At the Korean market in Columbus...

I had a delightful experience at 툴보 Korean market today. I went in to buy the mini kimchi pot I'd had my eye on, and answered the worker "hello" and "thank you" in Korean. The owner laughed at my purchase, and I told him that, while in Korea, I couldn't find such a small one. He was impressed that I even was there, and buying such a thing, and told me how very good my pronunciation is. 감사합니다. :)

Credit Progress~ Thanks Korea!

Working in Korea allowed me to send lots of money home to clear up old debts from college. When you take a teaching job in an academy there, your airfare is prepaid for you, your furnished housing is provided, and your only monthly expenses are utilities, food, and fun stuff. So if you set and stick to a budget (even a loose one), you can easily send $1000/month home.

My father helped me to organize everything, negotiate with old creditors, and send out payments. Now that I'm home, I'm starting to see the progress on my credit report and score. In the last two weeks, my score has jumped up 29 points, moving me up a grouping. It's a little sad how excited this makes me. I haven't qualified for much credit since I messed everything up at age 19, so to get out from under some of that is thrilling. And, by the end of January 2012, half the bad stuff will have fallen off, so I'm looking forward to the score continuing to move on up. I couldn't have done this without going to Korea. Thanks, Korea!

LASIK

I've been wanting to get LASIK eye surgery for years. (Feels like eons, but my 12-year-old brother informs me that "an indeterminate amount of time cannot be plural," so...) When I was 14 and started high school, I started having trouble reading the chalkboards. To be fair, the contrast on "gray boards" is ridiculous, even with glasses. By then end of high school, I needed glasses or contacts daily, and so it has been since.

Glasses get foggy, steamy, or frozen, and most don't help if it's sunny out. Contacts get dry and expensive, and you have to carry around all kinds of junk with you *just in case*. So, I dreamt of fixing my vision, and no longer needing to deal with any of it.

This summer, in Ohio, seemed like a great opportunity to do it. I made an appointment on Monday with the LASIK Vision Institute for a free consultation. I went in, and first saw a counselor about finances and treatment options. I was approved for financing, so will have no interest for 24 months. Woohoo! Next, I saw a nurse, who tested my sight in several ways. Third, I saw an on-site optometrist, who confirmed which method would work best for my unique vision issues. Last, I was back with the counselor to discuss discount options. She was hilarious, and I deeply appreciated the creativity she showed to get me some extra discounts. I got a teacher's discount (Yippee!), and, by scheduling my surgery for the same week (the end of the month), she saved me an extra $200. Not too shabby. Actually, I was beyond thrilled. My total savings were $1500. :D :D

The following Friday (only four days later), I went in for my procedure. I saw the nurse again for more day-of  tests to check that my prescription was stable, which it was. I saw a pre-op nurse to discuss aftercare and what to expect in the operating room, then I met the ophthalmologist. He looked at my chart and eyes, and walked me through what would happen. He told me that he would explain everything he was doing as he was doing it.

And, boy did he.

They numbed my eyes several times with eye drops to ensure that they were numb. (He made a dot on my cornea with a marker after they were. That was strange.) Then, I went under the laser. *WARNING: The rest is not for the faint of heart.* He taped open my top eyelashes, and stuck the spreader-thing in to keep my eyes open. He placed the "suction ring" on top of my cornea, holding my eyeballs in place. The pressure was intense, like someone was pressing a gold ball into my eye. Not painful, but most definitely uncomfortable!

Next, he informed me that he was about to cut open my cornea, and I began to wish he'd stop explaining so much.  Although there was no pain, I could feel the cutting a little, and cut see it, which was disconcerting. He warned me that my eyesight would start to "dull out a little," and when he was about to "flip over my cornea, so my sight would be blurry." I'm not sure if the warning made it better or worse.

The problem I had during the surgery was that I could -- had to -- see everything that was happening. I couldn't just go back into my head and be on a beach or somewhere; I had to focus on a blinking red light, so the laser would accurately do its thing.

The laser didn't hurt at all, but I could smell it. Not a "burning flesh" smell, just a "hot laser" kind-of smell. The assistant counted down from 16, and then it was over. The doc flipped back over my "flap", and used a white brush the flatten it, removing any air bubbles. That was one of the worst parts, to know that a brush was on my eyeball and that I couldn't feel it. Oy. Then, the same for the other eye. Then done.

They taped some *beautiful* hard plastic eye patches over my eyes, and I was ready to be picked up. I was told to sleep for 3-4 hours, to avoid the irritating and burning feelings that happened after surgery, and to relax as much as possible for a few days after. Not easy for me, given my "charge forward" pace that has consumed my summer, but I did it for the long Fourth of July weekend. I had to use antibiotic and steroid eye drops four times a day, and preservative-free "natural tears" eye drops whenever I felt my eyes were dry.

After surgery, I can see better than I ever could before. It's quite amazing. I can best explain it by saying that I feel like I can "see in HD" now. If you are considering it, do it. It's unbelievable, and I wish I had done it waaaay sooner.

Reverse Culture Shock

I'd read all about it, and even listened to a podcast about it, before returning home to Ohio. But nothing can prepare you for going back. Everything is different, and strangely unfamiliar. All the comparing and judging I did when I arrived in Korea has now been reversed. I find myself preferring some Korean things. For example, Korean showers (which lack a separate shower or tub) are infinitely easier to clean than American showers. Hose it down at the end of cleaning yourself, and its done. And I miss Jeju Orange juice, and Post Almond Flakes (holy crap they're tasty!). But walking into Whole Foods or Giant Eagle and seeing dozens of limes and avocados for so cheap, or a wine section larger than a shelf (and under $10!) is more exciting than I can describe. :D:D:D And CHEESE!!!! As I saw on a teeshirt I hope to someday own: PRAISE CHEESES! ;)

But it's really weird, and immensely disconcerting. I learned to really enjoy shopping in Korea and not being able to understand the conversations going on around me. I often knew I was being discussed, but I didn't have to care because I didn't know exactly what was being said. Here, my first retail experience (in MicroCenter, buying US adapters for my bought-in-Korea electronics) was so irritating because there was a guy in the next aisle arguing with his girlfriend on the phone. I just kept thinking, "Shut up! Shut up! Stop fighting about stupid sh--!" I don't care to be that involved in ridiculous conversations that don't concern me. And boy, let me tell you, there are some ridiculously stupid people having ridiculously stupid conversations everywhere I seem to be.

And I don't know if it's from having a more global outlook, or from living abroad amongst so many teachers who were involved in world affairs, or what, but I'm finding that the vast majority of people here seem to be way more concerned with who won American Idol than anything in the world outside their backyard.  Now, I fully understand that everyone is built differently, and some people are perfectly happy to live on the street where they grew up, never travel outside of Ohio, and only think about their direct dealings, but I personally have trouble understanding this point of view. I guess I'm a gypsy, and know that I could never live here again. And they probably think the same of me. It's just frustrating.

I'm also finding that people are more unmotivated, irresponsible, and unreliable than I had taken them to be. Perhaps it's just that I was so much less so when I left, that I looked up to those traits in others, and maybe I glorified the truth a bit. I am willing to admit that that is possible. It's just shocking.

I am trying to work on dozens of projects this summer, and made a fairly strict plan in my mind of how to accomplish everything without going crazy. Others don't have this schedule. They are just continuing on with their daily lives, and I need to remember that. I'm just frustrated, and am realizing every day that I can't wait to leave again. Not the people (that I like :), mind you. Just the crazy, summer-is-short-so-let's-do-everything-in-3-months thing. I want my own space again. I want a steady income again. I don't want to clean other people's houses and help them move again. It needs to be done, but it might just kill me by the end of August.

[[big sigh]]

Cambodia, the first: Phnom Penh part 1

(Soon I will have pictures to post, but I can't upload them from where I am.)

Jazmin and I arrived in Phnom Penh on Friday night around 10pm. The visa process was fairly easy. I just had to hand over my passport and completed forms, which got passed down a line of 5 or 6 people for various checks and stamps.  I paid my $20 USD for the tourist visa, and we were off. Luckily, we had the forethought to arrange our hotel and an airport transfer before we left, so we could easily avoid the tuk-tuk drivers and touts crowding the exits. We also remembered to withdraw and change money to US Dollars at the Seoul airport, which has made everything tons easier.

We are staying at the Cara Hotel, about a block back from the Riverside area in Phnom Penh.  It's clean and nicely decorated, and our room is quite large. Air conditioning and no bugs make us happy girls. :)

Our first morning, we decided to sleep late; after all, it's the first day of vacation! We finally got up and about around 1pm Cambodian time (two hours behind Korea, and 11 hours ahead of US EST). We ate a lovely lunch at Fusion Sushi, the restaurant within our hotel. I enjoyed chicken teriyaki (which tasted just like my mom's) and freshly squeezed watermelon juice, while Jaz tried a Bento box and fresh apple juice.

Full and happy, we began our walk in search of the Riverside area, otherwise known as Preah Sisowath Quay. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the moist heat felt rejuvenating. (It was 87 degrees Fahrenheit when we landed at 10pm, and the usual high is around 91F.) We found a tuk-tuk driver named Narang who took us to the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, both within the same complex. It was beautiful, and the Buddhist architecture and idols were breathtaking. (Although, if I'm honest, the similarities were so strong to the Thai versions, that it was a bit like, "Wow, another temple.") We enjoyed our walk through the complex however, and took some (hopefully) stunning photos.

Upon exiting, some people approached us, selling water and books. So many people seem to have signs (in English and Khmer) explaining that they are land mine victims or were disable in some other way, and could we please help them. It's heartbreaking. On one hand, you want to help as much as you can, but on the other, you don't want to encourage begging and such. Jaz and I each decided to buy a book, and I was glad to buy Voices of S-21, a book I intended to buy anyway. Win-win.

Next, Narang took us to break our large bills into something useful. Most places here prefer Dollars, but many food carts and such only take Cambodian Riel. Regardless, we wanted small bills, to avoid having everyone see that we were carrying lots of cash (which stays in my money belt with my passport at all times). We headed to the Central Market, an Art Deco structure with four arms and hundreds of stalls. Purses, jewels, imported toiletries, souvenirs, amazingly beautiful flowers...you can find it all there. I easily found a day bag/purse - to avoid carrying my backpack everywhere with me - for $8, and two packs of postcards for $1 each. Narang dropped us at Kiwi's Restaurant & Bakery for dinner, and we parted for the day. (His fee for several hours was $2, but we gave him $3. We also made plans for him to pick uis up the next day.)

Kiwi's was nice, but we ordered way too much food. By that point, we were starving! I had a pad thai and a Coke; she had fried chicken, fries, and a Pepsi; and we split a delicious caesar salad and fruit salad. We found that even Coke and Pepsi girls can live together in harmony here! :D

After dinner, we walked back to the hotel for some much-needed showers and relaxing; it's amazing how sweaty and salty you feel after four hours walking around in 90 degree temperatures! After a bit more down time, we left for the Amara Spa, on the Riverfront, but linked to our hotel with free transportation. I had a one-hour massage and one-hour foot reflexology. About 10 minutes into the foot treatment, I wondered why in the world I thought that was a good idea. I am extremely ticklish, especially on my feet, my left ankle has been sprained so many times that it always hurts a bit now, and my "broken" toe (on the same foot) from 15 months ago never healed, so it still hurts a lot. Once she changed to the other side, I began to relax a bit more though. Jazmin said her milk bath and sugar scrub were lovely.

I stayed up until 230am reading the Kindle guidebooks, trying to make a plan for the next day, our last full one in Phnom Penh. More on that tomorrow.

Pension Scheme in Korea for Foreign Workers

So, if you teach in Korea, your company will take money from your pay, as at home, and deposit it and a matching amount into your Korean pension fund. Depending on your country of nationality, at the end of your contract, you have different options. Some countries automatically roll that amount from Korea into your pension fund at home; others force you to forfeit that money. Americans can get it refunded to us in cash; not just the portion that we paid, but the whole thing! Woohoo!

(* Due to new rules, I do not know how to handle this if you are re-signing with the same company.*)

In order to make that happen, you must go to the pension office before you leave Korea to apply for it. (You can do it from home if you forget to do it here, but it's a lot more hassle.)

You will need:
* passport
* Korean ID card
* airplane ticket home
* bank book for deposit information

In Daegu, the main office is just outside the Beomeo subway station, at exit 4.  It's in the LIG building, so you can either use exit 4, or go up the LIG escalator. Go to the glass elevators, and up to 11F. Turn right from the elevator, and it's the first office on the right, "NPS" or National Pension Service.

A woman helped me, and we had no problems with communication. I just had to fill out some forms and show her my documents, and she told me how much and when to expect my refund.  The whole process took about 10 minutes. I chose to have my refund deposited into my KEB Easy-One account. This account automatically transfers any amount that I put into it to my account in the States. There is no fee for this account, so I will leave it open when I leave Korea. At the end of June, I will receive more-or-less one month's salary. Yippee!

My First Last Day of Work

So, at the end of my first class today, my kids started crying and hugging me, which made me cry, which made them cry harder, and I couldn't stop.  I tried to go to the bathroom to calm down, but it was full of concerned students, and when I turned around, word had spread that I was crying, so there was a whole academy of students staring at me, which didn't help. By the time I got to the teacher's room (to 8 shocked and concerned teachers and my replacement, a nice introduction, I'd say *rolls eyes*), it was nearly time to get to the next class to show the new girl what I1 is like. Luckily, the rest of the day was far more composed...

Work Going Away Party

The effort was appreciated, and a couple even seemed sincere, but for the most part my "Going Away" work party was a bunch of people sitting around bullshitting each other. "Good luck," meaning "Good riddance." I sure hope the new girl is "their kind of people" and doesn't feel as unwelcome and harassed as I have felt. 2 more days.

우리동네, A Must-See Korean Movie!

I'm watching a really good, creepy, gritty murder mystery movie in Korean. I'm still putting it all together, but lots of twists! (It would help if there were subtitles!) If you ever feel like looking up 우리동네, it's well worth it!

My Last Night Out in Daegu

I had the most amazing goodbye night out last night! It was absolutely perfect, and I couldn't have asked for better friends in Korea. Gorging on Indian at Maya (both the owners hugged me and wanted pictures, said they would miss me and loved me~I think I go there too much!), game room craziness!, Cold Stone at midnight, 3.5 hours at noraebang singing until we were all hoarse, and a sleepover (and I made them take freebies home with them...less to donate!)...Thank so much to Jaz, Sergio, and Rob for coming out to celebrate with me! You're the best, and will be sorely missed.

And the word of the day, kids, is Coq!

Well, that's certainly a big ~~!!!!

PK, the owner of Maya, and I

Miriam, PK, and I at Maya

If they use the "M" in McDonald's font to sell water ("mul" in Korean), is it McMul?

What do you see here? We saw two potentially unfortunate protrusions from her undercarriage...

Sergio striking a striking pose.

According to a guy I know, this is Tanuki, a Japanese raccoon dog. They're a type of dog that looks like raccoon, common in Japanese folk lore and known for their large testicles. And boy, does he have those!

The Plan

So, my time in Korea is quickly coming to an end. (7 more work days! Woot!) After, I have many plans. (This will be a very busy next few months!)

I finish my contract on April 29th, Friday. That weekend I must finish up packing and cleaning, and will move out of my apartment by early Monday morning.

I will go to Seoul to sightsee and friendsee for a few days.

Then Friday, May 6th, Jazmin and I will travel to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. A few days there, then on to Siem Reap, and the Angkor ruins for a few more days.

When we tire of ancient ruins (is that possible?), we'll head for Koh Chang, Thailand. We're not sure if we'll need to go to Bangkok first. If not, we'll go beaching/jet-skiing/relaxing in a hammock/massaging for a week or so, then go on to Bangkok. Somewhere in there is a day trip to the Ayutthaya ruins and the tiger temples.

Late Saturday night, May 21st, we head back to Korea, arriving at dawn on the 22nd. A couple of days more of sightseeing in northern South Korea.

On Tuesday, May 24th, my vet will bring Hayes up to the airport to meet me. We leave Incheon at 5:10pm on the 24th, and arrive in Detroit at 5:40pm on the 24th. :D:D:D

(Korea is 13 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, and the flight is 13.5 hours, thus the LONGEST 30 MINUTES OF MY LIFE.)

I will stay with my friend Cindi in Detroit overnight, and my dad will come up and take me home on the 25th. I will likely sleep the rest of that day. ;)

Over the summer, the plan is to:

*go to Lake George as much as possible
*see family and friends
*go through and purge most of the stuff I have in storage
*help my grandmother and mother each find their own apartment or condo
*help each of them purge, pack, and move everything they own
*visit my friend Tami in Montana and see Yellowstone NP
*enjoy the many festivals in Columbus this summer (Pride, Comfest, etc)
*visit my friend Amy in Boston in August

Then, by mid-September, I must make my way to my new home in London! More specifically, Kingston-upon-Thames, where I will begin my Master's degree in Human Rights in late Sept. It's a one-year program, and in the summer of 2012, the summer Olympics will be held in London, as will World Pride!

Beyond then, who knows?

Last Out with Kate

When I abruptly left my first job, I couldn't tell my coworkers. I was afraid that they would be blamed for knowing about but not stopping my departure, and I wanted to keep them from needing to lie. I felt so guilty at the time, but I thought that was the best thing to do. After I returned, we were still waiting for several weeks for my visa and new ID card, and there was still a chance that my former boss could stop it from coming through. After all that was finally settled, we were all just busy. So, a year later, we finally got time to meet up again, just in time for my final departure.

It was really great to see her again. I hadn't realized how much I missed her! Catching up was great, and she filled me in on how my "running" had affected the old job and bosses.

So, I guess they found out that I wasn't coming because I was really late. They actually didn't notice, but my co-teachers did. Someone went to my house, and found us and my stuff gone, save a bag of stuff I forgot. They were angry, of course, and blamed my friends, the other teachers. But they didn't know about it, so it was okay, more or less. In the year since I left, they have had FOUR other foreign teachers come AND GO. The most recent girl just "pulled a runner" last month.  All of the Korean teachers that I worked there with have gone except for Kate, who will leave next month, in theory.

I was told that each teacher has complained about the amount of work and ridiculousness, and with each teacher it has been reduced. My bosses have now decided that I was the most responsible and hardest working, and they screwed up by treating me so badly. (I think that's a major WIN for me!!!) One of the Korean teachers that started after I left stood up to the boss-man about his incessant shouting at everyone, telling him that we are adults, and there's no reason to shout at everyone all the time.

One of the teachers that I thought would be there forever, Kelly 2, told them that she was moving away, then opened her own academy. Right in front of the apartment complex where my old bosses live. And all of her GnB students quit on the same day, and followed her to her new academy. :D:D:D If that's the biggest F-U I've ever heard of, I don't know what is. I couldn't be more proud of her. :)

All in all, it was delightful to see her again. I wish we had done it sooner, and more often.

"Nuclear Rain"

So, apparently today we're getting "nuclear rain" from Japan. The kids were so freaked, and didn't even want me to open the window. We then had a brief discussion about gravity and how rain falls DOWN, not SIDEWAYS through the window. (It's not really all that harmful, just hysteria.)

My Dog, the Red-Handed Idiot

I love my dog. If you know us, or have reading for a while, you know that is not in question. But he can be an idiot. (As can we all.)

When I came home tonight from work Hayes didn't meet me at the door. Usually he comes running when he hears me. The only time he doesn't meet me is when he's been really bad, tearing things up or getting into something. So, when he didn't come running tonight, I wasn't all that surprised.

I looked around the corner from the entryway and saw some torn up trash. I called, "Dog?" but no answer. Not a peep. I walked into the bedroom. "Dog?" He wasn't in his bed, or anywhere that I could see in the room. Laundry room? Nope. I was starting to get worried. "Hayes?"

I heard the faintest whimper behind the bathroom door. When I opened the door, the scene was clear.

Apparently, sometime after I went to work (and after wedging the bathroom door closed to keep out bored dogs), the dog broke through it. While throwing around the trash bin to empty all its contents, the bin pushed up against the door and locked him in. When I freed him, he looked seriously disheveled, hot and sweaty, and eager to get out.

I couldn't help but think that it served him right, his craziness getting him locked in a small room all day. And any hope he might have had that I wouldn't have known it was he who had destroyed my house (he's the only one here during the day) was totally lost when he was caught red-handed.

WINNING!

Yesterday, one of the Korean teachers showed the Korean version of the attendance sheet to Chris and asked if he could read them. He struggled through a few. I was surprised when she didn't ask me, when she said (as if in response to my thought), "I know you can read Korean." :D:D:D

Konglish Lesson: Z=J

Konglish. n. Words or letters written in the English alphabet, but pronounced in an thoroughly Korean way. ex. Z=J, so Zoo=Jew. As in "The Central Park Jew" or "Petting Jew." After explaining the difference, many Korean students will add "s," making "Jews." I had to firmly tell them that animals don't live in a Jew, and you can't drink Jews. They were somewhat confused.

New glasses?

My glasses' lenses were scratched, so I went into a shop to look at new ones. I asked the man how much it would be to replace the lenses, and after a few minutes of checking, he said, "Five minutes." He gave me a discount, so replacing both lenses cost 20,000 won, or about $18. There are some things about Korea that I will miss...

ZERO?

Korean children have difficulties when pronouncing some English letters. "Z" sounds like a hard "J". "R" sounds like "L". I noticed today that when my youngest kids were saying their phone numbers in English, the word "ZERO" sounded much more like "JELLO"...and then I was hungry.

Valentine's Day Snow

When I went to sleep the night before, no hint of snow. When I went to work, 6 inches. More all day. Day after, melting. Go figure.