The elephant song...

I used this video song with my grade 1's in class today. They were in near hysterics! They wanted to sing it about six times. Now the tune is completely stuck in my head. If you teach little kids maybe you can use it too.

Trick or Treat in Shingye-Ri

So autumn (or fall, as the Americans say!) is here, with temperatures plummeting and real colored leaves, red and yellow and gold. We don't get anything like the leaves here in South Africa. Truly stunning.

Shingye-ri is a small village on the road from Cheonan to Mokcheon, known primarily for a whole range of food and sausages made from blood (which I've avoided as much as possible!) Most of the kids who live in Shingye-ri come from poorer backgrounds, and most of them are very respectful and super-cute!

Even outside my window (below) the fall coloring of the trees are evident.

Shingye-ri is also really close to Independence Hall, the largest museum in Korea, and it is quieter and more picturesque than the big nearby city.

It has got lots of traditional-style houses called Hanok along with the big apartments that all the Koreans seem to live in. My boss Miekie and I are the only foreigners in the area (so we get lots of FAME and more than a little notoriety!)

I found a lovely short hiking route near my house, which starts at the Life-Long Learning centre, and courses through the nearby hills.

I enjoy taking walks there, its so quiet, with the smell of leaves and pine-cones and no one else in sight. My only other companions were the Korean squirrels and one large, red-ringed snake (?) which slithered across my path. Definitely a good place to escape from the surging mass of humanity that is Korea!

31 October was Halloween, which meant we had to desperately research what American schoolkids do for Halloween, since its a non-event in South Africa.

We decided on some traditional games such as bobbing for apples, and pin the hat on the witch, a Korean "ghost" game and the ever-popular candy treasure hunt.

As you can see, the kids really enjoyed it, although I thought some of the little kids were going to drown when their heads stayed under water until they had secured the apples!

One of my grade 2 kids has the English nickname "Jack". He was thrilled to discover that the pumpkin lights are known as Jack-o-lanterns. He said to me "Teacher - I am from Halloween!"

Happy (Korean-style) Halloween!

Everland... an epic battle of courage and cowardice.

Let's just say I will never use metaphors like "I felt a rollercoaster of emotions" or "Life is a rollercoaster" lightly again...






So this is the last of the unforeseen holidays, a Wednesday sneaking up right out of nowhere, on the coattails of Chuseok.

After much persuasion, including being handed "The Bryson Ultimatum", I decided to join Betsy, Steph, Jackie, Erik and Matt on a trip to Everland, the biggest amusement park in Korea and my kids' favorite vacation spot.

Everland is a short subway trip to Suwon and then a hefty bus ride out of the city and into the mountains. It's a beautiful part of the country, with the leaves starting to change color. However, it was the man-made marvels that were on our agenda for the day.

Everland was decorated in Halloween theme with pumpkins and bats galore. It's a massive labyrinth and has even been rated as the 4th most visited amusement park in the world. So despite being a Disneyland knock-off, its certainly not second rate.

Now for a culture note about Americans. They get out of the womb and straight into a rollercoaster chair. These adrenalin-hungry thrill-seekers have long out-screamed the natural terror one could be expected to feel on death-defying rides. They are quite blase about it. I've seen pulses racing faster in a sleep clinic.

The Koreans aspire to American entertainment standards, but us Africans are a different breed. We don't really like for our feet to leave the ground. We get our natural fixes from things like muggings, high-jackings, murder and violence. So amusement parks haven't caught on in a big way, and I've never felt the need to get high on anything other than life. But that was all about to change.

We approached a low-key rotating ride called "Championship Rodeo." It starts off quite calmly, a gentle introduction. Jenni was happy. Then it picks up speed.

All of a sudden it is trying to throw its passengers from their carriages in a dangerous, psychopathic fashion. My friends throw their arms up and scream excitedly. I tried to join in, but only a slow dying moan escaped from my mouth.

As I curled up in a fetal position, I heard Matt commentating happily beside me "Oh, this ride is messing up my hair" or "The ticket lady isn't dancing very well." as if he expected me to be able to respond when i was trying to stop myself from gagging or passing out, or jumping from the cart.

My introduction to the land of the brave was not at all flattering.

Undaunted, we went on the "Eagle's Fortress", a seriously impressive rollercoaster with all the necessary turns and falls. During this ride, I managed to let out a few proper screams, which definitely helped. At least it lets you know you are still alive. But I still couldn't quite whistle a happy tune or simply remember my favorite things... I still felt pretty wretched.

The next ride was the "Columbus' which is a huge Viking-type swing ride. This one definitely leaves your stomach in the air while the rest of your body is rapidly descending. Erik kindly said "It helps to open your eyes"and I was naive enough to believe him and thus got a crushing view of us screeching towards terra firma at a 45 degree angle with a truckload of Koreans. Surely Columbus had it much easier than this.

So with adrenalin coursing in my veins and a glazed-over expression in my eyes, I went to explore the rest of Everland. I discovered all kinds of innocent, peaceful rides which of course none of my hard-core friends had wanted to go on. I really liked Aesop's village - it's very child-friendly and magical, with lots of nooks and crannies for kids to explore and non-traumatic games and adventures. I was still waiting for my own PTSD to wear off.

We went to a perfectly un-scary "Haunted House" ride where you shoot ghosts with laser guns. Another room in the haunted vein lifts up entirely and turns around 360 degrees, very "Harry Potter", and pretty cool in a mind-bending sort of way.

Everland also had this crazy Abba-style band, which performed Western songs in a mildly embarrassed manner. Although the singer was Russian, this is a good career option for Westerners who don't get into the English teaching business. Everland likes its performers as blond and Caucasian as possible. In a big auditorium they had all kinds of dancing - Spanish and Irish tap and acrobatics.

As night fell over Everland, we got swept up in an incredible light parade. Different floats represented various fairytale, and I could not help but wave at the characters on top of them. For me, it's quite easy to be as mesmerized as a child in a land of costumes and make-believe. Kudos also for the people I was with, who had a healthy store of child-like enthusiasm for Everland. Consequently we could all merrily regress together.

After the light show, we went on a calm, classic merry-go-round ride and then did some souvenir shopping. I bought a bat Alice-band which my students think is very "cutie", and take turns wearing at the hagwon. On the late-night trip back we tried to come up with titles for my creative writing proposal. Topics ranged from the ridiculous to the sublime..but unfortunately never reached the sublime. But it certainly made the trip go a lot quicker. Everland was another novel experience for me, a quick lesson in introspective psychotherapy and in every way unforgettable.

Chuseok in the misty mountains...

This weekend and the first merciful three days of the week have been Chuseok - the Korean high holiday and somewhat akin to American Thanksgiving. In other words, the Koreans thank an unspecified deity for the harvest and celebrate by eating special foods like rice cake, gathering together at the home of their parents or grandparents and bowing to the ancestors. The Korean kids say its pretty boring for them, but its a few days off school, so who's complaining?

Having no ancestors or relatives anywhere in Korea, I decided to join Martie, Tina and Cor (the Van De Wilt crew) and a couple of their South African friends: Sigrid, Gabi and Lebogang for an all-South African affair, no substitutes accepted.

On Saturday we travelled to Soraksan, the famous mountains right on the North Korean border. Despite our fears for crazy Korean vacation traffic, the trip only took about three and a half hours. We stopped in Sokcho, the last outpost before the wilderness, to buy some supplies and then headed for the Sorak Youth Hostel where we would be staying for three nights. The Hostel looks motel-ish and bland from the outside, but the traditional Korean rooms were very cosy and the location was unbeatable, mountains on every side and a river running so close to our room that you could fall asleep to the sound of it. We made our beds on Korean matresses on the ondol floors and had a quick communal nap.

Now one fantastic thing about being on vacation with a bunch of South Africans... is the food. Perhaps it comes from our church-bazaar culture, or from a long tradition of carrying supplies accross the mountains during the Groot Trek, but the Afrikaners can't simply get fast food from a Korean kimbap shop. We prepared meat, fish, salad, barbecued veggies, the works on the equipment from our self-catering room and on the BBQ outside the hostel. It was "chop en dop" time in the Korean mountains.

It soon became anextended sociable affair of making food together, listening to jokes and drinking red wine. (they now even have one brand of good-as-gold Stellenbosch red wine at a supermarket here..sheer bliss!), playing cards and just taking it easy as night set over the mountains. One of the best finds of the trip was cheap-cheap local prawns, which were pan fried to a beautiful pink.

The next morning we left the sanctuary of our hostel and went to where the action was - the Sorak National Park. Soraksan is a misty craggy mountain set just next to the coast and rising up from green hills. After a fair walk from our hostel through the area, we entered into the lush green forests..along with about 1000 other Koreans. To say that Soraksan is popular is an understatement. Everyone from geriatric ajumas in rediculous bright pink hiking suit to a toddler strapped to a weary mom's back was hiking through Soraksan.

We bought some mielies (corn) from an ajuma and went to look at the Buddha statue and temple in the park. Soraksan is a holy mountain to the Buddhists, so there are many temples, but my SA friends were a little templed out, so I didn't get to see as much as I otherwise would want to.

What we did get to see were spectacular views: we bought tickets to go on the cable car up to the Gwongeumseong Fortress, 700 meters up into the mountains. The short 5 minute cable car trip was dramatic and exciting. You get a whole new perspective on the park, with its tall, ancient forests, the temples lying below you, the wet hills around you and the sharp jagged peaks beckoning you to them.

Gwongeumseong Fortress was a refuge for King Gojong during the Goryeo dynasty (1254) or so the story goes. From the cable car we walked to the peak.. where piles of stones mark the Korean flag flying on the highest point. From the top there is a panoramic view of Sokcho and the East sea. When you get close to the edge of the cliff (as I love to do!) old Korean ajuma ladies yell at you to get back. Surely they don't want to lose too many foreigners to the misty mountains.

On Monday we decided to go to Kanseong, a Lonely Planet recommended beach/lake town even closer to the North Korea Demarcation Line. I spent a lovely day just relaxing on the white sand, playing in the water and reading my courtroom/murder mystery novel.

After another evening of chatting, mountain air and obscenely-named card games, it was time to pack up and come back. The journey home was less glamorous. It took double as long as it did to arrive, as we decided (unwisely) to head through Seoul, where 25% of Korea's population were trying to get home after their celebrations, all on the same highway. But we got home in one piece in the end, a little ragged, but happy for the break.

Of course we have only had a taste of Soraksan and I hope to go back there in the early winter, when it truly lives up to its name of "craggy snow mountains". But Korea is such an incredibly beautiful country hidden beneath a dirty urban veneer. I will try to remember that downtown Cheonan or central Seoul may be the economic heart of Korea, but its certainly not what makes this country breathe.

How good to be with my people again - to speak my language and remember who I am. Their humour, their stories, their perspectives, remind me that I am not as alone here as I sometimes feel I am. It was the best way I could possibly be refreshed.

All Hope Abandon - Ye who Enter here!

Ahoy!

The Jolly Roger is flying 'neath a strong wind and there be the taste of salt and rum on my lips. Goin' to class, I took me eyepatch and pegleg and threatened misbehavin' students with my cutlass and hook (although not simultaneously.) I shouted "Avaste ye bilge rat!" to a boy who confused his verbs. I measured the gangplank for those landlubbers who hadn't completed their homework. What is the meaning of all this? This hearty wench is celebrating International Talk Like a Pirate Day today.

So why don't you join in the chantey and encourage a draught? Savvy ?

Each year on September 19th, thousands of buccaneer-wannabes and gentlemen/women of fortune gather together to use the lingo that immortalised literary pirates like Long John Silver and Jack Sparrow. TLAPD is a parody holiday created to celebrate the incomprehensible language of our romanticized and much-maligned sea-thieves. So my lilly-livered lads and lasses had to work smartly today, and much a yo-ho-ho was shared by all, although we were low on grog.

By the powers, my hagwon captain didn't spy me engaging in any mutineering or I might have received the black spot, forfeited my pieces of eight and be
sent directly to Davey Jones locker.

Let me end this TLAPD post with a quote from the immortal Guybrush Threepwood, nerdy, ineffectual pirate who sings:

"You say you're nasty pirates, scheming, thieving bad bushwhackers?

From what I've seen I tell you, you're not pirates - you're just slackers!

A pirate I was meant to be - trim the sails and roam the sea!"

Resentment vs Forgiveness?

So I'm learning all about Jesus' idea on loving your enemies: the hard...very hard way.

The Koreans hate and resent the Japanese for the way they brutalised them in recent (and ancient) history. Being in Korea has given me time to unearth some strong and unloving feelings towards people who I think have done me injustice too.

Being on my own, I've allowed these feelings to fester, to grow and to be righteously justified. I don't want to love these people. In fact, I want nothing better than to plot their demise (even if I won't ever act on these ruminations) and remind myself just how badly I've been screwed over. Oh, how much fun bitterness can be.

So Jesus' ideas on love and forgiveness will always be crazy to us, because we can't see how it would benefit us. Yes, he always expects us to serve others, not ourselves. He always expects us to show integrity when no one is looking.

So I went back to the Greek and found that Jesus wasn't just talking about some schoolboy sissy enemy. He uses the Greek word echthros which means "to hate" as in "adversary, enemy, foe, hate, detest,abhor." When was the last time someone really abhorred you?

Jesus was even talking about the people who actively try to hurt you. When they persecute you, when they try to bring you harm by supernatural curses, when they threaten, mistreat and abuse. Yes, Jesus has covered His bases.

Lets face it, I'm never going to be able to conjure flowery warm feeling towards people who show me even a sliver of this. So waiting for the furry reunion is futile. Rather I've made myself act in a way that is 100% contrary to how I am feeling. I've started with a smile and a kind word, a genuine inquiry. I have a long way to go. I try to pray for them, that they will be healed and that they will prosper. I think that I am crazy for doing this, but I do it anyway.

God does something cool here. He gives me some positive feelings towards this person. He helps my unforgiveness. No social niceties can manufacture that. We can't try to forgive someone. I think only Jesus is licenced to forgive. But God gives us his forgiveness when we act loving and obedient.

One thing God didn't call us to do: He never called us to love selectively.

“Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.”

I sure as hell don't want to share in that fate.

Birthday weekend in Cheonan...

On Friday night, we went out to the Red Rooster in Cheonan to celebrate the last embers of my birthday. This pub is very "rustic cafe" for those of you from Stellenbosch...and they serve watery Korean beer in big green bottles. Well after arriving with Cara and Matt, and scaring the Koreans off from a big corner table (sometimes it helps being a foreigner), I wondered if anyone else was going to turn up.

Luckily, I was wrong. Most of my foreigner friends from KNU church put in a showing... cool kids like Betsy, Jackie, Jo, Martie, Tina, Cor, Steph, Kim, Erik, Jason, Byron, Adam and Elisa, Gordon, Alfred and a couple more made the table burst at its seams. I got a good dose of red wine and interesting conversation, and I stayed over at Cara's place. Saturday morning was MacDonald's breakfast with a side order of real Americans, the hairdresser for some non-traumatic highlights... "eye-shopping" at Yawoori, and pasta for lunch with Betsy and Kim. I watched "Stardust" with Cara at the movies and then we went to Jo's place for girl's night with delcious salady-type food and some dancing in Jo's sweltering lounge.

I think I've milked this birthday for all its worth. But it was good while it lasted.