Teaching is Hard!

OK, so today is the first day. Halloween. Introductions. Doesn't seem too hard, but it is exhausting. Things here are totally disorganized. Everyone is running all over like crazy. Maybe it is because it is a new school, maybe it is because it is the first day. Probably both, but I need some organization and some training would be nice too. I am currently learning on my feet and making up lesson plans as I go. It is fun and challenging, but definitely exhausting. The kids are like sponges and learn really fast. They are super cute, but I wish they weren't so shy. I'm ready for a 2% beer.

This post is sponsored by the letter ㅌ (t as in tag).

설 악 산 국 립 공 원 - Seoraksan National Park

I am much faster at typing in English, so I think I will stick to that for the remainder of the post.

Friday was a good day. We got reimbursed for our airfare over here, which we paid for out of pocket. That was really nice. It was also nice just because it was Friday.

설 악 산 국 립 공 원 (cut and paste) was awesome. We left right after work (9pm) for Sokcho. Public transportation here is way nicer and cheaper than the states. The bus system is bitchin'. Think first class airplane seat that does not stop until it gets to your destination. We made an under the table deal with two nice ladies at the bus station at two in the morning. They lent us a room built on the back of their house for a nominal fee. In the morning we looked at the other side of the Pacific and headed for the park. There we met a few thousand Korean tourists and joined them for a hike. It was quite nice hiking with such a large group of friends.

We spent the night at a mountain hut with 12 dudes that snored really loud and another couple dozen that didn't. They all got a freakin' early alpine start and then they didn't start, they just hung around outside in the sub-freezing weather for a long time. We got up last and left first for the summit of Daecheong-bong. After climbing stairs (both granite and metal) for three hours we made it to the top. At another mountain hut near the summit we joined some Koreans for beer, snickers, popcorn and ..... dried shredded squid. I had to try the dried shredded squid and immediately realized it was a bad choice. At least I had the beer to chase it down.

Four hours of hiking through beautiful fall colors, granite box canyons, and gorgeous crags got us back to even bigger crowds. Form there it was a nice long bus, taxi and subway ride home to my bed.

Today's blog is sponsored by the letter ㅎ (h as in him).

Waterfall in the Cheonbul-dong valley.

Mel and I on the summit of Daecheong-bong (1,708m), Seoraksan NP.

Crags of Biseon-dae. There are some routes on both peaks.

Weekend plans

This weekend Mel and I are planning to head to Seoraksan NP for some backpacking.  They have granite, but we are just taking light packs to check it out and do some hiking.  Supposedly the fall colors are absolutely the best in Korea.  It is a four hour bus ride from here and we are leaving on a late bus after we get off work tonight.  Heading back on Sunday.  I am really looking forward to checking out the real Korean mountains.

The latter part of the week in Ilsan has been good.  We are still eagerly awaiting our visa trip to Japan.  Five more foreign teachers arrived.  Tom is from Arizona, Mark is from Connecticut, Simon is from Sydney and the couple Rick and Sophia are from London.  Work is good with more placement tests for the now 100+ students, preparations for opening day and figuring out all that we will be doing once the actual teaching starts on Monday.  We repotted our dendrobium orchid, which Desiree kindly identified for us.  I got this kick-ass pot for $5 including soil.  Korean food continues to amaze me with its sheer quantity, incredible flavors and cheapness!

Two dollar pints!

Yesterday was Tuesday.  Most of you know that my Tuesday evenings traditionally involve Corvallis' best drink special, the $2 pint.  It turns out that Ilsan has a similar drink special.  The 2,000wan pint!  At the current exchange rate that is $1.88902 for 500cc of makchu.  The only problem is the quality of the beer (not as good as Oregon).  It also turns out that when you get off work at 10pm it is really easy to stay out until 3.  Mike joined us on our journey to three bars and we finished the night at the brewery.  I vaguely remember descending the up escalator and deciding it would be better to be on the down escalator.  I just vaulted and flailed my way on over there.  I wish I had a video of that move.  It would really make my mother proud!

This morning I remembered why I really don't drink that much (especially whiskey shots)!  I woke up at 8 feeling great, but rapidly descended into the depths of total hungoverness.  I nearly vomited all over one of my favorite restaurants when I walked in to the overwhelming aroma of fish sauce.  Not the ideal morning scent.  I am finally starting to function normally again.

Mission Accomplished

We found some granite in Bukhansan NP Saturday morning.  It is fairly easy to get there, but it took us awhile due to our inexperience with Korean mass transportation.  The subway system here is huge and was not too hard to figure out.  the bus system is nearly incomprehensible, but we will get the hang of that too.  Anyway, we made it and the park is beautiful especially with all the wonderful fall colors.  The downside is that people swarm the place like locusts, but once we made it onto the climber's trails there was nobody to be seen.

The granite of Insubong is coarse and relatively unweathered.  Pretty similar to J-Tree.  The climbing was fun and definitely worth the trip.  We shall return.  Mostly it was just nice to get out of the city and move around.  later that evening we explored Seoul a bit with Jenny and Nicole (both friends from Corvallis) as our guides.  Seoul is crazy and it was nice to see some familiar faces.  More on Seoul when I get more familiar with the city.  Right now it is totally overwhelming.

Sunday night we checked out Ilsan (the city we live in) with a Korean teacher at our school, Jennifer.  She was a great guide and took us to a Bellagio-esque fountain.  It played everything from ABBA to Korean 80s rock and sprayed water all over in time with the music.  Then we hit a brewery!  I was so stoked to drink real beer.  Still not up to Oregon standards, but definitely better.

Fall colors and granite boulders in Bukansan NP.

Insubong dome crawling with climbers in Bukhansan NP.

View from the crag. This is a VERY small part of Seoul!

Flower Identification Test

Mel and I got this orchid on the street and are wondering what type it is. Any assistance in this matter would be most appreciated. 

This one too

This is our other plant that we do not know the name of.

Eating and Driving Experiences

Had an interesting experience last night at a bar. Four of us were drinking and the drunk owner decided to befriend us. After some very broken conversation we realized that he wanted us to translate his Korean menu into German (it was supposed to be a German pub). Between the four of us we were fluent in English, french, Italian,and Spanish, but neither Korean nor German. As a token of his new found friendship he brought us four 6" fish dried hard. We politely declined, but he insisted. He proceeded to tear the head off a fish and rip it in half length ways. None of us were about to follow suit, but he being the savvier person knew this and shoved half the beheaded dry fish into my hand and the other into his mouth. He insisted that I to the same. After a liberal application of chili sauce and a promise by Melanie that she would attempt the feat as well I took the plunge. It was bad. Melanie almost vomited (second time this trip) and some quick distraction enabled her to spit the fish into a napkin.

Best driving move seen to date. Four lane each direction read intersection with four lane each direction road (big ass busy intersection). Motorbike with passenger is waiting to turn left a red light. He swings into oncoming lanes filled with cars and buses turning from the cross road and makes his left turn into the oncoming lanes right between two buses. After weaving through oncoming traffic he merges across all four lanes of heavy traffic and is out of sight - alive.

Kiss

When I tell Koreans that my name is Keith they think that I am saying Kiss. The reactions are wonderful. From women giggling like school girls to trashed men in business suits trying to kiss me.

The power is back on in our apartment and the gas is on, so we can cook now. I may have figured out how to use the washer/drier combo thingy in my kitchen. At least I have not destroyed any clothes yet. We are buying plants for our house. I will post pictures of them to my blog in a bit. If anyone can identify them for us that would be great. They told us the names of the plants in Korean, but it wasn't particularly helpful. Other breaking news: Got a Korean bank account at finebank. The double entendre is awesome.

Our School! 

Success

So the open house for the school went well yesterday and 70+ students signed up. Everyone around here is a lot less stressed, which is a good thing. As the ultimate de-stresser about 40 of us went out for Korean BBQ and beers. Korean BBQ is awesome! They bring you big plates of raw meat and you grill it right in the middle of the table. Once the meat is cooked the table appointed griller cuts the meat into small strips with scissors. Everyone has lettuce or giant mint leaf in one hand and chopsticks in the other and makes a wrap inside the leaf. Meat, Big garlic slices, marinated sweet onions, and a spicy peanut sauce (unlike any condiment I have ever tasted before) all go in the wrap. It is soooo good! By the end of the night everyone was trashed (because of the soju) and Mike (a teacher from Ohio) ended up spending the night in front of his door because he lost his keys somewhere along the way. Mel and I arrived home to find that the power in our flat had been turned out.

Job Security

Today is a big deal. Currently there is one student enrolled in our school. This afternoon there is going to be a giant open house with 200+ parents to see if they want to send their kids here. I think it will go well, but apparently the similar open house at the other branch of the school in Incheon went poorly and very few students signed up, so there is a bunch of pressure to have things go smoothly this afternoon.

Yesterday, Mel and I went for a 6-mile run around the big lake in downtown Ilsan. All the paths around the lake are paved with track rubber and it is a really nice park. We started our first day of work at one and were at school, doing basically nothing, until nine. So far there are four other english teachers. Three Canadians and one other American. They seem fine. After work I, of course, had a serious migrane. Not being one to let down the group I went for beers. I hate soju, the Korean national spirit. It is basically 40 proof cleaning fluid. Heineken makes a dark beer that I accidentaly ordered and then paid $8 for. Pretty spendy beer. I also found Hitte Dark. The best stout I have ever had under 4%!

Glad to hear that the beavs won!

Weird Shirts

They sell this shirt to kids at our school! 

Apartment in Korea

 

Address

102-1412
Brownstone Building
1330, Backseok-dong, Ilsandong-gu
Goyang-si, Kyoungii-do
Korea
Postal Code 411-817

Arrived

Well I am in Korea now. Flight over was long but smooth. Singapore airlines is the bomb! Hot towels, complimentary toothbrushes, socks, video games and 60+ movies to choose from. Highly recommended. Also recommended is the movie, "The Emperor's Journey." Penguins kick ass! Our apartment is nice on the 14th floor of a 15 floor building. It is brand new with a bunch of high tech gadgetry that we have no idea how to use because everything is in Korean, which I have a very hard time reading. The apartment also has a giant window which looks out toward the granite. I can see it, but I have yet to lay hands on it.

Breakfast: Wow, great first experience with Korean food. As near as I can tell it was like the Korean equivalent of a Denny's, except the food was really good. Both Mel and I ate for the equivalent of $5. Kimchee (spicy kraut), Kimbap (like sushi, but cooked and no fish), and a great soup. Melanie is on total veggie vacation for the time being. We have no idea what we are ordering.

School: I am sitting in the greeting area for ENCT (our school) right now. It is still under construction, but appears as though it will be ready to go in two weeks. It is a mini "American" village with a bank, post office, library, theatre, shopping mall, etc. Looks like it will be a great way to teach English! This is going to be awesome!

Links:
Our School: http://enct.co.kr/
Our City: http://www.goyang.go.kr/fl/index_eng.html - Check out the granite pictures. Culture button then leisure button.

Partay!!

The going away party was a raging success! There were 45ish people that showed up and most of the keg was consumed. Absolute best part was the going away present conceived of by Colleen. She thought to get Mel and I a Cascades calendar and have everyone write raunchy stuff and put their birthdays in it. DJ put the funniest stuff of all in with her entry, "Rabbits are an american sign of reproductive success." 

Turned In!

I turned in my thesis today!  It feels so good to finally be done!  Mel and I jsut went to lunch at Magenta and had a bottle of wine in celebration.  The next two weeks will be an awesome whirlwind of getting ready for Korea and saying goodbye to everyone.

Katie's Memorial Climb

Logan, Desiree, Ariel, Louie, Jasmine, and Greta reveling in the presence of so many good friends. - Keith Pearen

The memorial climb for Katie went incredibly well despite deteriorating weather. 17 of us climbed to 8,500' on S. Sister and spread Katie's ashes. We also dedicated a small plaque in her honor. It can be found on a 4' high boulder at the previously mentioned elevation. It was so nice to spend a day with many of Katie's closest friends. The positive energy and spirit of Katie was palpable. All-in-all this could not have gone better and was the best tribute to Katie that I can imagine.