A Korean Soccer Coachy

I kid you not! He exists and I spent the entire day with him. Oh MY!!

Only a few of you out there will understand just what I mean when I say, "soccer coachy" but whatever....this will humor a few of you!

He is a student in one of my sister's classes. He recently traveled to India and now LOVES traveling and LOVES foreigners. And because we have that India connection, it makes our relationship that much more special. He isn't a bar tender...oh, it's better than that! He is a pork butcher! And he has his own pork shop! It's a tiny little shop, with four plates of cut pork in the refrigerated glass case. There is a large walk-in meat locker with several cuts of "black" pork hanging from meat hooks. Pork shops here distinguish between if they sell "white" pork or "black" pork. His family owns "black" haired pigs, so it's "black" pork. He proved it to me by showing me the black hairy ankle of a pig leg--too much information!

How do I know all this?? We had lunch with the butcher today, at the pork shop. Guess what we had? Yep, pork!!

Actually, I've been wanting a Korean BBQ, and I got it today. And it doesn't get much fresher than sitting behind the counter at a butcher shop and eating it. He served it up with a side of rice, greens, spicy sauce and sprite. It was a feast! And when we wanted more, he just opened the meat locker and cut off another slab! I'm not joking!

But the day went on! He was dead set on showing me around town. Unfortunately, today is my last day in Sokcho and I've already seen it all. I've been walking non-stop for 2 days. And the town just isn't that big. But I agreed to let him show me around. I came back to the shop after 5pm. He was curled up under a blanket sleeping behind the glass case of pork . Being a pork butcher is hard work and sometimes you just gotta sleep. Anyway, we jumped in the pig butcher pick-up truck and drove around the lake, climbed a rock, watched the sun set, visited the beach, oh no--it was starting to feel a little like a date. Thank goodness he has a girlfriend! Then he mentioned an "animal doctor" friend. So we stopped at the vet's office and ordered pizza. Lunch at a butcher shop and dinner at a vet office! Strange!

Next we were off to the Expo Tower to see the night view. Oh no!! He bought me coffee and a momento from the top of the tower. Oh no!!! And to top it off, I had been there the day before and the same English speaking attendent was working. She was laughing to herself "Wow, these American girls work fast!"

He really is a very kind guy and is extremely generous! But almost to a fault and makes me feel a little uncomfortable. And like the soccer coach, he likes to pat me on the shoulder, and at the end of the night he gave me a shoulder massage!

Oh, and he showed up at our night out eating and drinking with my sister's boss! Wow! I had three meals with him today. I'm exhausted!

Back to Seoul tomorrow!

Have you ever....?

A few weeks ago, I was practicing this grammar point with several of my classes. Here are a few questions for you:

• Have you ever eaten balsamic avocado pizza?
• Have you ever accidently trespassed onto a military compound?
• Have you ever eaten green tea cream cheese?
• Have you ever stepped on a live crab?
• Have you ever gotten your hair cut without knowing the language?
• Have you ever eaten shrimp tempura from a street stall?
• Have you ever drank soju with a soldier?
• Have you ever flipped off a group of people without knowing it?
• Have you ever been called masculine?
• Have you ever met a Toyama JET at the DMZ?
• Have you ever puked after eating at a street stall?

In the last 6 days, I can answer "Yes, I have" to all of the above, except one! Any guesses??

Here are pictures to prove some of the above. Although I don't have pictures of everything...but nobody has guessed correctly yet!

Seoul Backpackers

My first night in Seoul, I met my sister at Seoul Backpackers. They arranged to have a van pick me up at the airport because I was arriving late and public transport was no longer available. And after the 7 hour bus ride to Tokyo, the 2 hour train ride to Narita and the 2 hour flight to Incheon airport, I was thrilled to see my name on a little white sign when I entered the arrivals hall! Reserving that van was about the ONLY thing that hostel did right. And they almost forgot to charge me for it, but I'm honest. So, I'll warn you now--don't book at Seoul Backpackers on your next trip to Korea!

They have very UNHELPFUL staff and bizarre rules! Let me highlight a few of the ridiculous things that happened in the 8 hours I stayed there!

• Passport for key deposit?? I don't think so!! Okay, I didn't have cash yet, but they keep their key deposit book, and therefore my passport, sitting on a shelf in the office! I got cash from my sister, but that wasn't enough they decided. I had to give them US dollars too! Besides that, they knew I needed my passport for the DMZ tour....
• We booked a DMZ tour through their office. The tour was picking us up at 7:30. But the hostel office doesn't open until 8am (couldn't have gotten my passport back in time-hmm?). And breakfast isn't until 8:30! So no free breakfast if you want a tour! Lame! And get this, if you need to check out, you have to do it the night before. WHAT?? So, we are supposed to give our key, bring down any luggage we need to have stored and check out before 1am!! I arrived at 11pm. There was no way in HELL I was bringing my bags back down in 2 hours, so I could get up at 7am! So, we kept the keys, left our bags by the door and hoped for the best!
• They have a dog! I love dogs, but as soon as the lock the office and leave, it starts barking, and barking, and barking! OMG!
• Dorm Beds--I'm over them! It was a great way to travel when I was a student and needed to conserve money, but I have a job now. Dorm beds with snoring dorm mates is NOT acceptable. It's time to move on.
• It smelled! Not like kimchee, as many of you may think, but like sewer! Maybe worse!

It was a miserable first night in Korea! I really don't recommend this hostel. Avoid it! Maybe it was just my experience, but seriously, the staff I encountered were incompetent! I've stayed at MANY cheap hotels/hostels in many countries on 5 continents and Seoul Backpackers ranks as one of the worst!

Ulsanbawi Rock 873m

Today I ventured to Seorak-san National Park, just 30 minutes from Sokcho. I left later than I wanted to but I didn't have any specific plans! It was a good thing too! Everything always works out perfectly if you let it.

I jumped on a local bus and headed to the national park at 10:30am. I arrived at the Welcome Gate a little after 11am. My entrance ticket and map in hand I navigated through 100's of Korean High School students on a school trip and visited a huge new bronze Buddha statue. It looks a lot like the Buddha in Kamakura, Japan! Just a few steps from the statue is a beautiful old temple that dates back to 652, but of course was rebuilt and then later destroyed by the Japanese and rebuilt again in the 1800's.

I didn't feel like reading the guide book. So I just followed the signs to a "rock" a few kilometers up the path. I had no idea what I was going to find. But when I arrived at Gyejo-am, I heard buddhist chanting over the loud speakers and saw a soft cream machine! This sight has been used for the last 1,300 years by meditating monks. I think the speakers and soft cream machine are a relatively new addition to their hillside hermitage. I hope they they had that machine helicoptered in, because I'm not sure how anyone would carry it! The "rock" was actually kind of cool. It is a boulder sitting on top of another large boulder. It is situated so that even one person can rock it! Just push on it a few times and it starts rocking! But apparently, even dozens of people can't budge it from it's perch!

From this point, I could see the trail kept going up. And I could see the red ladders bolted into the side of a craggy outcrop of rocks! Yikes! I really wanted to tempt it, but wasn't sure I should go alone. Just as I was pondering the ascent, a married couple approached me, motioned up toward the rock and motioned that I should follow them! Perfect! If they can do it, I can do it! And we did!

The next two hours were amusing. The couple didn't speak a word of English and I can't speak a word of Korean. So we stuck to hand gestures. The husband liked to stop and point out interesting rock formations or show me how bad the erosion is around the cedar trees. We made it to the top of Ulsan-bawi with lots of short breaks, lots of quiet silences and lots of hand motioning! It was really very cute! At the top they bought me a cup of ginseng tea. It tasted a bit like medicine, but my water was almost out, so I happily downed it! I followed them all the way back down and we parted with "thank yous" outside the bathroom.

Even though I had been warned that the cable car was nothing special, I decided to take it up the other side of the valley anyway! It was a nice view of the rock outcrock I had just climbed and another view of Sokcho and the ocean. I sat and drank green tea in a cute little coffee shop. And talked with a Korean boy who goes to school in Manila and speaks excellent English! He said he rather be playing video games, but he didn't seem to be complaining either! I know I wasn't! I didn't have a single complaint all day!

I'm fed, showered and enjoying some quiet time back at my sister's apartment! Not sure what adventure is in store for tomorrow....lighthouse, fish markets, the lake! Who knows!

I love being on vacation!

The DMZ and Beyond

I've been in Korea a total of 2 full days! I haven't visited any temples, palaces, or museums. I haven't eaten dog, but I've already had enough kimchee to last a lifetime. And I've learned a few interesting things.

1) In the minds of the South Koreans, North Korea is not a seperate country. Korea is a divided nation. And they hope for reunification very soon. They are so sure it will happen, they have built a train station and welcome center at the border. They are hoping that as soon as the border opens, they will have train service to China, Russia and one day Paris! Currently, it is empty and only used as a backdrop for tourist photos!

2) Elementary school students can speak English in Korea! It's amazing. I attended 4 elementary/junior high classes with my sister yesterday and they can communicate! And they don't hesitate or pause. They all have English at school every week and if they are taking classes at my sister's school they have an additional 5 classes a week! I met a high school student who takes 19 English classes a week. Twelve at school and 5 after school with my sister! OMG!

3) Koreans are still VERY angry at Japan. I was drinking last night with a Korean soldier. He said Japan has a "disregard" for the Korean people. I think everyone was hoping I'd say something horrible about the Japanese, but I couldn't. I think they were disappointed. But they agreed, that the people aren't bad, it's the government. Similarly, they can drink with Americans but hate the American government. The soldier said, "No Comment." Today he is going to train with the US Military. He wasn't looking forward to it! The picture of the gun shop is from Sokcho, I'm not sure if it's a shop or a museum or what. But they had A LOT of scary guns! Because Sokcho is so close to the border, there are a lot of military--even on the beach!

I've taken some pictures, but can't load them to my sisters computer. So I'll try to get her to load some! In the meantime....I'm off to another day of co-teaching!

JHS Graduation

Yesterday was Junior High School graduation. It was a bitter sweet snowy day. It was super exciting to see all of them get ready to go off to high school. But I really liked my 9th graders. Well, most of them anyway! They finally know enough English to want to communicate. And they are finally coming into their own so they are more fun to communicate with. They have personality! They are funny- the boys especially!! The girls are little too much sometimes--standing in front of the mirror perfecting their hair. I remember those days and I wish they would get over it. They aren't impressing anyone!

I attended my small school's graduation ceremony. There are only 28 students in the graduating class. They are my favorite class ever. I loved them all. I'm gonna miss them the most.

After the graduation ceremony I said my good-byes and drove across town to my big school. There are over 120 students in that graduating class. I got there in time to wander the parking lot taking gazillions of pictures with the kids. I'm gonna miss these kids! The school just isn't the same without them.

And these are my mondaiji boys. I haven't had a single discipline issue at my school, except with the boy in the letter jacket. He wrote "fuck you" on an assignment. So I got to "talk" to him in the teachers room. Honestly, I really enjoyed it! Partly because it's really not that big of a deal! I made sure to tell him it was perfect English and that he could use it outside of school, but not on assignments! Some lucky ALTs get these boys in April!

A few weeks ago, I had my last class with my special needs student. She barely speaks Japanese, let alone English. So, I decided it was time to actually be productive. We made fudge for our lesson. She distributed it to all the teachers and staff. I think they were pleasantly surprised!

I'm off to Korea this weekend! I might try to post a few blog enteries from yon sama land! So stay tuned!

日本人わな or 外国人わな？

We call it a "gaijin trap" because gaijin, foreigners, are always getting their cars, bicycles, arms and legs stuck in the water ways that line the streets and sidewalks in the inaka, countryside. These water ways are part of a massive drainage system used to irrigate the rice paddies and other fields. But they are a serious hazard because they are often left uncovered. People slip in, fall in, drive their cars in or simply aren't watching where they are going and walk right in. But last night we witnessed an unusual event. One of our Japanese friends drove straight into one. I think she thought she could pop right over it. Acutally, she didn't see it at all and drove right in. Her left tire hit it first and wedged itself right down in there, just an inch about the water line. Her back right tire was up off the ground. Her car became a see-saw! We bounced on one end trying to pop the other up, but we didn't have enough weight. We tried to lift it up from the front end but we didn't have enough muscle power to actually lift the engine! So we called in more forces. John was having a party with three of his teachers, all women! They joined in. We got it to budge but we needed more. A factory bus drove by with all it's workers inside and didn't even stop to say hello. Meanwhile, it's snowing and freezing outside! We tried the jack with no luck. We stopped the next vehicle that drove by. A Russian and a Japanese man jumped out. We all grunted, "say no," the Japanese equivalent of "1,2,3,go!" Nine people grunted, screamed, cursed and pushed and we lifted it out of the mizo, drainage gutter. There was a lot of cheering, a lot of high 10's, and a lot of hugging! It was like we had just won the SuperBowl!

Be careful!

Day #13 Tsugaike, Nagano

I wasn't about to give up that easily! I leave for Korea next Saturday, so today really might have been my last day. It was our first time at Tsugaike. It is 40 minutes up the road from Seaside and was about 5degrees colder, but it was still a VERY warm 9degrees C. The snow was slushy, but it was another sunny beautiful day. And slush really isn't that bad. We waxed up before hitting the slush and we didn't have any problems at all. We took today nice and slow. Lots of breaks. Lots of adjusting. Lots of talking. Today Jimmy, Ryuichi, and Renee joined us. Unfortunately we lost Renee after the first run and didn't meet up with her until the end of the day. The downside to Tsugaike--too many runs! It's huge. We got lost! But we found two board parks and tried a few more jumps! Yeah! We are getting bolder! Now, we need an all girls snowboard camp.

And Tsugaike has a helicopter pad on the hill. You can go back country snowboarding!! That's my goal for next year. Fun!

My camera ran out juice on the hill. So I'm posting Jimmy's pics! Thanks!

International Women's Day

International Women's Day is the universal day that connects all women around the world and inspires them to achieve their full potential. IWD 2006 launches another year of working progressively for women's equality worldwide. It is an important day around the world because the collective power of women is witnessed by milions, and the brave achievements of women past, present and future are respectfully honoured. International Women's Day 2006 will be celebrated globally on Wednesday 8 March. Join the action !!

What is it? Why celebrate it?
An international celebration of education and empowerment around the world, International Women's Day (IWD) marks a celebration of the economic, social, cultural and political achievements for women.

The first IWD was held on 19 March 1911 in Germany, Austria, Denmark and further European countries. German women selected this date because in 1848 the Prussian king had promised the vote for women. Subsequently over one million leaflets calling for action on the right to vote were distributed throughout Germany before IWD in 1911. Now IWD is always celebrated on 8 March and is an occasion marked by women's groups around the world. This date is also commemorated at the United Nations and is designated in many countries as a national holiday. Women in every country, often divided by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic and political differences, come together to celebrate this important date that represents equality, justice, peace and development.

International Women's Day is the story of ordinary women as makers of history; it is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women seeking to participate equally in society on an equal footing with men. In ancient Greece, Lysistrata initiated a sexual strike against men in order to end war; during the French Revolution, Parisian women calling for "liberty, equality, fraternity" marched on Versailles to demand women's suffrage.

The idea of an International Women's Day first arose at the turn of the century, which in the industrialized world was a period of expansion and turbulence, booming population growth and radical ideologies.

Until women are fully represented at senior leadership levels of public, professional and economic life, women do not have equal rights nor an equal voice.

*Taken from IWD

Day #12, India Festival and Birthday Festivities

I think Saturday was finally the end. It’s been warm and beautiful all week. I feel hayfever coming on. I don’t think we are going to have any more snow, at least not down here. I’ve never been so disappointed to see spring! But Saturday was another GREAT day on the mountain. We practiced jumping and the half-pipe all day! The regulars are becoming more bold with us. The parking lot attendants, ski lift workers, and cooks always greet us now and we are starting to make friends with other boarders. Yippee!

Colare had an India festival last weekend. It opened with a North Indian Classical music concert on Friday night and closed with an Indian Classical dance performance on Sunday night. I attended both. On Friday night when the musicians walked onto stage and started tuning the sitar and tablas, my eyes welled up. There is something about those sounds and then when they start playing, their expressions! It really made me miss India and the energy it exudes. There were two Japanese musicians and one Indian man. The Indian tabla player was so expressive. The other two were into their music but not the same way. His entire face contorted with excitement and pleasure in his own music. He also controlled the group, sped them up, slowed them down, got them energized and calmed them at the end of each piece. And he got me pumped. You could tell he loved what he was doing. You could tell he wasn’t thinking about anything else. You could tell he was in love with the moment and the experience. And so was I! I go crazy for that shit. It wasn’t the best classical music concert I’ve seen, but it was good!

The other highlight of the India festival-they printed about 35 of our pictures to display in the entry! So walking in really did feel like going home, we got to see our own pictures blown up! It was really cool!

On Saturday night Kanako, Jamie & I celebrated our birthdays at our favorite bar- Koshi! The Koshi boys poured the drinks and for two hours we had a free flowing fountain! A ton of people showed up and it was really fun to see everyone and live it up! I got an extra large bar of chocolate and made everyone try it! I’m not sure what happened to it, I think I left it on a table somewhere. I hope someone took it home! I had big baking plans for it! I got a lot of birthday love from everyone! I couldn’t have asked for more. HG tried to crash at my apartment, but fortunately I already had guests! I think that mondaiji had to walk home to Asahi. Zannen desu ne!

On Sunday I cooked up some India food and watched a mediocre dance performance before going to my JTE's house for dinner. She originally invited me for a hina matsuri, girls day, doll viewing. But it turned into a birthday party. She has the two cutest girls in the world. And they sang happy birthday to me. Thinking about it in the car on my drive home made me cry! It was so so so sweet. And I think for the first time it made me realize that when I do leave on August 1, 2007 (yes, it will happen), I might be sad!

ホ当に 行きたい！

Girls Snowboarding Camps:

Burton All Girls Snowboard Camps

Girlie Camps for Girls

Roxy Snowboarding Camps

I REALLY want to attend an all girls snowboarding camp. I can practice on my own and have fun getting down the mountain, but I really need some instruction. I need to know what I'm supposed to do! My list of "things to do in this life" is already long, but I'm adding "attend an all girls snowboarding camp." Who else is in? It can be part of the surfing/snowboarding safari.

Anyone know of any girls camps in Japan?? Or anywhere in Asia for that matter? I'm not opposed to snowboarding in the Swiss Alps or Canadian Rockies, but it takes so long to get there and a lot of money too! Oh, I heard there was snowboarding in Iran. I want to add that to my list too. Anyone in??

HELP NEEDED!!

I mentioned my new international room awhile back. Well, here it is. It looks pretty pathetic!! I need help. My book shelf has a few books, but not nearly what it needs. And my game shelf includes scrabble and bingo. Scrabble has already been a big hit, but that probably won't last long. As of right now, I have no budget for this room. Help!! If you have ANY old board games or see some at goodwill...please send them! I'll send a Japanese goodie in return, a little thank you present! And all you local readers, when you are cleaning out your apartments--let me know if you have any appropriate games, books, magazines, posters, CD's, toys, etc! Consider it a donation to a good cause...international education!