Korea Transplant Operation - Johnny Five is A-Live!
12.10.2012 Jeonju, South Korea
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| We are definitely not in Kansas anymore, Toto! Seoul N-Tower. |
Through a
dizzying gamut of emotional extremity.”
~written
on a random Korean sweater. Many of these pearls of wisdom are hopelessly lost in translation.
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| Matters of perspective. Near the heart of Seoul. |
I wondered when the feet would begin to
itch again. And about six months into my pause, they did. I had to
hit the road once again....though, this time I needed a different
spin on it. I wanted the experience of living in a different culture
vs. passing through. I've heard much of Korea from the various
travelers on my path, and the collective opinion seemed to be: “it's
different, vivid, unforgettable and it's culture is ancient and
fascinating.” It also happened to be one of the four countries in
Asia I have not experienced yet.
After the sweltering heat of Myanmar, I
told a friend – I'd take the North Pole over Sahara any day. Be
careful what you wish for, for thine wishes might reality become so,
traveler. So here I am in Jeonju, Korea, and it's -5 C. Yes, they do
Celsius here. And they are metric. Good news. Bad news - I've
discovered that my Himalayan trekking coat is majorly insufficient
winter wear for living in a city with consistent sub-zero state and
considerable humidity.
Aside. I have never experienced a true
language barrier. Not even after crossing some 30+ borders. That
might be due to the increasing westernization of the world.
Everywhere I went, there was at least a basic level of English so
that I could get my “foot in the door” with the local language –
I could at least ask basic questions about it to delve deeper into
the lingo. Korea, it turns out, is a different matter. English is
pretty much non-existent here. That is the case with people, the
menus and business signs. The result of this? It's been less than a
week since I've arrived in Jeonju, and I have learned Korean writing
system, which is, unlike many other character-based languages,
surprisingly logical and much of the business writing is now being
romanized in a concerted nation-wide effort. So, if one can read the
characters, one can sort of understand the meaning in many cases.
I asked my director's husband, Doil,
about the reasons for the drastic absence of English in Korea, and he
explained that because of the somewhat recent Japanese rule over
Korea, most people really did not get sufficient education until
recently. His is the first generation to get a decent education and
hence, to speak a bit of English. And, here's an unexpected twist –
most Koreans, apparently, won't speak English even if they understand
it for the fear of losing face, according to Doil.
Going shopping on day two [because
surviving to day 3 in the sub-zero temps would be a stretch],
surrounded by all the sticks and circles of the language for road
markers and price tags was a trip indeed. I have to give the locals
much credit here – the people of Jeonju have been thus far very
kind and welcoming to me – I stand in gratitude for that. They have
been open to playing “charades” with me until some sort of an
understanding has been reached, which took much patience, I'm sure.
I surprised myself in just how much I could charade out in a way that
people somehow understand....Doing that for toilet paper was definitely a hit. Much giggling was elicited.
And then there was a revelation that,
apparently, the clothing prices are on par with the wealthiest
European nations. Surprise-surprise. I later asked a couple expats
here what's up with that. It turns out that in the nation psyche,
there is a compensation mechanism at work, according to their theory
– to make up for the years of poverty, Koreans now take tremendous
pride in buying expensive stuff. And not expensive for the quality.
But expensive for the sake of being expensive. Price has no relation
to quality here. Expensive = good. Your average smart phone can cost
as much as 1000$. Go figure.
On day 3, I've met the snow. I walked
along the river – among several in Jeonju – and from the pink
winter sky, the huge flakes fell upon me, dancing a silent waltz in
the yellowish street light.....It's been such a while since I've
experienced this exquisite winter mystery. There and then, I was 10
years old again, staring into the whirling crystal dance on the
purple-pink backdrop of the sky, providing my tongue as a landing pad
for the white fluffies. It's funny how these moments of piercing
beauty thread through our life, connected such different points into
one! In those moments, the illusion of time breaks down.
Even though the directors of the school
were very kind and welcoming to me, I couldn't help but feel a little
lonely and isolated in my warm and comfortable but fluorescently-lit
apartment at night.
In a serendipitous flow, I landed at a
local Starbucks. Right next to me sat a friendly-looking bearded
gentleman with intelligence glowing in his eyes. He answered his
phone, and English sounds came out. Naturally, once he was done, I
made acquaintance and found out that he hailed from Newfoundland and
has lived in Korea for 8 years. I bombarded him with questions
mercilessly. He has not only patiently answered my out-pour but
mentioned that he has been has just finished a book on the most
effective way to learn Korean. In his words, it was a book he wished
he had when he first came to live and teach here. The extremely
hands-on “Korean for Babos” by David Stewart deserves the credit
for my learning to read and write basic Korean as quickly as I did. [The book will be available online shortly - for now you can refer to his blog - linked to his name]
“Oh, by the way, if you want to come
for our weekly game night with a bunch of us nerds, we'd love to have
you!” David has generously invited me into the home of his
wonderful friends and fellow teachers. They too have welcomed me with
an open heart. And there we were – a group of English-teaching
expats pouring over a board game that was something like a cross of
Monopoly, Risk and Heroes in the middle of Korea as the snow fell
softly outside. It was simply wonderful....and so very serendipitous
and quintessentially human. The different environment and the cold
brings people together!
External cold makes strangers
Get closer to each other
And that's when they see friends
On another note, here's my favourite
bit of Korea thus far. It is the national answer to the Siberian cold
blowing over Korea. The jjimjilbangs, or the hot spring public baths.
Now, they are no ordinary baths. Ancient Rome would go green from
envy. Many have beautiful pink salt “caves,” heated to
perfection, where one can sweat on warm straw mats, some have anion
and infrared rooms, and, of course, the baths themselves – hot
pools of various temperatures, cold pools, waterfall showers, saunas
lined with pure quartz...pools filled with mugwort tissane, jet
massage, jade and amethyst rooms. Some jjimjilbangs are genuine works
of art, and each strives to provide the extra perks, such as unusual
healing rooms and pools. And here's a delightful bit about them –
one can stay overnight and enjoy them in the morning as well! A
paradise for a hot-spring lover. And all that – for fabulously low
prices. These are considered to be a necessity and hence – made
affordable. I will devote a separate article to these heavenly oases of relaxation shortly. Stay tuned!
Ok, it's that and the heated toilet
seats – that's another bit of luxury one comes to appreciate in the
piercing cold. Many “thrones of power” have as many as 16 buttons
on them. They everything but sing to you [I hear, in Japan the
toilets do that as well]. They wash [gender-specific mechanism],
fluff, dry, vibrate – you name it, your seat probably can offer you
a button for it. Naturally, I had a classic gringo experience –
before I learned to read Hangul [Korean writing system], I tested all
the buttons at random. Any outside listeners might have been
surprised by the surprised noises coming out of the bathroom.
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| Fair City of Jeonju in Jeollabuk-do - my home for the next year. The view opens up from the ancient fort that has once surrounded the city. |
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