Friday, August 14, 2009

War Memorial of Korea

With a day off work for Korea's Independence Day (August 15th) what better way to spend it than at the War Memorial of Korea!

The War Memorial of Korea

I would have taken off for Pyeongchang with Nate and some of the Korean Teachers this weekend however I have a 5 vs. 5 soccer tournament tomorrow that I didn't want to pass up as I only have another couple of weekends left to play. So, with no work on Friday I decided to wrap up my Seoul tourism adventures at one of the last remaining spots I had yet to see.

The War Memorial Museum is aptly located adjacent to the the US Yongsan Military Base and across the street from the National Defense Headquarters (or National Security, or Homeland Defense, or something like that). From Samgakji Station, it's only a quarter mile to the museum grounds but on the short walk I must have passed dozens of uniformed officers from different services, both Korean and American. Kinda makes the whole thing seem, well, relevant.

Flowered barricade outside the Defense Building

Even though I have seen the museum before, from the comfort of a passing bus, the enormity of the structure blew me away as I entered the grounds. The massive building appears even more impending as it is set far back from the street, allowing for an enormous courtyard. Turns out, this courtyard, if you can call it that, was by far my favorite part of the whole experience.

Now that's a museum!

The outdoor exhibition area is filled not simply with green space but rather with a mass of old war equipment. Sprinkled, or more accurately, packed about the grounds are war artifacts ranging from wheeled howitzers to tanks and even a couple dozen planes. The weaponry goes on and on for what seems like an eternity with each machine larger and most impressive than the next. For anyone interested in war relics, well this would be pretty darn close to heaven!

Guns and Rockets and Missiles, Oh My!

Oooo tank tank tank tank tank!

War Memorial from under the wing of a B52 bomber

Inside a C-46 "Commando" Transport plane

Gunnin' for it!

By land, air or sea

Upon entering the museum grounds, it would be impossible not to notice the looming statue of two Korean soldiers stop a domed structure. This Statue of Brothers is apparently representative of the Korean war as we see a larger South Korean soldier embracing his younger North Korean brother....hmmm.

The Statue of Brothers

Big guns, Big people, Big buildings!

The reflecting pool looked like a nice place to take a dip and cool off as temperatures were pushing the mid 30's. I'm pretty sure the little girl in the picture was thinking the same thing that I was, but neither of us were brave enough to take the plunge. . .despite my encouraging her!

Just jump in already!

Centered in front of the museum entrance, about 200 yards closer to the street is the Korean War Monument. The symbolism is up to you do derive but the bronze statues of soldiers that surround it is actually rather moving.

The Korean War Monument

After the long hike up to the museum itself I took a rest to enjoy the scenery and the shade!

The War Memorial Peace Plaza

The Defense Headquarters (or whatever) from the War Memorial

Inside the long hallways that extend from either end of the museums wings are tall black plaques in which the names of Korean soldiers lost in battle are engraved.

The Monuments of Killed in Action

Once I finally made it inside I was happy to pay the nominal admission fee of only 3,000 though I can't say I would have paid anymore as I simply was not in the mood to be inside all day. To be honest, this three story structure is more than impressive and everything is incredibly well displayed in a number of languages. Sure, English is overlooked on some of the displays but any non-Korean speaker could easily whittle away an entire day if they cared to read all the available information. Me, well, I took the fly by tour!

The first few exhibition halls are dedicated to the Korean War only. Later rooms follow Korea's involvement in other worldly military conflicts and downstairs one can even study the entire history of warfare on the Korean peninsula! After about an hour of Korean War stuff the rest was simply too much to handle for me. I'm all for learning and reading about history but I'd prefer to do it in book format from the comfort of a nice chair in underneath the sun. The museum's skylights are great and all but really, who wants to spend their day off in a giant institutional building? Not me!

I managed to 'see' all of the displays but that's about it as I charged forth with a mission to make it outside before the sun started tipping too far down towards the downtown skyline. A few things in the museum did manage to grab my attention and hold me for an extra second which are displayed below. One that is not in the Combat Experience Room which I would recommend skipping unless you have a passion for uncomfortably loud noises and flashing lights in confined space. Not my thing, unless it's under the guise of live music.


A news clipping from the North Korean propaganda section that reads...
She's Happy. . .

because her husband is a POW--and no longer risking his life in the front lines. SHE KNOWS that he will go back to join her as soon as the armistice is singed. What About You? You may be killed or maimed any minute. That's why your mother, your wife or your sweetheart don't know a moment's peace from worry about you. Why don't you ease their minds. Why don't you make sure that you too will go home.

THINK IT OVER! RIGHT NOW!

The Koreans and Chinese are lenient to their prisoners. They guarantee you life, security and freedom from maltreatment.

I'm not quite sure what's going on here but are they asking American soldiers to turn themselves over as prisoners?

The Teardrop made of retired dog tags representing UN soldiers lost

A kids day event beneath the indoor airplane and parachute exhibit. . .odd

Well, now you know about as much as I do about Korea's wartime history! I know, I know, I'm a terrible pupil, an ever worse tourist and even worse Seoulite but come on, it was my day off and it's beautiful outside! I had wandering to do and a big plate of Pad Thai in Itaewon was calling my name. Plus, Nate and the Korean Teachers are off somewhere rafting, swimming and hopefully not getting eaten by great white sharks that have been washing up on Korea's beaches lately!

Off to bed early tonight as I have to be across the city (70 minute subway ride) by 10am tomorrow for the tourney. I believe we're guaranteed a three game minimum so even if we get rocked (our bracket is referred to as 'Hell Division' and I don't think it's because of us) I'll still get a good couple of hours in under the hot hot sun! More soccer on Sunday then back to work for my final full week of 'teaching.'

Thanks for staying tuned and sorry about falling off but it's crunch time over here and, come on, there's gotta be better stuff to read out there anyways!

Goodbye from the War Memorial!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Passing the teaching stick

Just last week I got an e-mail from my original recruiter, Scot, at Adventure Teaching, asking if I would take the time to talk about my job with a potential DYB new hire. While I've been putting off any sort of summary/wrap-up/lessons learned until I'm outta here and truly have time to reflect, I thought this would be a great opportunity to sort of step back and objectively examine the position I've managed to hold on to for a year now! To be honest I never thought I'd be offering insight to others about Korea as I myself still feel clueless, but here I am doing just that!

So, as long as I took the time to write the e-mail I figured I'd share it with you as well, ya know, just in case you're considering taking up a position at DYB's Juinggye Branch!

Below you'll find a modest evaluation and summary of, well, what exactly I've been up to since last fall. . .


____________^^___________

Hi Scot and James,

I'd be happy to answer any specific questions that James might have and if it'd be possible, it might be easier to simply give me a call (010) 8450-2258. If you're not in Korea yet James, it's real easy and cheap to make the call via Skype.

If that's not going to be possible, let me give you a little bit of background on the position that your consider as it seems to be the one that I'll be vacating in the next few weeks.

My experience at DYB as a company was fantastic. I was always paid in full and on time which, from what I've heard, is not always the case anywhere else. The staff was extremely helpful in helping me get settled in, getting my Alien Resident Card (ARC), setting up a bank account and making monthly payments into my Pension account and Health Care plan.

I was able to take my 10 allotted vacation days whenever I chose and they in fact offered unforeseen flexibility in allowing me to chose the dates. For example, changing my flight last and vacation days last minute when I realized I didnt' have the necessary paperwork to get into China. Oops!

That said, the downtime at DYB is, well, limited! Other than the 10 paid vacation days, there are only three other days off in the entire year. One for Chuseok and two for Lunar New Years. So, expect to be working and kept busy. If you're looking for a job when you can become a modern backpacking jetsetter and take off for an exotic destination every few months, this job will likely not allow that!

Okay, the job itself. I very much enjoyed working at the Junggye campus of DYB where I put in a full year. This in and of itself says something of the job as many people, even within the company, were continually moved around due to somebody's unhappiness. The staff and teachers at Junggye are easy to work with and the atmosphere is much more inviting then some other branches and hagwons. Then again, it pays befriend those in charge and I put in effort doing so right at the beginning, per the advice of the previous teachers.

Anna (A-Young), the head teacher at Junggye is wonderful to work with and will always try to be helpful though it often is difficult to see at first. My first day on the job I was handed a book and told to go 'teach.' 11 months later, nothing really has ever been clarified for me. I have never been given a list of expectations or goals and as far as I know, I'm not accountable for, well, anything really.

This has it's benefits and disadvantages obviously. For me, it was often frustrating walking from class to class to teach a room full of students whom I was totally disconnected from. As a Native Teachers, you will meet with the kids only once or twice a week which means that you're often left out of the loop as to what they're really learning with the majority of their time. This can make it hard to integrate the material that you are presenting but can also be good because it gives you the freedom to do your own thing for an hour or two.

As a previous Foreign Teacher put it, it's a real 'cushy' job. You don't have any real lesson planning and the most important thing is simply that you show up on time and look presentable. Do these things and you'll cruise through fine.

DYB also offers an 'evalution' and potential raise after the first month, followed by a six month evaluation and subsequent raise. This is definitely a bonus and really starts to add up. As a first year teacher without privates, I didn't meet a single teacher who made more than I did without working multiple jobs! Not a bad deal!

I really am still unfamiliar with the whole job opportunity scene in Korea as I was picked up by DYB first and spent the entirety of my one year in Korea there. Would I go back to DYB if I were to do it again?

As a first year teacher? Definitely, the ease of the job and amount of the money you take home at the end of the day makes it totally worth it.

Knowing what I know now? Maybe not, simply because I can stand the lack of accountability and simply not knowing what is expected from me. I'm a very goal oriented person and it was really hard for me to work at a job where I felt like I didn't accomplish anything at the end of the day other than bringing home the bacon.

Horror stories from DYB? Not one! Hilarious ones? Plenty! Mr. Lee, whom you will likely interview with or have already spoken to is without a doubt one of the most absurd characters I have ever met in my life. He takes it upon himself to keep up Foreign Teacher morale throughout the company and always manages to do so in surprisingly interesting ways! You won't get bored of the DYB Family (as it's called) as long as you keep a positive attitude!

Good Luck and I'll likely see you soon in Junggye!

Please feel free to e-mail or call me with any questions or concerns you might have!

Hope this helps!

-Adam

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Every Now and Then

Isn't it nice when things just seem to work out? Sure, other things are often simultaneously going wrong but the power of feeling good certainly does work as a trump card, every now and then at least!

What's the sudden optimism about? Oh nothing in particular. . .I just picked up a tie that I dropped off for dry cleaning after I thought I had ruined it in the rain a few weeks ago. The exciting part is not the tie itself but that it was given back to me in great condition, free of charge. Not sure exactly why I received this 'service,' as it's referred to here in Korea, there's a chance that the thing will fall apart next time I wear it due some industrial chemical that the little old ajumma used but, even so, it was a nice addition to the day! Especially after I went back in Friday to pick it up and was frustrated that the dry cleaners had closed for lunch. Good thing I caught her in a good mood today!

Kinda like my watch that's been sitting around broken for a couple of weeks. I finally took a lunch break opportunity to drop it off at a clock store just down the street. Here the man told, or more so indicated, for me to wait while he quickly whipped out a set of the most miniature tools I have ever seen. Popping in a monocle, he immediately set to work snapping off the back of the face that for the life of me I couldn't figure out how to open. Less than five minutes later he had taken the thing apart, blew everything off, put it back together, dropped in a new batter and had it set to the correct time! I was amazed at how quickly and efficiently he was able to solve something that had been bugging me for weeks as I assumed (not sure why) that I would have to find and install my own battery. On top of that, it was a mere 4,000 won for the whole deal! What a steal!

As for going right, how about the pension office?! For the past year, or (eight months months actually) I've been paying 4.5% of my paycheck to Korea's National Pension Service. With a 4.5% match from my employer, I've managed to rack up a decent sized pension here in the Hermit Kingdom. Another dark cloud that's been hanging over my pre-departure head is that of how and when will I ever collect on this. Turns out, all I needed to do was print a copy of my e-ticket out of Korea (more on that later but September 1st from Seoul to Surat Thani, Thailand in case you're interested), bring my passport and information regarding my home bank account. I filled out a brief form with information regarding a money transfer to my NuUnion account at home then bam, was sent on my way with the promise that sometime between October and November a lump sum of money, hopefully in dollars, not won, will show up in my account. Not a bad deal, though who knows it it'll actually work!?

I visited a doctor the other day and at a bargain 3,500 per consultation, well who wouldn't! Here I picked up a big ole' batch of Larium as anti-malarial protection and got recommendations for vaccinations that might prove to be, well, helpful in my SEAsia journeys. Luckily it seems I'm pretty up to date on vaccines and now need only to find the Seoul University International Clinic to get a rabies shot, just in case I decide to play with monkeys or make friends (enemies) with an unruly beach dog!

Even with a well dry cleaned tie, working watch and vaccinated immune system, I still have plenty left to do before taking off here!

I did pick up a backpack the other day but have yet to be satisfied with my decision. I went back and forth between two bags, first buying one then returning it for another I found online only a day or so later. While the second bag is exactly what I thought I was looking for, I now question whether or not the qualities I originally had in mind are those that will serve me best. Either way, I figure anything will work and the only problem I can imagine running into is running out of space in which case, it'll just be great incentive to continue to travel light! Sure, I'll have to sacrifice the normal level of hyper-organization that I travel with but who really needs to be able grab a pen in the dark anyways? It's not like you're gonna be writing with it!

I was all prepared to head to the Express Bus Terminal this past Saturday afternoon and drop of my electric guitar with Dan Shirley who had agreed to buy it for a reasonable price. Unfortunately, I got a message at the last minute saying that his girlfriend disapproved of the purchase and thus he wouldn't be able to follow through. All I have to say is, weak. Reminds me a bit of my Dad telling me a story about asking a guy at Elderly Instruments in Lansing, MI why he would have 30 guitars, to which the man responded, "Because I'm only allowed to have one wife." I spent hours cleaning her up getting ready to sell and now I'll just have to do it again, that is, if I find another buyer! While I love my '72 Classic Series Telecaster Thinline, I simply can't deal with the agony of shipping her and worrying about it for months as I travel. I'd much rather take cash in hand and then try to find the same model once I get back stateside. So, if you know anyone looking for a guitar in Korea, send 'em my way, I might even give you a cut!

My room is still cluttered with plenty of clothes that I brought over with me initially and have never worn which I now have to decided whether or not they're worth sending back home (to continue not wearing) or just leave 'em behind at a Salvation Army (or something of the sort). Along with the dozen or so books that I'm not quite ready to part with, I'll have at least a good couple of boxes packed and in transit by the time I leave!

Sold back the majority of books that I don't have a need for at a shop called What the Book in Itaewon last weekend. Here I was able to pick up three 'new' pieces that took me forever to find. I was able to put my hands one of the few John Irving pieces that I haven't yet read while also picking up my first un-assigned copies of both Mark Twain (Life on the Mississippi) and John Steinbeck (Cannery Row). I have already cruised through Steinbeck's in a matter of days and found it so enticing that I'll certainly keep an eye out for more of his as I travel through the well worn used book stores of South East Asia.

While I would love to keep my Korean driver's license as a souvenir, it doesn't seem like I'm going to be able to. When I originally picked it up, I did so in exchange for my MI one which has since been held hostage by the Korean DMV, or, I think is it Driver's License Agency? Anyways, in order to get my State ID back, which I fell will be a useful secondary form of identification while traveling, I'll need to sacrifice my Korean one. While I can respect this policy, for it likely keeps foreigners from selling them to one another, I would much rather prefer to simply have mine invalidated somehow so I can still hang on to it. . .I'll see what I can do.

Other than that, I'm pretty much set to go. I still have to look in to travel insurance which I'm certainly going to purchase but do not know yet from where. I have to get over to Lotte Mart too at some point to print out a handful of passport sized pictures to apply for visas along the way. Thailand doesn't require advanced purchase of one so I think I'll work the majority of them out once in Bangkok. I'll give the run down on where I'm going and with who at a later date as departure draws nearer. . .

So, for now, I'm just buckling in, trying to fight my way through another nine-class Monday! Only this one and one more to go before the ultimate freedom of unemployment!

Pictures from last weekend's adventure to Yeouido and the 63 Building still to come, as soon as I can steal Nate's camera from him!

Don't worry about sending any more mail as it might not make it to me in time. Thanks for anything you did ever send though, it was certainly greatly appreciated!

More from the Korean front soon. Isn't it nice when you get an update, every now and then?!