more traditional Korean experience, as I showed my parents through Insadong, Seoul's traditional area rich in culture and history. My parents and I walked through a Buddhist temple, and explored the older area of Seoul. We bought a lot of souvenirs and enjoyed mandu (dumplings) for lunch before heading to Tom 'N' Toms (fitting for my dad, as his name is Tom) to let my parents experience the wonderful creation that is HONEY BREAD! Honey Bread is truly a gift that Korea brought to me. Deliciously creamy, soft, but crunchy at the right spots, honey bread is one of the best desserts I have ever eaten. I think my parents were pretty impressed by it too. On our last night in Seoul, I took my parents to the Seoul Tower to see the entire view of the city lit up at night. It was PACKED!! We waited in line for hours trying to get up, and quite a long time getting down too. However, my parents and I enjoyed seeing the landscape view of the city from above. 

Our last meal in Seoul

IGA... what!?

Day four was mainly a travel day - Seoul is in the northern part of South Korea, and Gwangyang is almost the furthest south. So, we had a 4.5 hour bus ride from Seoul to Gwangyang. Not to mention that the New Year holiday was being celebrated at the same time, so traffic was quite heavy. BUT, we finally made it to Gwangyang. And along the way we saw an IGA grocery store - who would've thought that we would see a taste of our hometown proud all the way in Korea!? Crazy! When we finally made it to Gwangyang, my parents and I met up with one of my best Korean friends, EJ, for dinner. EJ took us to a lovely Italian-fusion restaurant where we enjoyed pasta, pizza, and salad. My parents were very excited to be in my hometown, and I was happy to introduce them to my friends and community. EJ you are a rockstar - thank you for taking my parents and I!

My two families <3

Having fun with home stay mom!

Day five was a big day! My parents were FINALLY going to meet my home stay family and spend the entire day together. Internally I was a mixture of over-excitement and completely freaking out because it was like my two real families meeting and I didn't know how they would react to each other, especially with a language barrier. BUT, of course, my worries were for nothing because they absolutely loved each other. My home stay family had a truly wonderful day lined up for us. We explored temples, traditional villages, and even went hiking in the mountains and saw some amazing ice sculptures. My parents and my home stay parents were laughing, making jokes, and taking photos together like we have all known each other forever. It was awesome to see!

In the mountains, cool ice sculptures

Everybody together! 

That evening, my home stay family, my main co-teacher from my school, and my extended family all gathered for a lovely bulgogi dinner together. My parents were amazed by all of the food and side dishes that are customary in Korean meals. They also had a fun time learning about the drinking culture and pouring for your elders, and other Korean customs. I was really amazed by the interactions we were able to have and how we could all connect regardless of language, age, race, or whatever it may be. We ended up talking, eating, and drinking long into the night, which was a perfect way to end my parents' stay in Gwangyang. I really wish we would have had another day to show my parents my school and surrounding areas in Gwangyang, but our time was cut short.

Saying goodbye to EJ!

Day six was traveling back to Seoul to prepare for my parents' departure. EJ accompanied us and sent-off my parents and I with open arms and a few tears. Not only did my parents have an amazing trip, but it was so neat to see my home stay family and local Korean friends interacting together and learning a lot from my parents as well. Hopefully my parents have the opportunity to visit Korea again in the future, or EJ can finally get her chance to travel to the USA with me this summer!

Overall, the time spent with my parents throughout the week was phenomenal, and it went by way too quickly. It was an awesome experience for my parents, myself, and for my friends and family in Gwangyang as well. Until next time!!

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