Vacation

I will be celebrating Chuseok, the Korean Thanksgiving, this weekend, by doing a bit of camping in the mountains and then hanging at the beach for a few days. Stay tuned for a full report when I return on Wednesday!

Service

One particular aspect of Korean culture that I've grown rather fond of in my short time here is a thing called "service." It is, much like it sounds, an extra service by the proprietor or employee of an establishment for you, the good and loyal customer. This can range anywhere from a couple free bottles of Coke at the local barbecue place with dinner, to a free red bean donut at the bakery when you buy a coffee, to the situation I encountered earlier today.

This morning a Tom -- a fellow teacher -- and I went out to look for camping gear for Tom in preparation for our upcoming trip to Jirisan National Park. Those of you who had even a ten minute conversation with me anytime over the past two years know this is far from a chore for me, so I embraced it with my classic EMS-salesman-aplomb. Camping in Korea comes with a laundry list of regulations (I'll do a whole post on hiking and camping in Korea later), and actually one doesn't typically need as much technical gear as one would in The States. However, the essentials are still necessary, and Tom had few of them, so we went first to HomePlus -- essentially the Korean version of Wal-Mart -- and then to a smaller, sort of Mom & Pop camping store on the way home.

At HomePlus, we were treated to a variety of chintzy but cheap camping equipment. The salesman answered a few questions but didn't make too much of an effort, as we looked like we were just browsing. We moved on to the smaller shop, and the man staffing it was super helpful. I brought a cookset and a bottle of fuel up to him, and he told me the price. Surely that couldn't be right, I thought. I inquired as to whether or not my math was wrong. "No," he said. "This...20% off for you," he said, pointing to the cookset, and then, pointing to the gas, "and this...service." In other words, for free!

Was it because I was a foreigner? Who knows, but I can tell you I'll certainly go back for any more gear I'll need (and need more gear I will). After working at EMS for so long, and getting frustrated with every self-absorbed Upper West Side client who demands a discount, it is funny to be on the other side. However, I did not demand a discount, it was simply given to me. Perhaps because I'm just so handsome, who can tell?

Tom, meanwhile, was experiencing a serious case of sticker shock. The few pairs of boots in his size were quite expensive, so he left without getting anything (for now, at least). After we left and had walked probably 6 blocks down the street, the employee came rushing up on his bicycle, excitedly informing us that he could give Tom the boots for a mere $90, down from over $150. Still too much, but maybe next time. What a salesman!

Herb Hillz

This past weekend a few other teachers and I went to Herb Hillz, a nature-themed amusement park in southern Daegu. The park was quite a mish-mash. There was a petting zoo, an eco-adventure obstacle course, carnival games, and some very strange pop culture displays. For instance, here's the scariest Michael Jackson you've ever seen:

Naturally, we were there for the eco-adventure obstacle course. For only $17, we a ziplining harness, a helmet, and a pass onto one of seven obstacle courses up in the trees of our choosing. After signing the waiver, we had to sit through about 20-30 minutes of instruction. Of course, it was all in Korean, so we had to guess at the gist of it based on gestures and common sense. However, most of it was "here's how to use a carabiner," and "don't jump out of the trees," so it wasn't hard to follow. We were briefly tested to make sure we were paying attention (and to see how good our Korean was, perhaps?), and then it was off to the trees:

And here's a video of Matty ziplining to a graceful stop:

We walked through the fragrant herb garden and checked out the petting zoo (some goats had escaped and were running amok through the rest of the park...you know, to the extent that goats can run amok). There was also a small pool with six inflatable hamster balls, each one with a child inside. They were rolling around and knocking into each other. Naturally we wanted to try, but we were told it was kids only. I call that discrimination.

All in all, it felt very similar to a Western amusement park. The musical selection was a touch odd -- I heard, as three songs in a row, PSY's "Gangnam Style" (obviously), Vivaldi, and then a ridiculous instrumental remix of Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff." They may need to work a little bit on their transitions. One refreshing difference was the lack of litigious overtones. Aside from the waiver, there was just a general agreement that your well-being is in your hands, and that no one would be stupid enough to sue for something that they did to themselves.

One more full week of classes, and then it's the five-day Chuseok holiday. Should be a blast. Until next time!

Anachronism

Today marks the second time this week that I climbed into the Palgongsan Mountain Range to visit Gatbawi, or the Stone Hat Buddha. In spite of an hour and a half bus ride to the trailhead, I went solo on Tuesday and then climbed it again this morning with Matty, another teacher from Avalon. The Palgongsan Range stretches across a number of peaks for dozens of miles north of Daegu, and Gatbawi is located about 2,700 feet up on the easternmost accessible peak.

The pictures may make it look isolated, but it is impossible to go hiking in Korea and not have the company of at least a hundred other people along the way. There are a lot of people, and it is not a large peninsula. I remarked to Matty that the population of Daegu was about half of New York City, so the city itself was a little more breathing room than I was used to. He noted that the population of Daegu is more than all of Scotland combined. Perspective is key, truly.

I was lucky enough to make it there too early in the morning for the real crowds...

These photos may look nice now, but I suspect by the end of my year here, you will all be very tired of looking at pictures of temples.

I honestly don't quite know what my expectations were before coming out here, but nothing could have prepared me for the outright anachronism of mountain temples in Korea. Of course there is electricity and paved roads leading to many of them -- I am not that naive, but it's strange, standing on the summit, when you have this behind you:

And then in front of you, awash in the sound of Buddhist chanting coming from the mountain PA system, next to eight vending machines and a gift shop, are dozens of Korean hikers -- many of them devout Buddhists -- in their brightly colored, top of the line, the best that money can buy hiking clothes, with their cellphones and trekking poles in one hand and their Buddhist prayer beads in another.

In spite of all that, it is still a very peaceful place and an enjoyable hike. Perhaps Buddhists have just become too good at meditating and so the world is self-correcting by throwing as many distractions as possible at them. As I gazed out over the valley, the combination of the electric chanting, the invigorating smell of the mountain air and the pine forest, and the wind on my face brought me not a little bit of peace...and just as I was about to attain nirvana...someone on the temple grounds turned on a leafblower! Oh well, almost had it. Maybe next time. I will certainly be going back often.

The Gatbawi Buddha is allegedly supposed to bring you good health, but as Matty pointed out, it's probably the hour long, 2000 ft ascent that plays the major role in that. I will leave you with a shot of shot of the man himself:

Wheels

Those of you who knew me in New York City know that my bicycle was more or less my livelihood. It was my commute to work, my way downtown and even sometimes to the bars, and my saving grace when I wanted to escape the craziness of Manhattan and spend a day riding the Palisades. Korea, as a rule, doesn't seem to be as dependent on or designed for bikes as some other Asian countries, but I still see a lot of them around. Everyone from delivery men to old ladies collecting cardboard more than likely has two wheels of some sort. So needless to say, I feel quite lost and helpless without one here. I'm expected to get everywhere by walking? It's going to take me how long to get there?

Luckily, last week one of my co-workers came across a website advertising bike rentals at certain subway stops here in Daegu. This sounds pretty normal...many cities in the States have bike rental points for tourists and locals, but get this, these rentals were completely free! The only thing you need is a driver's license, and they were kind enough to give even Tom's expired and crumpled university license a pass. So Lisa, Tom, and I hopped on a bus to the closest subway stop and spent the morning cruising along the river in eastern Daegu.

You can see the nice bike path following the river to the right below. How glad I am to have a riverside bike path in my neighborhood again!

We also stumbled across the Eastern Gate of the city (destroyed by the Japanese but rebuilt a few decades ago). It is a gate only in the most historical, traditional sense, in that the city stretches for miles and miles beyond it. Let's hope the Japanese don't invade again, or those poor suburbanites are in for a rough time.

And here's another thing to add to the "That's-really-cool-why-don't-we-have-that-in-the-U.S." List. Each subway station has a little track down every staircase for you to push your bike up and down so you don't have to carry it over your shoulder. How convenient!

So of course I am now even more anxious to buy a bike for myself. There goes the bulk of my next paycheck...


That's it for now, and remember, feel free to request a blog post on any topic that you're curious about. I could always use more ideas!

One Month and Some First Impressions

Since today marks one month here in South Korea, I figured I'd finally get it together and start blogging. This will probably be a long one, but suffer through it and I'll try to make them shorter in the future. And as for the dorky blog name, I gave Phil my word that I would keep it, so stay it shall.

I have been teaching for one month at Avalon English Academy in the city of Daegu, South Korea. Daegu is the fourth largest city in Korea, with a population of 2.4 million. That is a fraction of New York City's population, but it sometimes feels even more crowded here. Here's a photo of my new home from the summit of Yongjibong Mountain, to the south.

And here's the view from the roof of my apartment building. Not too shabby. Also, my building, as demanded by the Asian custom of making everything sound cute, is named "Happy Town."

Since Korea is so mountainous, they've learned how to squeeze millions of people into small valleys. They are also quite good at putting things on top of other things. There are huge netted driving ranges many stories high all over the city. Also check out the standard Korean parking tower. Ingenious.

This is no more than a humdrum parking garage to the locals, but every foreign teacher who comes here is amazed by it. Myself included.

Here is a by no means exhaustive list -- which will hopefully be added to with each post -- of some of the good and the bad I have encountered so far.

The Good

• Cool inventions. I've had dozens of encounters already with innovative technology or customs where the reaction is always the same: "That's brilliant! Why don't we do that in the U.S.?" We have the parking towers, of course. Restaurants also have very polite, unobtrusive buzzers on every table to get the server's attention. Fast food places often have these numbered discs which they give you when you order, and then you can go about your business elsewhere, and the disc will light up and buzz when your order is ready.
• The cost of living. Considering my salary here is nearly the same as what I was making in the U.S., and my apartment is free, money goes a long way here. I can get a full dinner at a restaurant (with free refills of all the kimchi and radishes I could want) for about $3.50.
• The internet speed. Oh wow, that's a cool song, I should downlo...OH WAIT IT'S DONE ALREADY. South Korea has the second highest internet speed in the world, behind only Japan. America is in a very sad 14th place. Americans, you can tell yourselves that's why they're so much better at Starcraft than you, you know, if it helps you sleep at night.
• The hiking. Being surrounded by mountains is pretty awesome. Yongjibong, in the first picture is only an hour and a half to the top, on foot, from my door. And of course there's an outdoor gym -- free weights and ellipticals and all -- halfway up the mountain. Why? Because Korea, that's why.

The Bad

• The coffee. I'm not a huge coffee drinker, but I do partake maybe once or twice a week. I am also by no means a coffee snob, but the coffee here is bad. Really bad. Like, monumentally bad. 
• The students. Don't let anyone tell you that Asian students are more respectful than their American counterparts. There are many differences, to be sure, but teenagers are teenagers the world over, it would seem.
• No Pandora. Pandora apparently blocks free access to any IP outside the U.S. Lame!

That's it for now. I promise that my future posts will be more thematic and a less disconnected. I will leave you with PSY's Gangnam Style, which many of you may have already seen since it apparently took off like crazy in the U.S. Here I'm betting it's only another month or two from becoming the official national anthem. I hear it at least six times a day from all sorts of venues. So if you're wondering what living in Korea is like, it's like this. Exactly like this: