I've been wanting to do a "what I've been up to" post, but can't seem to gather my thoughts enough to make it happen. Decided today would be the day. Now there are Korean men all over my apartment drilling holes and opening cupboards. Not sure what half the stuff is for. At least I'm here; I'd be slightly weirded out if I came home and found all this. The perils of a brand-new apartment.
Ever so slowly, I feel like I'm settling in. Still feel large amounts of dread on my way to school in the morning, but classes aren't that bad. I'm still pretty inept, but also feel like the first light of dawn is appearing in my mind. I can do this, and do it well, I just don't know how yet. My lessons this week are not exciting, but (with a little help from my friends) they are fairly focused and possibly even useful. Besides refining my lesson-writing, I need to learn to deal with exceptions. I scrapped the plan for one class today and gave them dictation because their behavior was so awful. I don't really foresee this changing much, though, so will need an effective way of dealing with it in future. It's the age-old problem--it's not fair to the kids who do want to learn to have them on "punishment plans" all the time, but carrying on in the midst of a cafeteria atmosphere is annoying and difficult for everyone, and it makes me look like a buffoon. Then there's also the issue of the really good classes--I'd like to do something really engaging with them--and having a stable of good activities for when the lesson's done before the class period is. On top of it all, I'd like to be more "ahead of the beat"...having priorities and addressing them rather than teaching the arbitrary language feature I'm assigned each week. I want to work more pronunciation practice into my plans, since that's the most significant point of difference between me and the Korean teachers.
On a more fun note, I got the heck out of Seoul this past weekend--much sooner than I'd expected to. Lonely Planet says precious little about Sokcho, and I had my objectives lined up accordingly...use Sokcho as a gateway and get into Seoraksan National Park as quickly as possible. Fortunately, that's not what happened. Sokcho is certainly not glamorous, but there's enough to do there to make it a destination in its own right, and it's immensely likeable. Maybe a little like Rochester. All Ramsey & I kept saying was how good it felt to be there. It's quieter, smaller, more personable, more open than Seoul. You can cross the street without a light. People kept stopping to talk to us and give us directions, and one lady, when she heard we wanted to go to the beach, just gave us a ride. There was some kind of street party going on--the main street was closed to traffic and lined with booths and people were singing and hamming it up on a big stage while a crowd in plastic chairs clapped and hooted. Add some blond hair and it could have been Iowa. Teaching there would mean sacrificing some of the expat support network, but maybe that wouldn't be so bad...it definitely seemed a place I could live. Like NYC I suppose, Seoul is a fun adventure, and obviously people do make a life there, but it's a bit too jarring for me to deal with on a permanent basis. Plus, set between dramatic mountains and a real sand beach with waves, Sokcho is awfully inviting.
The practicalities of the trip were a piece of cake, too. Buses leave from Seoul every 15 minutes, so you can show up at the terminal whenever and be on your way almost immediately. The ticket is the equivalent of $13 (it's approximately a 3-hour trip), the bus is comfy, the drive is scenic, and it's all rather enjoyable. As far as accommodation, I was prepared for anything, but for 30 bucks (the standard rate all over Korea), you get a room that's not significantly different from what you'd find in Europe, and possibly better appointed. There's A/C, a mini fridge with complimentary water in it, soft (if small) towels, and an array of toiletry products on the dresser. In some places, you sleep on the floor, but that's not as brutal as it sounds, just the way Koreans traditionally did it.
Seoraksan was misty and pretty; my second encounter with Korean hiking. Koreans LOVE to hike, so the trails are always extremely busy, but also very well-maintained. We went to Ulsanbawi, an incisor of rock bursting from the landscape that's scalable only with rope and harness. Until they built a staircase on it. Maybe it's a different attitude toward these things, or maybe it's just that most of the eminences in this country are ridiculously steep, but Koreans don't let forbidding landscape deter them from going where they want to go. Cables, ropes, and stairs are a fundamental part of hiking here. So are stores and food stands. There's an element of Disneyland in Korean nature...we kept wondering who trucks all those supplies up there. You can truly get away from it all, but you have to hike in a significant distance, probably more than a day. Offsetting all of this is the temples. I believe it's because Buddhism has a rocky history here, and temples were for a long time banished from population centers, but you don't have a park without a temple. And even though they're crawling with people, they are places of prayer and worship, and they do have a bit of mystique surrounding them, so you can be still and connect with it all if you want to.
Two days after the climb, my calves are still a bit stiff, but as grueling as these trails are, you routinely pass grannies and small children, so I'd better get myself in shape.
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