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
Showing posts with label DYB Junggye Branch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DYB Junggye Branch. Show all posts
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Raid
For the second consecutive day we are being sent home before 10:00pm as the police are coming to 'raid' our academy. According to Korean law, hagwons are not allowed to operate after ten o'clock in the evening. Ours, DYB Choisun Academy, and numerous others show blatant disregard for this statute and stay open much later.
The penalty for being 'caught' is unbeknownst to me but I can't really imagine it being that harsh as nothing in Korea seems to penalized all that seriously. Except of course for making poor grades on mid-term test. However, I don't hesitate to wonder just what would happen if one of the raiding officers took it upon themselves to actually examine one of the numerous schedules posted around the building that clearly evince our illegal hour of operation. . .hmmm.
I have no idea how we know about these 'raids' but I suppose it's good for business that someone is informed ahead of time. Whether this is done intentionally or rather behind close doors, as some suggest, it means only one thing for us FT's. . .going home early!
So, without further ado, I'm outta here!
Happy Weekend!
The penalty for being 'caught' is unbeknownst to me but I can't really imagine it being that harsh as nothing in Korea seems to penalized all that seriously. Except of course for making poor grades on mid-term test. However, I don't hesitate to wonder just what would happen if one of the raiding officers took it upon themselves to actually examine one of the numerous schedules posted around the building that clearly evince our illegal hour of operation. . .hmmm.
I have no idea how we know about these 'raids' but I suppose it's good for business that someone is informed ahead of time. Whether this is done intentionally or rather behind close doors, as some suggest, it means only one thing for us FT's. . .going home early!
So, without further ado, I'm outta here!
Happy Weekend!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
300 Down!
As you might have guessed from the above title, today marks my 300th day in Korea! This is exciting not only because it's such a pretty round number but because it means that I have (approximately) only 65 days left here in the Hermit Kingdom. In order to honor this momentous event, I figured I owe at least some sort of update. Not having anything extraordinary planned to mark this hallowed day, what you'll find below is simply a concoction of recent, yet unreported events. Bear with me here!
First on the list are the events that transpired this past weekend under the guise of a DYB 'membership training' seminar. Early last week, I was approached by Anna about two issues. The first was that we were to begin an office wide Secret Santa like game, maniddo, where each teacher is supposed to surreptitiously shower another with gifts assistance and praise. Of course, my initial question was how this is supposed to remain a secret as the later two seemingly require some sort of interpersonal interaction. Unable to find anyone willing to answer my question, I quickly gave up on the matter figuring it would be to my maniddos disadvantage if they didn't take the time to explain it to me!
Turns out I was lucky enough to draw Terry which made associating with my maniddo less strenuous as I had imagined it could be had I chosen one of our numerous employees that I simply do not interact with on a daily basis. To get my showering of gifts over with quickly I simply asked Terry to come out for chicken and beer (if you haven't figured it out by know, this a Korean standard, don't ask why, it just is) and insisted on picking up the check. This was not an all together easy feat as she out ranks me in both age and status which, in this Confucian society, means that I am in no way obliged to be covering the tab. Even so, I was able to complete my mini-mission and make it even more convincing by talking the whole time about how I don't know what to do for my maniddo. How mendacious of me, right!?
The second matter of business that Anna addressed us all about on Tuesday was the weekend's upcoming 'membership training' seminar. While few details were disclosed at that time, Anna insisted that it would have three parts, 'dinner,' a 'serious part,' and then lastly the intemperate 'drunken part.' The one thing that was made clear was that sleep would be limited. As exciting as it sounded to get out of Seoul for the weekend, you can imagine how unappealing such an offer is when limited sleeping (usually my favorite weekend activity) is promised along with the company of only coworkers (those that I certainly, no offense, get enough of during the work week).
Come Saturday I was feeling confident about my maniddo responsibilities as I had slipped Terry a movie theater sized box of Skittles (thanks Dad) and a Starbucks gift card (or 'money check' as they refer to them here) during the course of the week. While she questioned me about it once, I quickly denied any knowledge of the gift bearer. As for me, I received a few kinda sticky notes accompanied by a delicious bottle of apple juice, and odd rice drink and on Friday, a package of chocolate covered nuts accompanied by a rather prurient love note. The later 'gift' sent me reeling as the grammatically incorrect ballad read like a veritable Korean translation making me question whether it was a joke or a terribly unrestrained lustful confession. Nevertheless, the letter assured me that my paramour would come forth on Saturday evening. . . now I really had something to look forward too!
After grabbing lunch with Steve in Itaewon, Nate and I headed back towards Junggye to get ready for our 6:00pm departure. Not wanting to miss my final soccer game of the season, I stuffed my backpack full of cleats and uniforms, leaving little room for anything else. I hoped, and was correct, in that it didn't matter. One thing I did bring however was my bathing suit as Terry had called the night before to let Nate and I know that we might go tubing during the 'camping trip.' I asked her if that meant we should bring bathing suits to which she responded 'No, just a change of clothes.'
This is hilariously indicative of Korean's conservative attitudes towards revealing ones body in public. While they (yes, I know this is a generalization but you find a better way to say what I'm trying to say) refuse to expose themselves on a beach or under the warm summer sun, these same people have no problem stripping down and walking around jimjilbangs (saunas/spas) in the buff, sharing showers, baths, and coffee all while completely naked. Yet, try to take your shirt off while tubing on a river and one is instantly made to feel ignominious. Just ask Nate!
What a shocking move!
(Photo courtesy of NMK Studios)
So, with a backpack stuffed with nothing of real use I met up with the teachers just as they were exiting DYB headed for a small shuttle bus that normal whips our students to and fro academy in the evenings. In their matching shirts, I couldn't help but chuckle at the seriousness with which this outing seemed to be taken. Apparently, 'teams' had already be chosen and sides were represented by one of two colored smiley face t's. . .see below for a visual.
Dddd Yy Bb!
(Photo courtesy of NMK Studios)
A two hour cramped bus ride later and we were dumped out into the remote darkness of Pyeonchang. Not only did I later learn that we weren't too far from the ski resort that we had visited over Lunar New Year but that the city is currently trying to put in an official bid for the upcoming Winter Olympics. Not sure where they'd host any of the downhill events but it's Korea, I'm sure they'll find a way!
Loadin' up
(Photo courtesy of NMK Studios)
After unloading all our luggage (or lack there of, most of the Korean teachers brought nothing more than a decent sized purse) into the 'homey' four bedroom cabin, we headed outside to a long picnic table for a very traditional work related dinner. While food and beverage were abound, the main difference was that we did not cook the food directly at our table but rather Joseph (who we were happy to have accompany us on this trip despite no longer working at Junggye) and one of DYB's higher lever managers (who is also apparently our 'branch supervisor') cooked the samgyeopsal over two freestanding charcoal grills. Even so, dinner was delicious and excessive as always.
Joseph and I working hard to get dinner ready!
As everyone began reaching their personal satiety, the focused shifted from dinner to one of two 'serious parts' of the weekend. In this phase of the evening, each person had to stand and covertly describe their maniddo while the others tried to guess who it was. Then the maniddo had to take the stage and praise the work of their personal agent. This continued on for some time as each pair was forced to take a 'love shot' (or two) of soju. The only thing I gained from this experience was the knowledge that my licentious love note was in fact a joke that had nothign to do with my maniddo but rather was planted by Razer to arouse suspicion. This was by far the funniest thing that I have seen a Korean execute that didn't involve self humiliation in some way, shape, or form.
The Spread!
Growing extremely tired of the repetitive nature of these speeches, I was quick to agree to play the guitar for Razer who at one point decided it necessary to belt out a sloppy rendition of much rehearsed and once extremely tight 'DYB Song.' While I too intended on performing a version of the 'Mr. Song' song, I didn't end up getting around to it before we were all forced to go inside at the request of the couple who was staying in an adjacent room attached to our main cabin. I pity their choice of vacation date and location! I can only hope that this cherubic couple was offered some sort of compensation by the pension which presumably derived a rather hefty profit from hosting our over sized and soju suffused group of noisy teachers.
Straight Grillin'
Bringing the meeting inside did not at all put an end to the festivities. Sitting in a large circle on the hard wooden floor, a number of games continued long into the night. By this time, everyone had either forgotten that Nate and I were presented or simply didn't care to take the time and effort to explain what was going on in English. Thus, the two of us were forced to sit there dumbstruck at the ridiculousness that ensued. Some teachers simply keeled over and continued trying to play while others looked to be in such bad shape that they were dragged off to bed. Now by bed I mean the floor as this capacious cabin had only one actual bed that was shared by merely two of the dozen plus teachers. . .mmmm, luxurious living!
Despite not understanding the progression of the games at hand, I was intermittently told to drink for I had unknowingly done something wrong. This I refused to do and simply curled up in a ball on the floor doing my best to eschew the mayhem. No matter how hard I tried, doing so was simply impossible as I was routinely badgered for putting my head down and not participating. . .um, okay, just explain the game to me.
A love shot with his pepoo!
Eventually, sometime around 4:30am, we were told that the nights activities were over and it was time for bed. Settling into the small bedroom that Nate and I had earlier staked as the Native Room, we were quickly kicked out by a larger group of Korean teachers who insisted we were too spend the night in the main room with Joseph and the remnants of the evening's entertainment. As mentioned earlier, our bedding was no more than a Korean yeo, or thick blanket placed on the floor. Not only were Joseph's pre-bedtime antics hilarious, to say the least, but our laughter managed to keep the teachers up for at least a half hour beyond their prescribed bed time which, though it might have pissed them off a bit, I feel somewhat righteous for doing as they would soon subject me to much, much worse. . . .
An enthralling evening, can't you tell. . .
It didn't seem like more than a second had passed before I awoke to Anna romping through the house belting out the shrillest wake up call I have heard since the 250 feral alarm clocks that roused me each morning in Ghana. This tirade continued on for what seemed like an eternity as I heard teachers grumble in to the shower and out to the picnic table for breakfast. Note that I say 'heard' and not 'saw' as I myself simply refused to budge. My weekends are allocated to resting and enjoying myself, not early morning wake up calls and DYB-isms. Thus, with Joseph tucked in tightly against me on the floor, I held my spot, eyes glued shut, all throughout breakfast. I knew I wouldn't be missing much here as I had Terry confirm my suspicion the prior night that there would be no eggs, bacon, toast or pancakes to be seen. Thus, breakfast was not in my game plan!
After everyone had eaten, and I had napped a few precious extra minutes of shuteye, I was eventually lured out of bed by Razer's guitar. Unfortunately, just as I leaned over to take it from him (oooo how I miss the vibrations of a full sized acoustic, though don't get me wrong, I love my Baby Taylor, which incidentally might be going up on the chopping block soon, see Craig's List Korea for details), we were called outside for the second half of the 'serious part,' speeches. I had been delighted when, the night before, we were informed that the speeches section would be delayed until morning due to our late arrival. Unfortunately at that time I didn't fully consider the repercussions of a samgyeopsal party followed by two hour of 'sleep.'
We had been informed of these speeches ahead of time but Anna had (purposely?) been rather vague in explaining the subject matter, merely portending that they were to be very, very serious. Here's what I was able to surmise ahead of time. We were supposed to talk about our past, present and future discussion the different emotions, goals and accomplishments associated with each. We were also to address our personality flaws and fundamentals while relating the whole thing to our experience working at DYB. Apparently, the speeches were supposed to be wrapped up with some grand 'resolution' about our personal role in further DYB Junggye Branch and helping it to reach it's ideal enrollment of 1000 students. (For reference, we currently have somewhere around 500 students and I would consider both the teachers and physical space completely exhausted. . .so good luck Junggye!)
Previously, as I had plenty of down time on the bus ride to the site, I had actually considered attempting to address the majority of these topics. Sure, everything regarding my role in DYB would be fudged and nothing about my personal life would be revealed other than a rosy version of my time in Korea but, at least I had intended on trying. That all changed Sunday morning. For three hours I sat in the chilly morning on a hard, short, uncomfortable wooden bench listening to Korean teachers give tear jerking stories about their failed lives in a language that I understand not a lick of. I was hungry, tired and plain old pissed off at the fact that I was forced to sit through this when earlier in the week Terry had promised me the weekend would be 'in English' to test the other teachers' linguistic perspicacity.
I know it might sound a bit like whining to say 'oh, I had to go on vacation, eat and drink for free all night, then wake up and listen to a bit of seriousness that in all honesty I could zone out,' but believe me, this was worse that torture. To sit there and pretend like what was going on mattered was simply a joke. It didn't take me long to just close my eyes and totter back and forth. This only lasted a few seconds however before the Branch Supervisor, sitting across from me, tossed me a swift kick under the table. After the first few torturous hours I began to let hold of anything I was previously doing to belie my annoyance with the situation. While at one point I simply got up to go fetch some bananas from inside, it was only too soon before I had to reluctantly trod back out to the confession session.
By the time it was my turn to make an announcement I spent no more than five minutes telling my audience about how I enjoy Always Doing Always Moving (did you catch the acronym?). What my point came down to was that I've been in Korea for more than long enough and it was time for me to embark on a new adventure which I am eagerly anticipating. I felt this topic to be most relevant as I was well aware that at the onset of this trip, the goal of a number of teachers was to try and persuade Nate and I both to resign our contracts and stay longer with DYB. While I never have and do not intend to ever do so, I have little problem addressing the issue of my eventual departure though normally I do so with much greater restraint.
Finally, after about three and a half hours of these continuous, indecipherable screeds, Razer stood up and insisted that he must leave as he had certain business, I believe of the ecclesiastical order, to attend to. I too excused myself (or maybe I didn't) and turned to hop in the car with him as I had expressed that my commitment to my soccer team was as long lasting as that to DYB and my last regular season game was not to be missed. Thankfully, Razer agreed to pack me in and less than an hour later I was back in the comfort of my Doota abode. While I say I was lucky to get out of there, after only another hour or so of speeches, the 'serious part' broke down into an afternoon of water sports which I am somewhat disappointed I missed. Though it would have been great fun to go tubing, I wouldn't have traded my last game in for it and am certainly glad that I made it back in time. Thanks a bunch Razer!
As for Sunday afternoon, well, that's already been covered, just check below if you missed it! I tried to vote for myself today (hey, why not?) for defensive player of the year but it turns out you're not allowed to vote for anyone on your own team and you have to click a button verifying that you didn't. I'm all for self predilection but I couldn't bring myself to lie to the cyberworld about voting for a teammate. . .oh well, we'll see if anyone else noticed me other than Sun. I doubt it but, then again, you never know! The results will be disclosed this Saturday at an awards banquet in Gangnam. Apparently, no one from our team showed up last time except for Sun and as of now, no one but him has RSVP'd. I can't say I'm dying to go and mingle with fellow league players, none of whom I know, but I think I'll go just to show support for Sun as he's been such a helpful mentor here. I just hope the buffet is worth 18,000 won!
I know the weekend wasn't that bad and obviously the teachers' nefarious agenda was meant as a sort of solidarity generating technique. The part that I just can't get over is that it did nothing to create such a feeling for anyone but the Korean teachers. Sure, there were a dozen of them and only two of us 'Natives' but then again, we're the one's that they're trying to get to stick around. Or maybe, are they really more worried about everyone else leaving? Now that I think about it, that's likely the much bigger issue for them as the KT's continue to drop like flies. Just last month we lost another newer member, Ja Young who was replaced by the kind but rather eccentric Susan (Ho In). At the rate they're going, the DYB I will say good bye to in a few months time will be almost entirely different from that which I joined last August. I wonder if these sort of seminars help, or hurt their cause. I guess that's not for me to worry about now is it!
Well look at how time flies! And didn't I say just a few thousand words ago that I had nothing substantial to report on this momentous day? Whoulda thunk it'd all just come rushing out like that! As for the other updates I was going to leave you with, well, don't worry about 'em now. I'll save it for sometime when I've got nothing left to rant about. When'll that be? Well, your guess is as good as mine!
Goodnight and Happy 300!
(*While reading, I have recently begun the practice of writing down, and subsequently looking up, words that I am unfamiliar with. Although I've been told to do this for years, I've never actual done so until now. Not surprisingly, I rather enjoy doing so as I feel like it's opening a whole new literary world to me. In the past, I have never minded simply skimming over unrecognizable words whereas now I am eager to learn their meaning which I write down in my school/work notebook. In order to help me better remember these new words, I have tried to slip them into both conversation and most recently, my writing. The above posts contains 10 or so of these 'new words/phrases' borrowed from authors Tom Robbins, Paul Theroux, Kevin Gotham, Jon Krakauer and David Grazian. I don't doubt that the majority of these are used incorrectly as I am hardly familiar with the terms. Even so, I find it's worth the practice and I'll eagerly accept any critique that you might be willing to offer! Can you find all 10!?)
First on the list are the events that transpired this past weekend under the guise of a DYB 'membership training' seminar. Early last week, I was approached by Anna about two issues. The first was that we were to begin an office wide Secret Santa like game, maniddo, where each teacher is supposed to surreptitiously shower another with gifts assistance and praise. Of course, my initial question was how this is supposed to remain a secret as the later two seemingly require some sort of interpersonal interaction. Unable to find anyone willing to answer my question, I quickly gave up on the matter figuring it would be to my maniddos disadvantage if they didn't take the time to explain it to me!
Turns out I was lucky enough to draw Terry which made associating with my maniddo less strenuous as I had imagined it could be had I chosen one of our numerous employees that I simply do not interact with on a daily basis. To get my showering of gifts over with quickly I simply asked Terry to come out for chicken and beer (if you haven't figured it out by know, this a Korean standard, don't ask why, it just is) and insisted on picking up the check. This was not an all together easy feat as she out ranks me in both age and status which, in this Confucian society, means that I am in no way obliged to be covering the tab. Even so, I was able to complete my mini-mission and make it even more convincing by talking the whole time about how I don't know what to do for my maniddo. How mendacious of me, right!?
The second matter of business that Anna addressed us all about on Tuesday was the weekend's upcoming 'membership training' seminar. While few details were disclosed at that time, Anna insisted that it would have three parts, 'dinner,' a 'serious part,' and then lastly the intemperate 'drunken part.' The one thing that was made clear was that sleep would be limited. As exciting as it sounded to get out of Seoul for the weekend, you can imagine how unappealing such an offer is when limited sleeping (usually my favorite weekend activity) is promised along with the company of only coworkers (those that I certainly, no offense, get enough of during the work week).
Come Saturday I was feeling confident about my maniddo responsibilities as I had slipped Terry a movie theater sized box of Skittles (thanks Dad) and a Starbucks gift card (or 'money check' as they refer to them here) during the course of the week. While she questioned me about it once, I quickly denied any knowledge of the gift bearer. As for me, I received a few kinda sticky notes accompanied by a delicious bottle of apple juice, and odd rice drink and on Friday, a package of chocolate covered nuts accompanied by a rather prurient love note. The later 'gift' sent me reeling as the grammatically incorrect ballad read like a veritable Korean translation making me question whether it was a joke or a terribly unrestrained lustful confession. Nevertheless, the letter assured me that my paramour would come forth on Saturday evening. . . now I really had something to look forward too!
After grabbing lunch with Steve in Itaewon, Nate and I headed back towards Junggye to get ready for our 6:00pm departure. Not wanting to miss my final soccer game of the season, I stuffed my backpack full of cleats and uniforms, leaving little room for anything else. I hoped, and was correct, in that it didn't matter. One thing I did bring however was my bathing suit as Terry had called the night before to let Nate and I know that we might go tubing during the 'camping trip.' I asked her if that meant we should bring bathing suits to which she responded 'No, just a change of clothes.'
This is hilariously indicative of Korean's conservative attitudes towards revealing ones body in public. While they (yes, I know this is a generalization but you find a better way to say what I'm trying to say) refuse to expose themselves on a beach or under the warm summer sun, these same people have no problem stripping down and walking around jimjilbangs (saunas/spas) in the buff, sharing showers, baths, and coffee all while completely naked. Yet, try to take your shirt off while tubing on a river and one is instantly made to feel ignominious. Just ask Nate!
What a shocking move!(Photo courtesy of NMK Studios)
So, with a backpack stuffed with nothing of real use I met up with the teachers just as they were exiting DYB headed for a small shuttle bus that normal whips our students to and fro academy in the evenings. In their matching shirts, I couldn't help but chuckle at the seriousness with which this outing seemed to be taken. Apparently, 'teams' had already be chosen and sides were represented by one of two colored smiley face t's. . .see below for a visual.
Dddd Yy Bb!(Photo courtesy of NMK Studios)
A two hour cramped bus ride later and we were dumped out into the remote darkness of Pyeonchang. Not only did I later learn that we weren't too far from the ski resort that we had visited over Lunar New Year but that the city is currently trying to put in an official bid for the upcoming Winter Olympics. Not sure where they'd host any of the downhill events but it's Korea, I'm sure they'll find a way!
Loadin' up(Photo courtesy of NMK Studios)
After unloading all our luggage (or lack there of, most of the Korean teachers brought nothing more than a decent sized purse) into the 'homey' four bedroom cabin, we headed outside to a long picnic table for a very traditional work related dinner. While food and beverage were abound, the main difference was that we did not cook the food directly at our table but rather Joseph (who we were happy to have accompany us on this trip despite no longer working at Junggye) and one of DYB's higher lever managers (who is also apparently our 'branch supervisor') cooked the samgyeopsal over two freestanding charcoal grills. Even so, dinner was delicious and excessive as always.
Joseph and I working hard to get dinner ready!As everyone began reaching their personal satiety, the focused shifted from dinner to one of two 'serious parts' of the weekend. In this phase of the evening, each person had to stand and covertly describe their maniddo while the others tried to guess who it was. Then the maniddo had to take the stage and praise the work of their personal agent. This continued on for some time as each pair was forced to take a 'love shot' (or two) of soju. The only thing I gained from this experience was the knowledge that my licentious love note was in fact a joke that had nothign to do with my maniddo but rather was planted by Razer to arouse suspicion. This was by far the funniest thing that I have seen a Korean execute that didn't involve self humiliation in some way, shape, or form.
The Spread!Growing extremely tired of the repetitive nature of these speeches, I was quick to agree to play the guitar for Razer who at one point decided it necessary to belt out a sloppy rendition of much rehearsed and once extremely tight 'DYB Song.' While I too intended on performing a version of the 'Mr. Song' song, I didn't end up getting around to it before we were all forced to go inside at the request of the couple who was staying in an adjacent room attached to our main cabin. I pity their choice of vacation date and location! I can only hope that this cherubic couple was offered some sort of compensation by the pension which presumably derived a rather hefty profit from hosting our over sized and soju suffused group of noisy teachers.
Straight Grillin'Bringing the meeting inside did not at all put an end to the festivities. Sitting in a large circle on the hard wooden floor, a number of games continued long into the night. By this time, everyone had either forgotten that Nate and I were presented or simply didn't care to take the time and effort to explain what was going on in English. Thus, the two of us were forced to sit there dumbstruck at the ridiculousness that ensued. Some teachers simply keeled over and continued trying to play while others looked to be in such bad shape that they were dragged off to bed. Now by bed I mean the floor as this capacious cabin had only one actual bed that was shared by merely two of the dozen plus teachers. . .mmmm, luxurious living!
Despite not understanding the progression of the games at hand, I was intermittently told to drink for I had unknowingly done something wrong. This I refused to do and simply curled up in a ball on the floor doing my best to eschew the mayhem. No matter how hard I tried, doing so was simply impossible as I was routinely badgered for putting my head down and not participating. . .um, okay, just explain the game to me.
A love shot with his pepoo!Eventually, sometime around 4:30am, we were told that the nights activities were over and it was time for bed. Settling into the small bedroom that Nate and I had earlier staked as the Native Room, we were quickly kicked out by a larger group of Korean teachers who insisted we were too spend the night in the main room with Joseph and the remnants of the evening's entertainment. As mentioned earlier, our bedding was no more than a Korean yeo, or thick blanket placed on the floor. Not only were Joseph's pre-bedtime antics hilarious, to say the least, but our laughter managed to keep the teachers up for at least a half hour beyond their prescribed bed time which, though it might have pissed them off a bit, I feel somewhat righteous for doing as they would soon subject me to much, much worse. . . .
An enthralling evening, can't you tell. . .It didn't seem like more than a second had passed before I awoke to Anna romping through the house belting out the shrillest wake up call I have heard since the 250 feral alarm clocks that roused me each morning in Ghana. This tirade continued on for what seemed like an eternity as I heard teachers grumble in to the shower and out to the picnic table for breakfast. Note that I say 'heard' and not 'saw' as I myself simply refused to budge. My weekends are allocated to resting and enjoying myself, not early morning wake up calls and DYB-isms. Thus, with Joseph tucked in tightly against me on the floor, I held my spot, eyes glued shut, all throughout breakfast. I knew I wouldn't be missing much here as I had Terry confirm my suspicion the prior night that there would be no eggs, bacon, toast or pancakes to be seen. Thus, breakfast was not in my game plan!
After everyone had eaten, and I had napped a few precious extra minutes of shuteye, I was eventually lured out of bed by Razer's guitar. Unfortunately, just as I leaned over to take it from him (oooo how I miss the vibrations of a full sized acoustic, though don't get me wrong, I love my Baby Taylor, which incidentally might be going up on the chopping block soon, see Craig's List Korea for details), we were called outside for the second half of the 'serious part,' speeches. I had been delighted when, the night before, we were informed that the speeches section would be delayed until morning due to our late arrival. Unfortunately at that time I didn't fully consider the repercussions of a samgyeopsal party followed by two hour of 'sleep.'
We had been informed of these speeches ahead of time but Anna had (purposely?) been rather vague in explaining the subject matter, merely portending that they were to be very, very serious. Here's what I was able to surmise ahead of time. We were supposed to talk about our past, present and future discussion the different emotions, goals and accomplishments associated with each. We were also to address our personality flaws and fundamentals while relating the whole thing to our experience working at DYB. Apparently, the speeches were supposed to be wrapped up with some grand 'resolution' about our personal role in further DYB Junggye Branch and helping it to reach it's ideal enrollment of 1000 students. (For reference, we currently have somewhere around 500 students and I would consider both the teachers and physical space completely exhausted. . .so good luck Junggye!)
Previously, as I had plenty of down time on the bus ride to the site, I had actually considered attempting to address the majority of these topics. Sure, everything regarding my role in DYB would be fudged and nothing about my personal life would be revealed other than a rosy version of my time in Korea but, at least I had intended on trying. That all changed Sunday morning. For three hours I sat in the chilly morning on a hard, short, uncomfortable wooden bench listening to Korean teachers give tear jerking stories about their failed lives in a language that I understand not a lick of. I was hungry, tired and plain old pissed off at the fact that I was forced to sit through this when earlier in the week Terry had promised me the weekend would be 'in English' to test the other teachers' linguistic perspicacity.
I know it might sound a bit like whining to say 'oh, I had to go on vacation, eat and drink for free all night, then wake up and listen to a bit of seriousness that in all honesty I could zone out,' but believe me, this was worse that torture. To sit there and pretend like what was going on mattered was simply a joke. It didn't take me long to just close my eyes and totter back and forth. This only lasted a few seconds however before the Branch Supervisor, sitting across from me, tossed me a swift kick under the table. After the first few torturous hours I began to let hold of anything I was previously doing to belie my annoyance with the situation. While at one point I simply got up to go fetch some bananas from inside, it was only too soon before I had to reluctantly trod back out to the confession session.
By the time it was my turn to make an announcement I spent no more than five minutes telling my audience about how I enjoy Always Doing Always Moving (did you catch the acronym?). What my point came down to was that I've been in Korea for more than long enough and it was time for me to embark on a new adventure which I am eagerly anticipating. I felt this topic to be most relevant as I was well aware that at the onset of this trip, the goal of a number of teachers was to try and persuade Nate and I both to resign our contracts and stay longer with DYB. While I never have and do not intend to ever do so, I have little problem addressing the issue of my eventual departure though normally I do so with much greater restraint.
Finally, after about three and a half hours of these continuous, indecipherable screeds, Razer stood up and insisted that he must leave as he had certain business, I believe of the ecclesiastical order, to attend to. I too excused myself (or maybe I didn't) and turned to hop in the car with him as I had expressed that my commitment to my soccer team was as long lasting as that to DYB and my last regular season game was not to be missed. Thankfully, Razer agreed to pack me in and less than an hour later I was back in the comfort of my Doota abode. While I say I was lucky to get out of there, after only another hour or so of speeches, the 'serious part' broke down into an afternoon of water sports which I am somewhat disappointed I missed. Though it would have been great fun to go tubing, I wouldn't have traded my last game in for it and am certainly glad that I made it back in time. Thanks a bunch Razer!
As for Sunday afternoon, well, that's already been covered, just check below if you missed it! I tried to vote for myself today (hey, why not?) for defensive player of the year but it turns out you're not allowed to vote for anyone on your own team and you have to click a button verifying that you didn't. I'm all for self predilection but I couldn't bring myself to lie to the cyberworld about voting for a teammate. . .oh well, we'll see if anyone else noticed me other than Sun. I doubt it but, then again, you never know! The results will be disclosed this Saturday at an awards banquet in Gangnam. Apparently, no one from our team showed up last time except for Sun and as of now, no one but him has RSVP'd. I can't say I'm dying to go and mingle with fellow league players, none of whom I know, but I think I'll go just to show support for Sun as he's been such a helpful mentor here. I just hope the buffet is worth 18,000 won!
I know the weekend wasn't that bad and obviously the teachers' nefarious agenda was meant as a sort of solidarity generating technique. The part that I just can't get over is that it did nothing to create such a feeling for anyone but the Korean teachers. Sure, there were a dozen of them and only two of us 'Natives' but then again, we're the one's that they're trying to get to stick around. Or maybe, are they really more worried about everyone else leaving? Now that I think about it, that's likely the much bigger issue for them as the KT's continue to drop like flies. Just last month we lost another newer member, Ja Young who was replaced by the kind but rather eccentric Susan (Ho In). At the rate they're going, the DYB I will say good bye to in a few months time will be almost entirely different from that which I joined last August. I wonder if these sort of seminars help, or hurt their cause. I guess that's not for me to worry about now is it!
Well look at how time flies! And didn't I say just a few thousand words ago that I had nothing substantial to report on this momentous day? Whoulda thunk it'd all just come rushing out like that! As for the other updates I was going to leave you with, well, don't worry about 'em now. I'll save it for sometime when I've got nothing left to rant about. When'll that be? Well, your guess is as good as mine!
Goodnight and Happy 300!
(*While reading, I have recently begun the practice of writing down, and subsequently looking up, words that I am unfamiliar with. Although I've been told to do this for years, I've never actual done so until now. Not surprisingly, I rather enjoy doing so as I feel like it's opening a whole new literary world to me. In the past, I have never minded simply skimming over unrecognizable words whereas now I am eager to learn their meaning which I write down in my school/work notebook. In order to help me better remember these new words, I have tried to slip them into both conversation and most recently, my writing. The above posts contains 10 or so of these 'new words/phrases' borrowed from authors Tom Robbins, Paul Theroux, Kevin Gotham, Jon Krakauer and David Grazian. I don't doubt that the majority of these are used incorrectly as I am hardly familiar with the terms. Even so, I find it's worth the practice and I'll eagerly accept any critique that you might be willing to offer! Can you find all 10!?)
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Special Classes
Apparently, beginning in two weeks, I will start teaching a series of 'special classes.' This is about all that I know on the subject.
After a short trip to DYB's Main Branch in Daechi a few weeks ago, I learned that the classes are known as R&D, or, Reading and Debate Class. This was somewhat of a relief to hear as I at first thought R&D stood for Research and Development meaning that I would literally be testing out a totally new concept of a class. . . turns out I wasn't too far off!
What I gained from a brief meeting with Rene, a DYB FT who has been teaching only R&D classes for about a month now, is that the classes are meant to provide the students with something above and beyond that which they learn from 'the book,' whichever book that may be. To be honest, that's kind of what I've been trying to do all along here. Not that I spend countless hours lesson planning at home to come up with interesting and invigorating ways to learn English, in fact, I really haven't done anything like that ever, but I do try and inject as much 'humanity' as I can into my lessons. Whether this is allowing the kids to talk to me freely about how much they despise their president, Lee Myung Bak, or simply educating them about Mardi Gras traditions, I feel like I have done a decent job of bringing class to life.
Now apparently families will be shelling out extra money to sign their kids up for an extra class with me to get some sort of 'special' education above and beyond that I already provide. Uh oh. . .
All Rene really told us is that we by no means need to stick to the book that will be assigned to the kids but rather just figure out some-thing that we want to teach, and teach it. Now this sounds alright except that I've never really taught before and have no concept of the things that one would teach to a student of the English language. For example, Rene gave us a worksheet on the different ending sounds of words that end in -ed. Did you know that -ed can be pronounced three different ways and it's determined by the letter, or sound, preceding this ending? Neither did I. . .but apparently, that's 'teachable' material. Not quite a Mardi Gras trivia class. . . .
Up until today I didn't really think much about the classes as they don't start for a whole week 'n a half. . .hmmm. Anna however decided to ask me during class today what I planned on doing for the Oxford and Cambridge classes, as they are known, I guess. I told her that honestly I hadn't put much thought into it but that Rene had given me some material to get me on my feet. She then inquired as to whether or now I would be teaching writing as a big chunk of the class. With no clue as to what I'm expected to do, I went with my instinct and told her that I'd do some but probably focus on speaking as the class is called Reading and Debate.
In response to this Anna asked if I was aware of what parents expected from the class.
Um, why yes Anna, I've actually spent a great deal of time discussing with them over the phone in the past few weeks. . .in Korean.
Anna then informed me that the flyer used to advertise the class informs parents that their students will receive special education in the areas of speaking and writing. Hmmm, news to me. She then asked if I was familiar with the flyer that was being sent home. I told her that I had seen it but had no idea what it said (as it's entirely in Korean). Apparently the intent of the flyer is to sell kids, and their parents, on the merits of this special class which Nate and I will both be teaching. Unfortunately, we have yet to be informed of what exactly these merits are that we have to offer.
In turn, DYB is using our names to sell kids and parents on a class that we have yet to been instructed on. Expectations? None yet conveyed. Goals? Not that I'm aware of. Purpose? I think to generate extra revenue for DYB during this crunch time but, can I be sure, no, not of anything here in the Land of the Morning Calm.
So, now you know about as much as I do, wanna teach my class for me.
Oh, one good aspect of these classes is that they are set aside in a two hour block but are only supposed to last one 'n a half hours. Oooohhh yeeeah, 30 minutes of free time for each class taught! Now that, I can deal with.
More from Junggye when I figure out exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. . .not that I expect to anytime soon!
After a short trip to DYB's Main Branch in Daechi a few weeks ago, I learned that the classes are known as R&D, or, Reading and Debate Class. This was somewhat of a relief to hear as I at first thought R&D stood for Research and Development meaning that I would literally be testing out a totally new concept of a class. . . turns out I wasn't too far off!
What I gained from a brief meeting with Rene, a DYB FT who has been teaching only R&D classes for about a month now, is that the classes are meant to provide the students with something above and beyond that which they learn from 'the book,' whichever book that may be. To be honest, that's kind of what I've been trying to do all along here. Not that I spend countless hours lesson planning at home to come up with interesting and invigorating ways to learn English, in fact, I really haven't done anything like that ever, but I do try and inject as much 'humanity' as I can into my lessons. Whether this is allowing the kids to talk to me freely about how much they despise their president, Lee Myung Bak, or simply educating them about Mardi Gras traditions, I feel like I have done a decent job of bringing class to life.
Now apparently families will be shelling out extra money to sign their kids up for an extra class with me to get some sort of 'special' education above and beyond that I already provide. Uh oh. . .
All Rene really told us is that we by no means need to stick to the book that will be assigned to the kids but rather just figure out some-thing that we want to teach, and teach it. Now this sounds alright except that I've never really taught before and have no concept of the things that one would teach to a student of the English language. For example, Rene gave us a worksheet on the different ending sounds of words that end in -ed. Did you know that -ed can be pronounced three different ways and it's determined by the letter, or sound, preceding this ending? Neither did I. . .but apparently, that's 'teachable' material. Not quite a Mardi Gras trivia class. . . .
Up until today I didn't really think much about the classes as they don't start for a whole week 'n a half. . .hmmm. Anna however decided to ask me during class today what I planned on doing for the Oxford and Cambridge classes, as they are known, I guess. I told her that honestly I hadn't put much thought into it but that Rene had given me some material to get me on my feet. She then inquired as to whether or now I would be teaching writing as a big chunk of the class. With no clue as to what I'm expected to do, I went with my instinct and told her that I'd do some but probably focus on speaking as the class is called Reading and Debate.
In response to this Anna asked if I was aware of what parents expected from the class.
Um, why yes Anna, I've actually spent a great deal of time discussing with them over the phone in the past few weeks. . .in Korean.
Anna then informed me that the flyer used to advertise the class informs parents that their students will receive special education in the areas of speaking and writing. Hmmm, news to me. She then asked if I was familiar with the flyer that was being sent home. I told her that I had seen it but had no idea what it said (as it's entirely in Korean). Apparently the intent of the flyer is to sell kids, and their parents, on the merits of this special class which Nate and I will both be teaching. Unfortunately, we have yet to be informed of what exactly these merits are that we have to offer.
In turn, DYB is using our names to sell kids and parents on a class that we have yet to been instructed on. Expectations? None yet conveyed. Goals? Not that I'm aware of. Purpose? I think to generate extra revenue for DYB during this crunch time but, can I be sure, no, not of anything here in the Land of the Morning Calm.
So, now you know about as much as I do, wanna teach my class for me.
Oh, one good aspect of these classes is that they are set aside in a two hour block but are only supposed to last one 'n a half hours. Oooohhh yeeeah, 30 minutes of free time for each class taught! Now that, I can deal with.
More from Junggye when I figure out exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. . .not that I expect to anytime soon!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Blind Sided
They sure do know how to celebrate your six months here at DYB. . .
Taking off from New Orleans at 4:41pm Tuesday afternoon, I didn't arrive in Seoul until 6:05am, Thursday morning, two days later. Where did Wednesday go? Well, I can't exactly say but it sure didn't happen this year!
I quickly gathered my bags then stumbled through customs half asleep and fully jet lagged. Two hours, three subways and a short taxi ride later, I arrived at Dootavill. I managed to get in a quick shower and wash off three days of traveling before heading to work at 9:30am.
Here come the fun surprises. . .
I was immediately greeted at work by Anna who told me she had some surprising news. I informed her that I too had a surprise for her and pulled out a string of giant beads that seriously set her eyes a glow. Too bad her surprise wasn't quite as nice.
She took me in to her room and after about five minutes of beating around the bush, finally decided to tell me that I had been scheduled to work six days a week for the next three weeks. Well, that's what it sounded like at least. To be honest, she told me a whole bunch of different things, the majority of which I didn't quite grasp, partly because of the language barrier and partly because I was using every ounce of strength in me not to collapse right there and fall asleep.
I told Anna that I was somewhat aware of the situation as Yumi (head secretary?) had shot me an e-mail at around 7:30am that I just happened to glance at on my way in. I told her that I consider it and get back to Yumi by tomorrow. . . this was not accepted.
Anna informed me that my decision had to be made by 1:00pm as they had to fax the finalized schedules over to the Main Branch before the end of the day. Uh huh. Okay. With no energy to argue and no real desire to do so at that time, I agreed to the revised schedule which has me working two extra hours on a sixth day of the week.
It wasn't until later in the afternoon when Joseph came to confirm the schedule with me that I learned my sixth day was not what I had originally imagined. Apparently, due to the new semester (and the consolidation of the Middle School and Elementary School in to one building) Joseph scheduled me to work a five day week from Tuesday through Saturday. As for my sixth day? Well, I'm expected to come in to work Monday evening for two hours. Now this I didn't see coming. . .
With Joseph literally getting on his knees begging me to accept the schedule, I agreed but informed him that I would be responding to Yumi's e-mail later that evening with my concerns.
After finally 'resolving' the scheduling issue, I headed towards the Native room to try and take a few minutes to myself. Immediately after settling into a seat, Terry Teacher burst in to the room with more surprises. Apparently, one of the subs had failed to show up last week which means my students didn't get a speaking/writing lesson (not that they actually do when I'm there anyways). So, she requested, or, more rightly informed me that I would have to make the class up tomorrow (Friday) morning during my two hour essay period.
As the missed class is one of my best I agreed figuring that I could simply kill time talking about my trip and it's not like I was actually adding hours to my day. Before leaving though, Terry turns around and hands me another stack of about 50 essays and ask that I get them to her as soon as I can. Ha! This coming immediately after her telling me to utilize my essay time to teach her class. . .umm, sorry but not going to have time this week.
Oh, and on the topic of essay time. . . During our first few months here, I was originally scheduled for four hours of essay time each week. Sometimes I would have plenty of essays to keep me busy and other times I would have a bit of freedom but, in the end, it all evened out really well. During Winter Intensive, my essay time was cut down to two hours. Not a huge deal as I decided not to assign essays. However, Terry Teacher and Eun Kyung (whom I only worked with for two weeks) decided that they needed to assign essays and then give them to me for grading. Not a huge problem except for the fact that all of a sudden one day I had a stack of 50 essays sitting around and only two hours a week to work on them.
Now, I've missed my essay time the past two weeks (once due to vacation and once due to Terry's rescheduling me) and have accumulated probably around 100 essays. So, what can I do but slowly chip away at them during my essay time as I simply refuse to take home work to grade that I did not assign and that I know the kids do not look at/care about. Oh wait, herein lies the problem. My schedule for the next three weeks and the one for beyond that include exactly zero hours of essay time. Hmmm, well, not only does this mean I'm teaching four 'extra' hours a week but that I have no allotted in school time to grade. . . starting to sound like teaching in Korea yet?
Anyways, after conking out at 7:00pm Thursday evening I popped up at around five in the morning unable to get back to sleep. Thus, I figured I'd shoot Yumi and e-mail. After reviewing my contract I reconfirmed my inklings that I would be paid overtime for my extra two hours but that the overtime is only a few won an hour over my regular pay. With only two extra hours of work on Monday, I would essentially be making only an extra 8,000 won (or about $5) each week to miss out on a second day of rest. This hardly seems worth it!
Thus I informed Yumi that I would be more than willing to accept the new schedule if Mr. Lee would pay me an overtime rate of double my current hourly wage; informing her that it is both customary and actually mandated by law (right?) in the US. Content with my demands, I lay back down for a few hours until I had to get up to go back to work.
Halfway through my Friday class while taking a break, Joseph comes barging in screaming "Aaadaaaam, whiiiieeeee!?!!!" Apparently Yumi had contacted him. For about twenty minutes I tried to negotiate with Joseph who continually reassured me that no ground would be given by the Main Branch, especially as my contract stipulates the overtime rate which, of course, I had no qualms about when signing a contract assuming that I would not be working overtime. We went through the different possibilities, including me demanding extra vacation days for working extra days, and finally decided on, well, nothing.
Joseph assured me that it would be okay if I refused the extra hours but that he would have to change my schedule again such that my two full days of break would be not consecutive but one on Sunday and the other Friday. Well, that sounds even worse that an extra two hours that I'd at least get paid for so I finally consented. More so to get Joseph off of his knees and hanging on my arm than anything.
So, that's where we stand right now. I'm working an extra two hours a week on Monday as Saturday has apparently been added to my schedule. I have a stack of essays as thick as my school bag but no time allotted to do them. Oh, and our Native Room was literally cut in half yesterday. We showed up for work and our spacious naturally lit room was suddenly filled with enormous shelving units that reduced our work area down to the size of a narrow hallway. Not only that but the elementary school is moving in to our building next week which means we'll be sharing the room with an extra one or two Native Teachers. . . sound fun?
As for the consolidation? Well, I can't be sure of anything but the future doesn't look too bright for DYB's Junggye Branch. Earlier this month Razer talked to us about how Korean Teachers are receiving not only pay cuts but an increase in work load. . .hmm, sounds like a great way to cut costs and lose employees. . . .and that's exactly what's starting to happen. Well, not exactly starting, but, continuing at least!
In the few short days I was gone DYB experienced one of it's highest turnover periods that I've witnessed. First of all, we all went out to lunch yesterday to 'celebrate' Claire's departure from the school. The way this event was described was that she had gotten sick last week and decided to take a few months off to get better. Even though she had miraculously recovered in a week (from a cold mind you) she decided it would be better to take some time to 'recharge,' and move on. Interesting timing as she has just hit her one year mark with DYB and six months exactly at Junggye as her first day of work coincided with ours.
Looking at the Native Teacher schedule it was brought to my attention that the New Hiree, Joseph, was also being 'let go,' supposedly, as Nate found out, because he talked about Canada too much. . .now, I can't exactly vouch for the validity of this statement but it sure seems like a great excuse to lighten the payroll! Oh that and Nate also told me that 17 other foreign teachers had been cut from DYB during the past week. . .whoa, well, we made it through the first round of downsizing! That must mean something about our ability!
Finally, towards the end of the day we were both shocked, but somewhat excited to hear that Sunny, our always cheery secretary, had decided to move on and accept a position teaching theater at a local highschool! Now this is exciting as she finally gets to do something that she clearly loves versus working long hours with no breaks for DYB which didn't even allow her to attend the New Years Party for which she choreographed our DYB Dance.
Oh, and, as I've mentioned, the elementary school is moving into our middle school, clearly to save money on rent and also in part probably due to the severe drop in enrollment numbers that have been obvious for a while now.
Yesterday the best student in the school, D.J., showed up to my class even though I had already seen him this week. I asked him why he was here and he informed me that he came to say goodbye as he was moving on to the 'very famous Topia Academy.' I tried to get him to explain why but he either didn't want to or couldn't quite do so. It didn't seem to have anything to do with me which was good to know but still somewhat disconcerting. D.J. has not always been the top student but since 2Kutz (also known as Yu-Jin) and Lisa left (both of whom previously held top honors, and no, this is not me ranking the kids, the staff actually does this) he has held the role for the past few months.
What a welcome back party huh!? I just got an e-mail from our recruiter, Scot Sustad, trying to encourage me through my 'six month lull.' It sounded like great advice at first but to be honest, it doesn't seem like a whole lot of what's going on is in my control. I figure if I can make it through six days a week then I'll be able to handle anything they throw at me. . .or, maybe I'll just get sick and quit. . . either way, I guess it's time to start planning the next step. . . .
Oh, and in other news, it doesn't look like I made the 50 person shortlist for The Best Job! To be honest, I didn't expect much after viewing my completed video. . .it was far from an artistic masterpiece but at least I now have taken a crash course in video editing! Thank you so much though to Nate who helped me film and Jay, along with my Dad, who helped to edit and upload the video from my computer in Seoul while they were in China and I was at The Gras! What a team effort it was and I really appreciate all the continued assistance. . .
But hey, if you hear about any island jobs opening up, thanks in advance for letting me know, I'd love to look into 'em!
Taking off from New Orleans at 4:41pm Tuesday afternoon, I didn't arrive in Seoul until 6:05am, Thursday morning, two days later. Where did Wednesday go? Well, I can't exactly say but it sure didn't happen this year!
I quickly gathered my bags then stumbled through customs half asleep and fully jet lagged. Two hours, three subways and a short taxi ride later, I arrived at Dootavill. I managed to get in a quick shower and wash off three days of traveling before heading to work at 9:30am.
Here come the fun surprises. . .
I was immediately greeted at work by Anna who told me she had some surprising news. I informed her that I too had a surprise for her and pulled out a string of giant beads that seriously set her eyes a glow. Too bad her surprise wasn't quite as nice.
She took me in to her room and after about five minutes of beating around the bush, finally decided to tell me that I had been scheduled to work six days a week for the next three weeks. Well, that's what it sounded like at least. To be honest, she told me a whole bunch of different things, the majority of which I didn't quite grasp, partly because of the language barrier and partly because I was using every ounce of strength in me not to collapse right there and fall asleep.
I told Anna that I was somewhat aware of the situation as Yumi (head secretary?) had shot me an e-mail at around 7:30am that I just happened to glance at on my way in. I told her that I consider it and get back to Yumi by tomorrow. . . this was not accepted.
Anna informed me that my decision had to be made by 1:00pm as they had to fax the finalized schedules over to the Main Branch before the end of the day. Uh huh. Okay. With no energy to argue and no real desire to do so at that time, I agreed to the revised schedule which has me working two extra hours on a sixth day of the week.
It wasn't until later in the afternoon when Joseph came to confirm the schedule with me that I learned my sixth day was not what I had originally imagined. Apparently, due to the new semester (and the consolidation of the Middle School and Elementary School in to one building) Joseph scheduled me to work a five day week from Tuesday through Saturday. As for my sixth day? Well, I'm expected to come in to work Monday evening for two hours. Now this I didn't see coming. . .
With Joseph literally getting on his knees begging me to accept the schedule, I agreed but informed him that I would be responding to Yumi's e-mail later that evening with my concerns.
After finally 'resolving' the scheduling issue, I headed towards the Native room to try and take a few minutes to myself. Immediately after settling into a seat, Terry Teacher burst in to the room with more surprises. Apparently, one of the subs had failed to show up last week which means my students didn't get a speaking/writing lesson (not that they actually do when I'm there anyways). So, she requested, or, more rightly informed me that I would have to make the class up tomorrow (Friday) morning during my two hour essay period.
As the missed class is one of my best I agreed figuring that I could simply kill time talking about my trip and it's not like I was actually adding hours to my day. Before leaving though, Terry turns around and hands me another stack of about 50 essays and ask that I get them to her as soon as I can. Ha! This coming immediately after her telling me to utilize my essay time to teach her class. . .umm, sorry but not going to have time this week.
Oh, and on the topic of essay time. . . During our first few months here, I was originally scheduled for four hours of essay time each week. Sometimes I would have plenty of essays to keep me busy and other times I would have a bit of freedom but, in the end, it all evened out really well. During Winter Intensive, my essay time was cut down to two hours. Not a huge deal as I decided not to assign essays. However, Terry Teacher and Eun Kyung (whom I only worked with for two weeks) decided that they needed to assign essays and then give them to me for grading. Not a huge problem except for the fact that all of a sudden one day I had a stack of 50 essays sitting around and only two hours a week to work on them.
Now, I've missed my essay time the past two weeks (once due to vacation and once due to Terry's rescheduling me) and have accumulated probably around 100 essays. So, what can I do but slowly chip away at them during my essay time as I simply refuse to take home work to grade that I did not assign and that I know the kids do not look at/care about. Oh wait, herein lies the problem. My schedule for the next three weeks and the one for beyond that include exactly zero hours of essay time. Hmmm, well, not only does this mean I'm teaching four 'extra' hours a week but that I have no allotted in school time to grade. . . starting to sound like teaching in Korea yet?
Anyways, after conking out at 7:00pm Thursday evening I popped up at around five in the morning unable to get back to sleep. Thus, I figured I'd shoot Yumi and e-mail. After reviewing my contract I reconfirmed my inklings that I would be paid overtime for my extra two hours but that the overtime is only a few won an hour over my regular pay. With only two extra hours of work on Monday, I would essentially be making only an extra 8,000 won (or about $5) each week to miss out on a second day of rest. This hardly seems worth it!
Thus I informed Yumi that I would be more than willing to accept the new schedule if Mr. Lee would pay me an overtime rate of double my current hourly wage; informing her that it is both customary and actually mandated by law (right?) in the US. Content with my demands, I lay back down for a few hours until I had to get up to go back to work.
Halfway through my Friday class while taking a break, Joseph comes barging in screaming "Aaadaaaam, whiiiieeeee!?!!!" Apparently Yumi had contacted him. For about twenty minutes I tried to negotiate with Joseph who continually reassured me that no ground would be given by the Main Branch, especially as my contract stipulates the overtime rate which, of course, I had no qualms about when signing a contract assuming that I would not be working overtime. We went through the different possibilities, including me demanding extra vacation days for working extra days, and finally decided on, well, nothing.
Joseph assured me that it would be okay if I refused the extra hours but that he would have to change my schedule again such that my two full days of break would be not consecutive but one on Sunday and the other Friday. Well, that sounds even worse that an extra two hours that I'd at least get paid for so I finally consented. More so to get Joseph off of his knees and hanging on my arm than anything.
So, that's where we stand right now. I'm working an extra two hours a week on Monday as Saturday has apparently been added to my schedule. I have a stack of essays as thick as my school bag but no time allotted to do them. Oh, and our Native Room was literally cut in half yesterday. We showed up for work and our spacious naturally lit room was suddenly filled with enormous shelving units that reduced our work area down to the size of a narrow hallway. Not only that but the elementary school is moving in to our building next week which means we'll be sharing the room with an extra one or two Native Teachers. . . sound fun?
As for the consolidation? Well, I can't be sure of anything but the future doesn't look too bright for DYB's Junggye Branch. Earlier this month Razer talked to us about how Korean Teachers are receiving not only pay cuts but an increase in work load. . .hmm, sounds like a great way to cut costs and lose employees. . . .and that's exactly what's starting to happen. Well, not exactly starting, but, continuing at least!
In the few short days I was gone DYB experienced one of it's highest turnover periods that I've witnessed. First of all, we all went out to lunch yesterday to 'celebrate' Claire's departure from the school. The way this event was described was that she had gotten sick last week and decided to take a few months off to get better. Even though she had miraculously recovered in a week (from a cold mind you) she decided it would be better to take some time to 'recharge,' and move on. Interesting timing as she has just hit her one year mark with DYB and six months exactly at Junggye as her first day of work coincided with ours.
Looking at the Native Teacher schedule it was brought to my attention that the New Hiree, Joseph, was also being 'let go,' supposedly, as Nate found out, because he talked about Canada too much. . .now, I can't exactly vouch for the validity of this statement but it sure seems like a great excuse to lighten the payroll! Oh that and Nate also told me that 17 other foreign teachers had been cut from DYB during the past week. . .whoa, well, we made it through the first round of downsizing! That must mean something about our ability!
Finally, towards the end of the day we were both shocked, but somewhat excited to hear that Sunny, our always cheery secretary, had decided to move on and accept a position teaching theater at a local highschool! Now this is exciting as she finally gets to do something that she clearly loves versus working long hours with no breaks for DYB which didn't even allow her to attend the New Years Party for which she choreographed our DYB Dance.
Oh, and, as I've mentioned, the elementary school is moving into our middle school, clearly to save money on rent and also in part probably due to the severe drop in enrollment numbers that have been obvious for a while now.
Yesterday the best student in the school, D.J., showed up to my class even though I had already seen him this week. I asked him why he was here and he informed me that he came to say goodbye as he was moving on to the 'very famous Topia Academy.' I tried to get him to explain why but he either didn't want to or couldn't quite do so. It didn't seem to have anything to do with me which was good to know but still somewhat disconcerting. D.J. has not always been the top student but since 2Kutz (also known as Yu-Jin) and Lisa left (both of whom previously held top honors, and no, this is not me ranking the kids, the staff actually does this) he has held the role for the past few months.
What a welcome back party huh!? I just got an e-mail from our recruiter, Scot Sustad, trying to encourage me through my 'six month lull.' It sounded like great advice at first but to be honest, it doesn't seem like a whole lot of what's going on is in my control. I figure if I can make it through six days a week then I'll be able to handle anything they throw at me. . .or, maybe I'll just get sick and quit. . . either way, I guess it's time to start planning the next step. . . .
Oh, and in other news, it doesn't look like I made the 50 person shortlist for The Best Job! To be honest, I didn't expect much after viewing my completed video. . .it was far from an artistic masterpiece but at least I now have taken a crash course in video editing! Thank you so much though to Nate who helped me film and Jay, along with my Dad, who helped to edit and upload the video from my computer in Seoul while they were in China and I was at The Gras! What a team effort it was and I really appreciate all the continued assistance. . .
But hey, if you hear about any island jobs opening up, thanks in advance for letting me know, I'd love to look into 'em!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Climbing Bulamsan
This past Saturday morning Nate and I set out in full hiking gear to conquer our neighborhood mountain, Bulamsan.
Although I gaze at this gentle giant each day from my icebox of a Native Room, I have yet to tackle more than the first hundred meters of trail leading up her side. Even this I only did once, in search of a bit of solace from the uber-urban Eunang intersection. While Nate has summited once before, getting lost on his way back down proved that his knowledge of the mountain was far from complete.
Putting on enough layers to battle the Siberian winds we anticipated encountering, I made to sure to leave no room for the elements to get close. Luckily, my heavy hiker Smart Wool socks were just thick enough to almost keep my foot from sliding around in my half size too big boots that I refused to let my parents take back to the States after waiting so long to get them!
A couple hundred yards down the street we veered right behind the post office and set off towards the mountain. The first part of the trail was almost entirely uninhabited as we followed a winding dirt path up through a heavily wooded foot hill. The only person of note that we encountered was a man making our same trek at half the speed, presumably due to the stack of five meter boards he delicately balanced on one shoulder. A further up the hill and we found the pagoda-in-process that was likely to be the boards' final destination. While it wasn't incredibly far, it sure was a long way to haul supplies by foot. . .and shoulder!
Though paths veered off in every which direction, we continued climbing steadily until reaching a very distinct intersection. The path to the left led to a small lookout over Junggye where I once sat pretending that I had the self control to meditate. This would go well for about a minute until my curiosity overtook my patience and I would open an eye, just one, to peak around for a bit before returning to the dark. I rinsed and repeated this process for about 15 minutes until I decided I was better off bringing a book next time. . .haven't been back since!
As the only other hiker in sight took off for a dirt trail to the right, Nate pointed us straight ahead following a rocky path that soon turned in to rocky stairs. While at first it simply appeared to be the rough way up, I realized that the mass amount of seemingly natural rocks were in fact at one point intentionally placed in the shape of a path, and, eventually stairs.
Rocky Road
As Nate barrelled ahead I began to wonder if he was super determined at losing me on the mountain or if he had munched one hell of a Korean power breakfast. Turned out he knew that there was a pretty good look out (read, rest area) just a little ways ahead! Phew, I was thinking we'd be running straight up to the summit the way he was moving!
Where the rocky road leveled out we were treated to quite a view over the greater Junggye/Nowon area. Marked by two stone mounds on either side, I can only imagine that this lookout holds some significance to someone somewhere for some reason. . . .either that or they were just left over rocks that never made it on to the trail. Either way, it was a great place to catch our breath and grab a couple snapshots.
Mounds of Fun
Junggyedong
Ready to Rock
Rock Steady
Holy Rock!
As the woods closed in around us I began to feel like I had been here before, when all of a sudden. . .
No, just kidding, I mean, it did feel a bit like Whitehills Woods, although the grade of the path assured me it was not.
Frozen stream. . .it was not warm outside, I'll tell ya that!
That's one mean face!
Climbing Bulamsan
Part 1: Facing Reality
Bear Crawling
Made it to a plateau!
Climbing Bulamsan
Part 2: The Plateau
That which we left untamed. . .
Before deserting the face entirely however, I was able to grab at least one decent shot over looking what I believe would be towards Nowon Station. We would have been able to see a lot further had the sky not been so smoggy. It hasn't precipitated at all here for at least a couple weeks which means the air is ripe with pollution. Though it's hard to describe how gross it looks, take a gander at the 'sky' just above the mountains in the picture below. What should be a bright blue (as there wasn't a hint of could, or moisture, in the air) is hardly distinguishable from the dirt grey of the high rises below it. . . this can't be good to breath each day!
Can you say 'Smog?'
All Natural
Ooooommmmmm. . .Ooooommmmmm
Hanging Out
Climbing Bulamsan
Part 3: Cliff Hangin'
Dominoes
DYB Junggye Branch
Razor wire?! Looks like they don't want you going that way!
Couldn't tell ya what it says but at least we made it to the top. . . of the first part! Actually the bottom hanging sign says something about Bulamsan. . .but that's all I can decipher.
Grubbing at Base Camp II Diner
Climbing Bulamsan
Part 4: Base Camp II
Mid-mountaing Makoli Munchies
Base Camp II Helipad
On our way!
Back even with Base Camp II
Summit Base Camp
Boulders? No Problem!
Bouldering!
Roping it in. . .
Look, Over There!
Lopsided
The Final Assault
Getting Close!
V for Vicory!
Looking down off the summit towards Camp Charlie
Climbing Bulamsan
Part 5: Summit (Take One)
Nate made it too!
Climbing Bulamsan
Part 5: Summit (Take Two)
Geting ready to billy goat from rock to rock like a true Korean hiker!
Making Friends
Bulamsan Summit from Camp Charlie
Climbing Bulamsan
Part 6: The Decsent
Rockin' the Sunset
Shadows are growing longer. . .
Bulamsan, Check!
*All nomenclature used to describe stops, eateries, camps and the like are wholly the product of our imagine. While they might be fictional however, I strongly suggest that the city of Seoul look into adopting such labels and posting them in a multitude of languages so that international photojournalists may have a consensus as to where they visited.
Although I gaze at this gentle giant each day from my icebox of a Native Room, I have yet to tackle more than the first hundred meters of trail leading up her side. Even this I only did once, in search of a bit of solace from the uber-urban Eunang intersection. While Nate has summited once before, getting lost on his way back down proved that his knowledge of the mountain was far from complete.
Putting on enough layers to battle the Siberian winds we anticipated encountering, I made to sure to leave no room for the elements to get close. Luckily, my heavy hiker Smart Wool socks were just thick enough to almost keep my foot from sliding around in my half size too big boots that I refused to let my parents take back to the States after waiting so long to get them!
A couple hundred yards down the street we veered right behind the post office and set off towards the mountain. The first part of the trail was almost entirely uninhabited as we followed a winding dirt path up through a heavily wooded foot hill. The only person of note that we encountered was a man making our same trek at half the speed, presumably due to the stack of five meter boards he delicately balanced on one shoulder. A further up the hill and we found the pagoda-in-process that was likely to be the boards' final destination. While it wasn't incredibly far, it sure was a long way to haul supplies by foot. . .and shoulder!
Though paths veered off in every which direction, we continued climbing steadily until reaching a very distinct intersection. The path to the left led to a small lookout over Junggye where I once sat pretending that I had the self control to meditate. This would go well for about a minute until my curiosity overtook my patience and I would open an eye, just one, to peak around for a bit before returning to the dark. I rinsed and repeated this process for about 15 minutes until I decided I was better off bringing a book next time. . .haven't been back since!
As the only other hiker in sight took off for a dirt trail to the right, Nate pointed us straight ahead following a rocky path that soon turned in to rocky stairs. While at first it simply appeared to be the rough way up, I realized that the mass amount of seemingly natural rocks were in fact at one point intentionally placed in the shape of a path, and, eventually stairs.
Rocky RoadAs Nate barrelled ahead I began to wonder if he was super determined at losing me on the mountain or if he had munched one hell of a Korean power breakfast. Turned out he knew that there was a pretty good look out (read, rest area) just a little ways ahead! Phew, I was thinking we'd be running straight up to the summit the way he was moving!
Where the rocky road leveled out we were treated to quite a view over the greater Junggye/Nowon area. Marked by two stone mounds on either side, I can only imagine that this lookout holds some significance to someone somewhere for some reason. . . .either that or they were just left over rocks that never made it on to the trail. Either way, it was a great place to catch our breath and grab a couple snapshots.
Mounds of Fun
Junggyedong
Ready to RockContinuing our climb, the trail beneath or feet slowly changed back into leaf covered dirt. Seems as though the higher we got, the bigger the rocks became. Eventually they were just too darn big for anybody to make a path out of. . .so, I took their picture instead.
Rock SteadyNot entirely sure where to go, we ended up getting stuck for a moment at a particularly interesting rock. Nate thought he remembered being lost at this same point and someone pointing for him to go up and over. So, he began climbing. Turns out, that was definitely not the way as he was quickly back on solid ground and we were off marching in another direction.
How does one not know the way 'up' a mountain you ask? Well, there ain't exactly a direct route, ya hear!? From what we considered the main trail, there are dozens of smaller paths snaking off in every direction, some that often appear just as 'main' as the one we were following. To make matters even trickier, every few minutes we'd look up to see another hiker ambling through the woods where it looked as though no human belonged. . .should we be following them!?
How does one not know the way 'up' a mountain you ask? Well, there ain't exactly a direct route, ya hear!? From what we considered the main trail, there are dozens of smaller paths snaking off in every direction, some that often appear just as 'main' as the one we were following. To make matters even trickier, every few minutes we'd look up to see another hiker ambling through the woods where it looked as though no human belonged. . .should we be following them!?
Holy Rock!(There're a lot of pics here which means creative subtitles will likely start to go down hill)
As the woods closed in around us I began to feel like I had been here before, when all of a sudden. . .
No, just kidding, I mean, it did feel a bit like Whitehills Woods, although the grade of the path assured me it was not.
Frozen stream. . .it was not warm outside, I'll tell ya that!Stepping into a small clearing Nate grew excited at what he recognized as the infamous rock face that I had heard so much about. Now apparently the first time Nate climbed Bulmansan he wound up at this same spot but in the presence of a good number of other hikers. Trying in vain to get solid enough footing to make it up the front of the rock face, Nate noted dozens of other hikers simply standing up and walking past him. Of note was the couple who watched him struggling while the man kindly pointed out that 'even she can do it.'
As Nate always said to me, 'the pictures don't really do it justice.' While this face may not seem that menacing, we both found it simply impossible to conquer outright. I didn't have the privilege of being embarrassed by throngs of Korean hikers but I did get a good appreciation for their ability as I too tried walking up this rock and didn't make it more than six feet before sliding down backwards! To be honest, we might have been able to make it up had the fear of sliding down not been to present. It's simply not a pleasant feeling to be groping at rock as it slides by your face, not knowing when you're foot breaks will decide to kick in and stop you!
As Nate always said to me, 'the pictures don't really do it justice.' While this face may not seem that menacing, we both found it simply impossible to conquer outright. I didn't have the privilege of being embarrassed by throngs of Korean hikers but I did get a good appreciation for their ability as I too tried walking up this rock and didn't make it more than six feet before sliding down backwards! To be honest, we might have been able to make it up had the fear of sliding down not been to present. It's simply not a pleasant feeling to be groping at rock as it slides by your face, not knowing when you're foot breaks will decide to kick in and stop you!
That's one mean face!Climbing Bulamsan
Part 1: Facing Reality
Well after a couple attempts each we both conceded that there was no way either of us was getting up the front of that rock. The only problem. . .we had to get at least half way up to pick up the trail that led onwards. So, down on all fours I went! Well, not quite, it ended up being more of a bear crawl that helped me up but in the end, I got to where we needed to be. It was at this point that I decided wearing flip up mittens was a bad idea! Sure they keep your hand warm but when you need grip it's either that of a mitten-ed hand or that of my bare expose fingertips. . .needless to say, my fingers took quite a beating and I'll be laying off the guitar for a few days while they heal!
Bear Crawling
Made it to a plateau!Climbing Bulamsan
Part 2: The Plateau
Well, we tried to make it up a bit further and did in fact get a little higher. Nate even showed me a small ridge where a family of three shimmied up towards the top of this face. Somehow, he managed to convince me to try it out too! I got about 10 feet or so up it before I decided that any further would certainly seal my death once I started to slide back down (which felt inevitable). Thus, I began the terrifying journey back down the ridge backwards. This is not nearly as easy as it sounds or seems. Trying to lodge my feet in a tiny crack while not being able to look back enough to see them was not too pleasant. . .sliding down the last few feet I found solid ground again and we took off for the far side of the rock.
Just under the plateau where we caught some rest runs a ridgeline that takes you to the opposite side of the rock where the path again picks up. So, we followed it! I'm sure it would end up saving time if we found a way up and over but, for now, I'm totally satisfied with taking the safe way out. . .maybe next time I'll give it a go. . .though I can't imagine why I'd try!
Just under the plateau where we caught some rest runs a ridgeline that takes you to the opposite side of the rock where the path again picks up. So, we followed it! I'm sure it would end up saving time if we found a way up and over but, for now, I'm totally satisfied with taking the safe way out. . .maybe next time I'll give it a go. . .though I can't imagine why I'd try!
That which we left untamed. . .Before deserting the face entirely however, I was able to grab at least one decent shot over looking what I believe would be towards Nowon Station. We would have been able to see a lot further had the sky not been so smoggy. It hasn't precipitated at all here for at least a couple weeks which means the air is ripe with pollution. Though it's hard to describe how gross it looks, take a gander at the 'sky' just above the mountains in the picture below. What should be a bright blue (as there wasn't a hint of could, or moisture, in the air) is hardly distinguishable from the dirt grey of the high rises below it. . . this can't be good to breath each day!
Can you say 'Smog?'While the air off in the distance was nothing to sit and stare at, the immediate scenery was quite impressive! It sure felt great to be up and out of the city, especially on such a nice day (albeit freezing cold). The two pictures below should shed a drop of light on the mountain's beauty. What's also nice is that I needn't ever have to work at framing unsightly objects out of the shot. The entire mountainside was pristine and clutter free. Perhaps due to Koreans viewing mountains and hills with a sort of religious purity. This is extends to the point where it's frowned upon even to smoke on a hillside, which, in Korea, says quite a bit. . .
All Natural
Ooooommmmmm. . .OoooommmmmmAs we neared the top of the first climb (Nate informed me that what we end up doing is climbing one mountain, dip down, then climb the final peak to Bulamsan's summit) we took another breather on top of a huge boulder perched delicately over a huge drop off. This appeared to be the thing to do as other hikers, whose numbers steadily increased as we climbed, plopped down on rocks all around to chat, stretch and refuel. We didn't hang out for too long though as our dangling position made neither one of us feel all that comfortable! Check it out. . .
Hanging OutClimbing Bulamsan
Part 3: Cliff Hangin'
Before turning back to the trail I grabbed another couple shots of the city below as the sun's angle highlighted the absurd tessellation of residential high rises below. Realize that those buildings below, lined up like dominoes, are actually 15+ story buildings that house thousands and thousands of people. . .it's likely that the majority of my students' residences are contained within this shot. . .
Dominoes Here we have an up close shot of DYB Junggye branch. Sorry for the haze but I'm zoomed in 12x here! If you start at the bottom, directly in the middle of the picture and slowly move up, you'll come to a white-ish building with what appears to be a triangular roof. The building immediately behind that one, and just ever so slightly to the left, is DYB, the top floor being our Native Room. The building itself looks like a 'V' with a flattened point facing towards the bottom of the picture. . . not that it matters, but, two points to you if you can spot it!
DYB Junggye BranchOh boy, now we're getting close to the top of the first 'hill,' which is what you primarily see when looking out from the Native Room.
Razor wire?! Looks like they don't want you going that way!
Couldn't tell ya what it says but at least we made it to the top. . . of the first part! Actually the bottom hanging sign says something about Bulamsan. . .but that's all I can decipher.Finally arriving at Base Camp II* we decided to plop down for some water and snacks. . .I was just about ready to dive in to my emergency Pocari Sweat (see Climbing Bulamsan, Pt. 1) so it was a good thing we came across the Base Camp II Diner*. While water satisfied our thirst, an hour or so of hiking had put quite a dent in my early morning cheese rabokki. So, Nate and I decided to split an order of snacks. . .well, kinda. We ordered up a bottle of makoli (a super sweet but ultra delectable low proof rice wine) as we new it would be accompanied by snacks, having first been exposed to this Korean hiking treat while wandering the slopes of Namhansamseong.
Grubbing at Base Camp II DinerClimbing Bulamsan
Part 4: Base Camp II
Mid-mountaing Makoli MunchiesPart way up the first mountain I questioned Nate as to whether there would be a place to buy water up ahead. He reassured me that, yes, there would be. I inquired as to how someone would get water this far up the trail and brushed off his response about a heli-pad as a sarcastic remark. Well, looks like I should have paid closer attention to what he was saying!
Base Camp II HelipadAfter finishing our snack we put away the rest of the makoli (which apparently, after a good deal of searching, wikipedia spells both makkoli and makgeolli) and hopped up to keep moving. Even in our short break I cooled off quite a bit as the sweat I had accumulated throughout my body quickly began evaporating into the dry icy air! Yes, I know I should do a better job of regulating body temperature but my primary thought when setting out from Dootvill in the morning was retaining warmth, not water!
Moving past the encampent we were forced to head downhill as Nate had suggested. Though it felt a bit counter productive, it sure was fun to get a running start and just leap down the trail ahead. . .though I can't imagine it being the safest thing in the world to do. . .as we would eventually learn. As the path bottomed out the trees opened up offering me a nice shot of Bulamsan's summit before we moved too close to see the peak.
Moving past the encampent we were forced to head downhill as Nate had suggested. Though it felt a bit counter productive, it sure was fun to get a running start and just leap down the trail ahead. . .though I can't imagine it being the safest thing in the world to do. . .as we would eventually learn. As the path bottomed out the trees opened up offering me a nice shot of Bulamsan's summit before we moved too close to see the peak.
On our way!A little ways on we were back even with BCII and able to look out towards where we had come from. Though the sun was a bit blinding, it was nice to see the progress we had made!
Back even with Base Camp IIA bit higher up the final peak we came to the final shelter: Summit Base Camp*. Warned by Nate about the narrowing path ahead, we paused only long enough to grab a photo, not wanting to get stuck behind a heard of hikers who were close on our tail.
Summit Base CampFrom SBC we immediately came to a line of enormous boulders on which no 'correct' path was laid out. Whether is was the presence of other climbers around or simply a few hours getting used to our footing I can't say but we managed to make our way up those rocks without having to resort to the tried and true bear crawl that was so neccessary earlier in the day!
Boulders? No Problem!
Bouldering!After a fun run upwards the boulders eventually evened out to smoothe stone that again turned quickly verticle. This time however the rocks were much steeper and offered no real opportunity to bound accross. Instead, a series of ropes were mounted into the rock with steel poles that offered climbers the only means upwards. If anyone was able to get past this point without the ropes I sure didn't see it!
Roping it in. . .After the rope section the mountain again flattens out, but only for a moment. Nate took the time to point out Camp Charlie* as I snuck in a candid shot of our fearless leader.
Look, Over There!A bit higher and even the trees began to lean into the mountainside for support!
Lopsided"Now here's where you actually have to climb," Nate warned me. Not that I wasn't already a bit shaken up by the Korean couple who had passed us on the way down warning us to be careful for the final ascent was 'very dangerous.' Oh, well, thanks for the confidence!
Anyways, I flipped over my mittens, dug my already sore finger tips in to rock and began the climb up the Final Assault*.
Anyways, I flipped over my mittens, dug my already sore finger tips in to rock and began the climb up the Final Assault*.
The Final Assault
Getting Close!After a bit of verticle climbing and a few meters of bouldering, we made it to the top! Not of course before leaping from one rock to another pitched at a steep angle that dropped off to a ravine below! The final climb, as you'll shortly see, involves a relatively simple, but nonetheless scary, hand over hand maneuver up a small face with a miraculously convenient finger crack. It seems a lot harder when you do then when the 12 year old boy right behind you does it. How he got there in the first place though is simply beyond me!
But, as I told you, we did eventually summit at 507 meters!
V for Vicory!
Looking down off the summit towards Camp CharlieClimbing Bulamsan
Part 5: Summit (Take One)
Nate made it too!Climbing Bulamsan
Part 5: Summit (Take Two)
Geting ready to billy goat from rock to rock like a true Korean hiker!When we could no longer feel our noses or toes at the summit, we decided to head back down. Having come all this way we decided that we should at least check out Camp Charlie before turning our attention towards the decent. On the way over to CC however I stopped to offer my services as a photographer for a group that had posed on the rock that we stand in front of below. The woman who was taking the picture readily agreed and hoped in with the two men she had been photographing.
No sooner had I taken their picture did she then usher Nate and I into the shot with her buddies. From there, one of the buddies insisted on taking a picture while she joined us. This went on for at least a couple minutes and everybody rotated turns taking pictures and posing with the foreingers. As long as we were in a photo shoot I decided to toss my camera out there and we landed the blow shot of us and two friendly hikers. . .didn't catch anything about them but there sure seemed nice!
No sooner had I taken their picture did she then usher Nate and I into the shot with her buddies. From there, one of the buddies insisted on taking a picture while she joined us. This went on for at least a couple minutes and everybody rotated turns taking pictures and posing with the foreingers. As long as we were in a photo shoot I decided to toss my camera out there and we landed the blow shot of us and two friendly hikers. . .didn't catch anything about them but there sure seemed nice!
Making FriendsAt Camp Charlie Nate took the opportunity to relieve himself while I surveyed the vastness of Northern Seoul. . . as indicated in Climbing Bulamsan, Pt. 3, we really are at the northern tip of the city as there isn't much out there beyond us. Not quite ready to turn down yet we popped a squat for another makoli break.
Bulamsan Summit from Camp CharlieProperally refueled, in the Korean fashion, we turned our attention towards getting off the mountain before sundown. Not wanting to deal with having to go back up and over Base Camp II, we decided to just shoot down the center of Galt's Gulch*, the seemingly most direct way. With two older women leading the way down, Nate and I alternated between running and jumping down the flatter parts while creeping cautiously down the inclines. As you could imagine, we blew past our decsent team while running and were subsequently passed every time extreme traction was required. It really is fascinating how Koreans just stick to the side of these mountains like it's nothing!
Climbing Bulamsan
Part 6: The Decsent
We did stop at one point to enjoy the setting sun over Nowon. This pleasure didn't last long however as Nate slipped on the final grade and managed to slice a good chuck off the tip of a finger on his way down. Of course he had only just removed his gloves exposing the skin that was otherwise protected throughout the day. Oh well, lesson learned, we'll bring a portable first aid kit that I have left over from Ghana next time!
Rockin' the Sunset
Shadows are growing longer. . .Despite the minor mishap on the final leg, we both made it down fine and Galt's Gulch ended up shooting us out just before Sanggye Station. A brisk ten minute walk got us back to Dootavill where I retired for a halfhour hot shower before working up the energy to make it downstairs for dinner.
All 'n all it was a great way to spend a day! Racked up a number of excercise, nature and culture points all in one day. To top it all off I slept like a baby afterwards, although I still ache a bit and it's already mid week! Not sure if I'll be headed back up any time soon though I'd like to make it a few more times before I leave. . .then again, I might just need a shot for my application for the 'best job in the world,' . . . but that's a story for another day!
All 'n all it was a great way to spend a day! Racked up a number of excercise, nature and culture points all in one day. To top it all off I slept like a baby afterwards, although I still ache a bit and it's already mid week! Not sure if I'll be headed back up any time soon though I'd like to make it a few more times before I leave. . .then again, I might just need a shot for my application for the 'best job in the world,' . . . but that's a story for another day!
Bulamsan, Check!*All nomenclature used to describe stops, eateries, camps and the like are wholly the product of our imagine. While they might be fictional however, I strongly suggest that the city of Seoul look into adopting such labels and posting them in a multitude of languages so that international photojournalists may have a consensus as to where they visited.
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