Half Marathon in Under 2 Hours

This weekend I managed to run my first half marathon in under 2 hours. I've only ran the 21 kilometer distance one other time in my life which was two year ago. The first time I ran the distance, my time was only 2 hours and 10 minutes. At that time, my goal was simply to run the whole distance. This time around, I had a time goal I wanted to beat. I knew it would be difficult, but to my surprise it was easier than expected. I felt good for most of the distance but started to get some pain in my legs at around the 16km mark. By this point, I only had another 5 kilometers to go so the pain was endurable. I finished the distance in 1 hour and 58 minutes. I then walk for 30 minutes at a really slow pace to let my legs and body cool down.

Before running the HM,I did not do much running training in order to reach my goal. I started running a few months back again after a hiatus of a couple of months. Before running the half marathon, my running training only consisted of a few 5km runs (under time 10), 10 kms maybe two times and one 15 km the week before trying the HM. With that said, I have been training my body on an almost daily basis in other domains. That is, I play badminton, free tennis, and weight train as my main source of training.

Weight training and free tennis are not the greatest ways to build strong cardio, though badminton is. Playing badminton is so demanding when played at a high pace. I've been playing a lot of badminton which I believe enabled me to complete the distance in less than two hours. My badminton training is all about short spurts with maximum intensity. My badminton training consists of someone hitting birdies to me in order to improve different strokes. I usually start off with easier strokes such as drives from the right and left side of the court and progressively increase the difficulty. This usually ends with jump smashing from one side of the court to the other. Another hard skills training that I do is clearing from the back of the court to under clearing near the net. Running back and forth and executing the stroke with accuracy is challenging yet highly rewarding for improved cardio. After the intense training sessions, I usually play some games which can also be intense depending on who I play against.

The difference between badminton and running training is the fun aspect. Pushing my physical limits in badminton can be fun especially when playing a game against someone else.  I don't play badminton purely for exersice but as a means of having fun. Running on the other hand is not the funnest activity and one of the reasons why I don't do it that often. I can understand why people do not stay motivate to keep training when their training regimen is solely focused on running. It can be quite boring! In part for this reason, having a variety of physical activities that are endurance intensive can greatly help someone improve the fitness level and help them run a half marathon in under 2 hours.

All in all, I do not believe that the most important training for runners has to be running. This is the first time in my life that I've been doing badminton training and without it, I do not believe I would have been able to run the HM in less than two hours.

Acupuncture in Korea!

I've been wanting to experience acupuncture for some time now. This is not because I have any problems with my body, but rather because I simply want the experience. Getting jabbed with needles is not the most applealing way to acheive good health, though I am drawn to it nonetheless.  In Canada, it is extremely expensive to be a human pin cushion, so that is one of the reasons why I have never tried it. Prices for first consultation are usually around 125$. In Korea, the price for first consultation was 7,500 Won (approximately 6$ Canadian). However, after the first consultation the price drops to 4 or 5 dollars (tax included). Some of the reasons why it is so cheap in Korea is because it is insured by the government and popular among its citizens. At the same time, if I was not insured, it would only be around 15,000 won (12$). In Canada, oriental clinics are not recognized by medicare. They are all privately run which drives prices sky high.

For the low price I payed in Korea, I got much more than I was expecting. The clinics atmosphere was also warm and welcoming. I was told to lie down on a bed which had beautiful coloured sheets. It makes a big difference compared to having plain white sheets with blue walls as is the custom in Canada. Someone came in and put these three containers onto my chest which had burning moxa inside them. This burned for around 20 minutes on me before the doctor came in and asked me where I had pain. I told him my lower back had some pain, even though that was sort of made up. It then proceeded to insert three needles into my ankle region. I felt the first one slightly, though for the second and third needle, I actually did not feel a thing. I then waited to 30 minutes or so with the needles in my ankle and the burning moxa on my chest.

After 30 minutes, a nurse came in and removed the needles but kept the moxa burning for a while longer before removing it and asking me to turn onto my stomach. She then put this machine with sucktion cups onto my lower back. It felt like it was some sort of octopus sucking the blood from my body. The machine was sucking but also seemed to be giving electrical shocks at the same time. It was quite nice!

I thought the treatment was over after they removed the octo-sucker, but instead they giuded me to another room with these strange vessels. A woman told me to enter and lie down in the machine. One part closed onto my legs and the other over my head. My lower body was warmed by what seemed to be infrared lights. Above my head and upper region, there were blue and green light. The machine started shaking and bumping me around. It was a massage machine. It was wonderful, except for the part that I had to pee since before I got there. With this things shaking and hitting my pressure points, I could have pee-ed my pants. The massage was so good that I had to put that urge to the back of my mind. As I did that, I was able to fully enjoy the experience of being bumped around. When the massage is over, people usually get out of the machine, though I was ready for a nap so I stayed in it for some time.

My body was tingling and I was endulging in the chemical rush that my brain was giving me. I felt great! After I got out I had a big smile on my face. Someone then suggested that I try the massage chair. I did not say no to that. It was also good but by this point we had already been there for around 1 1/2 hours. My friends were getting hungry so we then nom nomed at a Korean Vietnamese restaurant.We ordered Shabu Shabu and it was delicious. 

Chuseouk Vacation

Chuseok vacation just finnished and I had a chance to visit the most famous beach in Busan; Heaundae Beach. The beach was just a bonus for my real purpose for going to Busan. My main purpose was to visit the biggest jimjilbang in Asia and possibly the world. The name of this jimjilbang is Spa Land. It has three floors with around fifteen or more jimjilbang rooms. Jimjilbangs are similar to saunas, with the exception that they are usually not nearly as hot. They are, from what I have experienced, low temperature saunas. According to my own research, which by the way has not been very thourough, low temperature saunas are better for detoxing compared to high temperature ones. According to this link, http://www.jacemedical.com/handouts/Low%20Temp%20Sauna.pdf, low tempurature saunas disolve the fats and bring out the natural oils from the body to the surface. High tempurature saunas bring more water to the skins surface. However, one has to stay in the low temperature jimjilbang for an extended period of time for it to be effective since the temperature is generally between 40-60 degrees. High temperature saunas can go over 100 degree which make prolonged periods of time within them not only difficult, but dangerous.

Staying in jimjilbangs over night is the cheapest way one can travel and experience Korea. During my time in Busan, I stayed at Heaundae Spa over night. For 10,000 Won (under 10$), I not only got to use the spa which had many different types of baths at different temperatures and sauna rooms, but also had access to the sleeping area upstairs. Some of the baths in the bath area were so hot that I could barely get a foot in at first without feeling like I was scalding myself. Eventually, I did manage to get all the way in but could only stay for less than a minute before running to the cold plunge pool. The cold pool was extremely cold as well, but so good when the body has been heated to extremes. There were also infrared lights that one could relax under, but I don't know much about what they do or how they work.

After I indulged in the bath area of the spa, I made my way upstairs to find a place to sleep on the floor. Technically, this is also part of the jimjilbang. You can get some blankets as well to keep you warm and a woodden pillow for head support. The room at Heaundae was huge and had so many people sleeping everywhere on the floor. I decided to see if there was space on the balcony, and to my suprise, there was. I had a perfcet view of an almost full moon and was enjoying just starring at it while I tried to fall asleep. I ended up laying there for what seemed like a few hours before I felt too cold. I decided to go inside and find a place on the floor. As I was romming the room for a potential spot, I notice that no one was using the message chair to sleep on (similar to lazy boys). Once I lied down, I got rid of that useless woodden pillow and tried to fall asleep. I notice that some people were giggling by that fact that I decided to sleep in the massage chair (or so I thought that was the case). I don't know if people usually slept in those chairs or not. However, I was not going to move unless someone asked my too. When I awoke in the moring, I notice that every other massage chair was occupied by Koreans. I did not have the best sleep, though it was not bad for sleeping in a lazy boy chair.

The next day I strolled the beach with my coffee and enjoy the morning sun. As the sun became hotter, I decided to make my way to Spa Land, which was a few subway stations away. Spa Land is located in the biggest department store in the world. I don't know what the difference between department store and mall is, though I'm pretty sure that the biggest mall in the world is in Edmonton Canada. In Spa Land, there is also a four hour limit which I stayed up until. After those four hours, I was ready to go home and have the best sleep of my life. I made my way to the subway which brought me to bus station. I got home safe and sound with an experience I will certainly do again.

Open Class

As a public school teacher in Korea, I had to do an open class last week. This not only applies to Native English teachers, but all teachers within the system. I am happy to say that everything went well.  I was observed by my vice-principal (Hacheong Middle school), a vice-principal from Yeoncho Middle school, someone from the office of education, another foreign teacher and his co-teacher.

It was pretty intense but everything went smoothly. I was video recorded by two different cameras and there was also someone taking pictures. At the same time, I also had to use a microphone in order to record  my voice. It was a little weird to use the microphone since: 1) the classroom size does not require one 2) I do  alot  of hand movements that I could not do since I was aware of recording my voice and speaking into the microphone.  After my lesson, the evaluator from the office of education asked me why I was using a mricrophone. He was not aware that the vice-principal requested it. I understand that my teaching is a rare gem and  they must preserve at all costs, so I guess I forgive them for making me do that.

My lesson went well and the students were well behaved, though they are usually well behaved. The vice-principal from Yeoncho middle school said he was impressed with my teaching. I had a talk with the evaluators for what they called an informal meeting. They gave me feedback and talked about my time in Korea and how my life is going. They were warm and friendly and told me that they were happy that I was so active at my school. That is, I participate in all the school outings and play sports with the students after school almost everyday. . I love workingout and playing sports so its really a pleasure to do.

Eating Dog Meat

A while back I had my first experience eating dog meat. Many people from Canada or the U.S might find this disgusting, but keep in mind that many Koreans do as well. It seems like eating dog meat is culturally more of a norm for males. Those who like it, really seem to enjoy it. Some of the teachers at my school are disgusted by the thought of eating dog meat, while another said it's his favourite meat. Not only is it his favourite meat, but top food as well.

I've been meaning to experiment with dog for some time and got my opportunity when the vice-principal invited me out for dinner one night. We went to a restaurant that only served dog meat. We first had a platter of steamed dog before getting our individual bowl of dog soup. The vice-principal told me that eating dog gives male's power. Dogs do have a lot of energy and I guess consuming their flesh would transfer that energy. The meat is extremely soft with quite a bit of fat on it. I think it is the softest meat I have ever tried. It also has a very unique and strong flavour with a tad of sweetness. As I ate the dog, I kept on having flashes of the dog that I pet everyday before entering my apartment building. There is a dog that lives outside who wonders around the area. I think he is there to protect one of the big gardens. Every time he sees me, he runs over to me with his tail wagging. I usually pet him for a minute or so and continue with my day. It's like a routine we have.

Because of this bound, I sort of felt like a hypocrite for eating dog. Unfortunately, this did hinder my experience a little. I am glad that I had the experience, though I will not go out of my way to eat it again.

Off to Vipassana Again!

So it's that time again where I will be doing another vipassana retreat. I try to do at least one retreat per year and I am so excited and ready for my retreat this year. This will be my 5th retreat, three where I sat the course and one where I served the course. This time I will be serving the course again. Instead of doing the course in Canada or the U.S, I will be serving in Korea at the Dhamma Korea centre. Since I arrived in Korea, I have been eating meat almost daily, something I have not done in over 5 years. This will be a good opportunity to have a break from that while serving the courses since the centres only serve vegetarian meals. The duration of the course is 12days, 10 of which are in complete silence. One is not permitted to speak when sitting the course. For those serving the course, one is permitted to speak to other servers and out of range of those who are sitting the course. Servers need to communicate to one another with things like cooking, cleaning and general coordination. The sole responsibility for those who sit the course is to meditate. They do not have to worry about anything. All is taken care of by the servers.

Vipassana is not only a cleansing of the mind, but of the body as well. The quality of food that is served is amazing. I always feel cleaner, lighter and more alive after my retreats, with the exception of my first retreat (I experience some major detox I guess). Every course is different and new things arise that were not present the previous course. I am so excited to find out what may arise this time. Many people leave the course because it is extremely difficult. Things bubble up from depths of within that we are not aware are part of our being. Everything has to be dealt with and there is no escaping this at a vipassana retreat. Things will arise and the only thing one can do is be equanimous. Many people cry during these retreat, and I always wanted to cry myself because of the release but was unable to. I thought to myself that I was too emotionally stable to cry, but I was so wrong.

A day after my last retreat, I was going to make an appointment to get my license. As I was walking on the street I was giving metta (a form of love meditation) to everyone I saw and this energy was building in my body. I felt like I had to cry in the middle of the street. I then had a realization that the only thing that could cause me misery is myself. That just set me off and I was balling. I kept walking and crying. This actually lasted for an hour. It was so amazing! I was so baffled by my realization that nothing could affect me but myself. Goenka (the head teacher) states that many people believe misery is 100% caused by the external world. Through meditation, some people come to realize that 50% of their misery is caused by the external world, and 50% by our own selves. However, with enough practice, one comes to realize that 100% of misery is caused by ourselves.

I was in complete shock that I actually understood this on such a profound level. That statement was something that stood out to me before my realization, but nowhere near the depth that it hit me on that day. It was a realization that is beyond the mind. After walking and crying for 30 minutes, I decided to sit and really let things out, but as I sat, nothing would come. I decided to walk again. I thought to myself, 100% of suffering is caused internally and I would start crying again. It was the biggest cry of my life. I was so happy!

Currently, I do not have the same profound understanding because it is difficult to maintain, though elements of it remain with me. Once out of the retreat, it is difficult to maintain the same kind of awareness. The occurrences of life take over and one slowly loses a certain degree of awareness. This is why I go back every year. I have no expectation and I look forward to whatever arises this time around.

Nedo and a Pod of Dolphins!

 Last week I had the good fortune of venturing to the island of Nedo off the southern tip of Geoje island (where I live). This took place on Friday, the last day of school for the students before their summer vacation. However, there are many students at school this week who either want to work on various subjects, or more than likely were forced by their parents to take classes over the summer since they are offered by the school.

Before our trip to Nedo, the school had their closing ceremonies for the summer before lunch. This was a half day for students and teachers as well. After all the students were gone and the school was cleaned, we gathered our things and headed to Gujora, the town were we were to catch out boat to Nedo. Before we caught our boat we indulged in a sort of raw fish cold soup. I have had raw fish before, but never with water, ice cubes, vegetables all mixed with a spicy sauce. I was not overly impressed but I supposed it suited the occasion since it was a scorthing day out. We then headed to our boat and had a nice little boat ride to Nedo where I meet another foreign teacher who was also on a trip with his school from Busan. (the second largest city in Korea).

The waters around Nedo seemed so fresh and clean. There was a sense of purity in the air! The beauty of the island was stunning. From Nedo I could see so many other little islands in the near vacinity. There were walking trails that we hiked which took us through the thick canopies of the island. Once we reached the other side of the island, we were treated with a display of dolphins feeding at the bottom of the cliff from where we were standing. There was about 10-12 dolphins in a sort of circle. I could ony think that it was a sort of fishing tactic that they use to group the fish into a little area and then capture them. The conditions were right and the day was a success! The beauty of nature and life can be an amazing thing.

Academic Rankings

So far from my experience there has been quite a few desk warming days in the Korean public school system. Today is one of those days for me. Unfortunately, next week I will have a few more desk warming days due to the three days of exams for the students.  During this time, I get to lesson plan and get ready for the English summer camp, though these things are already mostly finished. Everything that will be on the exams has been covered so I was told that students will be given a few periods to study each respective subject. Studying is intense for most students in Korea who spend most of their waking hours focused on school related activities. On exam day, students come in for their exams and are done by lunch, in which they either go home or to their hogwon (private tutoring institute) and study more for their exams the following days.

Thousands of dollars are spent each year by parents in order for their children to attend these after school institutes and compete at the highest academics standards. It is ultra competitive here! I asked my students what time they study until, and I got a lot of 9's, 10,'s, 11's and even one 2:30a.m. Keep in mind, this is their daily regiment for many of them. Because of this, they are often tired in school which creates a vicious cycle. This is only at the middle school level. Once these students enter high school it is a whole new ball game. To get into many of the high level schools, students have to put many if not most of their hobbies, entertainment and recreations on hold. Personally, I beleive that students in South Korea have to put way to much effort into their studies. Start school 8:00 a.m and finishing at 11:00 p.m is more than a well developed adult can handle (at least it would be in my case day in and day out).

Fortunately, all this studying is paying off for South Korea on the international scale. In world ranking of all the OECD countries, South Korea is at the top in Math, Science and reading. They were ranked 1st in Reading and Math and 3rd in Science which made them #1 overall. Here is the link to compare the different countries for yourself: http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/dec/07/world-education-rankings-maths-science-reading.

Canada ranked 3rd overall behing Finland. In Reading, Canada ranked 3rd, though in Math and Science it came in 5th place. The U.S on the otherhand only ranked 14th overall ( which is better than I thought it would be). There is a big divide between Reading and Math abilites in the United States. For Reading, the U.S are at the 14th spot. From there they plummeted to the 25th spot in Math before jumping back to 17th in Science. Whether this  U.S academic gap has to do with teaching methods, social problems or some other means, it is clear that South Korea  has gained  the top spot, at least in part, because of the built in culture of study.

Volleyball Game Against Okpo Middle School

This week I played in a volleyball game with Hacheong middle school against Okpo middle school. The odds were against us from the very start since they had around 50 teachers to choose for their team while we only had 10. Only the best teachers from each school are allowed to play. Even though I am not very good at volleyball, I am still one of the best at my school. At the same time I am the tallest in my school which is always a virtue when playing volleyball. My height did come in handy during the game enabling me to block the other team over 10 times. By the end of the game my team was calling me the blocking king. I was also in charge of blocking the tallest player on the other team who was actually taller than me. He was perhaps the tallest Korean I have ever seen. He was a smashing machine, though since I blocked him so many times their team decided to attack the other side of the court.

The rules of the match were that both teams had to have two females, and a principle or vice principle. There was another foreign teacher that worked at Okpo middle school that wanted to play, though he was denied because he did not meet the required skill level. That's really too bad because I always like to meeting other foreigners and sad because he actually wanted to play. He did not show up for the game either. At my school, every teacher came to the game even if they were not playing. It was as if they were are cheerleaders. I would hear a lot of "Mikel Fighting!", which is simply how they say it to each other as well. It seems to be the same as "Play Hard" or "You can do it".

Even though we did not win the match, I really did enjoy the experience and all the high fives I received and gave when I or someone else from our team scored a point. There was a real feeling of comradery that is accompanied with team sports. I think this must be one of the reasons why there is so much of it in Korea.

Padminton & Speedminton

I've been meaning to write about this for some time. I've been introduced to a couple of new and fun games that I would like to share.They are called padminton and speedminton which are a blend between ping pong, badminton and racket ball. In Korea, they are big on badminton and ping pong, so it's not suprising that padminton came into existance. Padminton uses a ping pong style racket but with a badminton shuttle. The shuttle does not go nearly as far when using this paddle so the game is a lot quicker. This means the players have to stand a lot closer then they otherwise would in a badminton game. The net is also lower than it is for a badminton game. Since the net is lower, it is still possible to smash but it is also easier to return the smash (at least I believe it is). The boundaries or scoring area is also very small, making precision an important virtue for the game. Since I do not beleive it is an official game, players can create their own scoring areas.

The next game is speedminton. This game is played from long distances. I played it with the Physical Education teacher the length wise of the gym. The reason the shuttle can travel so far is because the racket and shuttles are different than in badminton, padminton or ping pong. The rackets are similar to rackeball rackets and the shuttles are smaller than badminton ones. There are also three different shuttles that can be played with. This included a fast, medium and slow shuttle. However, keep in mind that even the slow shuttle is faster than a badminton one. The fast shuttle brought me to automatic laughter because it was so fast. From long distances, it is not difficult to rally with someone and is good training for badminton.

In fact, both of these games are good training for badminton. Padminton in particular is good for improving ones reflexes because the game is so quick. However, it is important to have quick reflexes but combined with precision. These are the two elements that I believe really help to improve ones badminton game. After playing padminton, I feel that my confidence is also boosted because I feel my reflexes and precision are slightly improved after playing a few rounds.

A simialr comparison is when I come back from a vipassana meditation retreat and and have refined my awareness of sensations and in general my awareness of being. I know one or two hours of practicing padminton is not the same as 10 days of silent meditation, though I do feel like in many ways I am sharper as is the case when I return from vipassana. Badminton is like working with the gross sensations while padminton is refining that to more subtler sensations. After working on the subtle sensations, it is very easy to sense the gross ones. This might be difficult for some to understand, but it is something that I believe has some resemblance even though it may be difficult to make the connection. 

Sports day in Hacheong

I learned many new games on sports day when Hacheong middle school battled Shang Po middle school to see which was the more athletic school. The activities were different than what may be found in Canada. First, skipping is something that all  students practice in Korea and most are quite good at it. I'm definitely the worst skipper here (for now). I will and already have been practicing my skipping and plan on being pretty good by the time I leave.

The first competition of the day was a school versus school exercise. All students from both schools were told to skip and at the end of 3 minutes the school with the most students who did not make a mistake or stop was the winner. Hacheong lost that round, but it was close. Next activity was to see who could skip longer while doing double jumps. That is, the skipping rope has to go around two times with only one jump. I only started to get this last week and can only do one at times. Some students can maintain double jumps for awhile, but it comes down to technique which I do not have yet. Even the more out of shape and non-athletic students are able to do a couple of these, so I am optimistic that I will be able to do these eventually. Some of the more athletically gifted students are able to do triple jumps. That is, one jump with 3 rotations of the skipping rope. It looks pretty cool! I hope I will be able to do that by the time my contract is over.

Next activity was soccer. Hacheong middle school has a good soccer team and it showed when they played Shang Po. We won every game and in dominating fashion. The first game which was played with the 3rd graders (9th graders by Canadian standards) and won by a score of 6-1. Even the goalie scored because when he kicked the ball it bounced over the other goal keeper and into the net. That in itself is pretty rare, but the exact same thing happened the next game for the 2nd grade class. They also won their game.

After the soccer matches were finnished they began to play Korean traditional games. Some of these would not be allowed to be played in Canadian schools because they tend to be a bit dangerous. One in particular involves one student running across the backs of the other students across the field. Students have to continually build a bridge for the running student to cross. That student is not allowed to touch the ground. It is pretty dangerous and I can see how someone can easily get hurt. I'm sure it has happened a lot in the past but this year it went flawlessly. There was three rounds of this game between the two schools. First round was 3rd graders, 2nd round/ 2nd graders and 3rd round/first graders. We won all the rounds.

Another game where there were injuries, though none severe was another traditional Korean game. This again was grade versus grade. Students were paired together with opposite gender. They had to run across the field with a big bamboo stick, go around a cone, run back and then (where most of the injuries occured) run with the stick low to the ground and have the rest of the team jump over it. However, some students would jump late, or early and the bamboo stick would hit their legs and cause them to trip. After they jumped over the stick, the stick would come back over the top before passing it to the next pair of student to repeat the sequence. What occured at times was for some students to jump over the stick, but forget that it was coming around over the top. They would stand up and they would get hit in the back of the head. For some reason, it happened more to the first graders, but at times there were some loud thumps when students forgot to remain crouched down. It was never too serious, but eventually, there were giggles from some teachers as the thumps repeated themselves more often than logically one could explain.

I had the good fortune of competing in a couple of events against some students and teachers from Shang Po. I was part of a relay race in which a baton had to be passed from one racer to the next. We easily won this race. I was matched again the Korean English teacher from Shang Po. I was also involved in a race which had one of my ankles bound to another person's. This involved three people working in coordination with each other. It was hard enough to have one of my ankles bound, but the person in the middle had two ankles bound. Again, we won the race. These wins, even though they involved teachers, gave the school extra points, though it was not enough for Hacheong to win the overall competition.The last activity was tug of war. Each grade battle the same grade from the other school. Unfortunately, we lost badly in every match. Our students seemed to be smaller and were over powered.

Overall, it was a good day and Hacheong middle school did much better than last year. I was told that the previous year Hacheong did not even win one event...gulp...that must feel bad. Next year I'm sure they will do even better.

School Trip to Incheon and Seoul

Last week I had the good fortune of participating in the school trip with Hacheong Middle School to Incheon and Seoul. From Geoje, it was a 4 and 1/2 hours bus ride. Along the way we made a few stop for snacks, lunch and washroom breaks. Unlike in Canada, the buses do not have toilets, yet they have something much better. They have noribangs systems (Karaoke machines) built right into the bus. There is a switch that makes disco type lights flash on and off in a multiple array of colours. The students went wild when one of the teachers set it up for them. Students took turns singing songs until I was asked to sing a song. I was more than willing and decided to sing Neil Young’s song Heart of Gold. I got a warm reception from the students after I finished my song. They told me I was a good singer even though they were probably simply being polite.

I thought it was a bit strange that our first destination was the Incheon International Airport and so did some of the other teachers. It is one of the biggest airports in the world and I suppose the organizers of the trip wanted to show the students the architecture and other things that the airport offered. I personally thought the airport was much like the rest of them that I had been too. Koreans don't seem to travel that often so it was probably something very few students have had a chance to do. After walking around the airport for a while, we were waiting for our bus to arrive when the students noticed a popular K-pop (Korean Pop) band getting out of their van. The students went wild and the band was rushed into the airport. Girl and boy students were screaming in excitement. It all happened randomly and was a nice surprise for the students. Two minutes later, our bus arrived and we were off to the next location.

This next place we visited in Incheon is famous because it was the place where the first Americans arrived to help South Koreans fight the North during the Korean War. There was a lot of history that was discussed and exhibited, but I could not read most of the displays because of the language barriers. Some of the displays had English writing, but few and far between. Luckily, I spent most of my time with the physical education teacher who explained many things to me about the history and culture of the time. For instance, I thought it was interesting that before the Korean War, most people did not actually cut their hair. Cutting one’s hair is a western cultural adoption. Even up to fifty years ago, Korean traditional attire was worn. Now one might only see that in a museum, parade or within a play. Things have changed so rapidly in Korea once development started.

After spending time at these exhibitions, we took a boat ride from that port to Korea’s biggest port in Incheon. The boat ride was beautiful with the many seagulls, islands and sunset. The ride lasted a little under an hour. Once at the port, it was a short walk to our hotel where we drop off our bags before going for supper at a restaurant near by. The food was great but it was almost exactly the same thing that was served for breakfast the next morning. Fortunately for me, I did not mind at all since I really like the food, but it is a common complaint that many foreign people make. Soup, rice, and kimchi can all be served during breakfast, lunch or dinner.

My room was small and I had to share it with 4 other teachers. We each had a single bed (note that single beds in Korea are about half the size of those in Canada) that lay on the floor. Korean beds are simply a little piece of foam laid on the floor. The room was so small that each bed was touching the next. This gives one an idea how close I had to sleep to the next person. This did not bother me either since it seems to be the way Koreans do things. At the same time, I only paid 120$ for a three day trip which included 3 meals a day and entrance fees for multiple locations. That night, the vice-principle and a few other teachers wanted to go out for some drinks. I always enjoy going out with the teachers and having a few beers or sojus. This led to the noribang (Karaoke room) where I and three others sang a few songs. One teacher decided not to come. It seems that if I go out with Koreans, the odds are high that we will eventually end up at the noribang. We all had to get up early, so we only got around 3-4 hours of sleep before we had to get up for 6AM.

The next day was the day that most students were looking forward too. This day we went to Everland (the biggest amusement park in Korea). However, before going to Everland, we visited an all girl’s University in Seoul where students had a chance to watch a musical called "Lunatic". They laughed their asses off and even I had a laugh every once in a while (even though I did not understand most of what they were saying). The gestures and mannerisms were enough at time to give me a giggle. The musical was famous in Korea and starred by a famous comedian from Seoul.

Next we went to the amusement park where students were left to their own devices and roam the park freely. I personally have not been to an amusement park in probably 15 years but was looking forward to renewing my youth with heart pounding roller coaster excitement. It was an exciting day and I did manage to ride the 3 biggest and fastest rides within the park. The T-Express was by far the best roller coaster that I have ever been on, but it also took an hour wait for the 3 minute ride. Afterwards, my heart was pounding and I did not feel any remnants of the tiredness that I was feeling from my lack of sleep.

The park had an amazing tulip garden with thousands of tulips and other beautiful flowers. There was also a rose garden, but unfortunately the roses were not in bloom yet. The last part of my time at Everland was watching the light show followed by fireworks. When I heard that we would be watching this, I was not overly excited. However, it turned out too be amazing! The light show was great and the fireworks display might have been the best I have ever seen. We left Everland at around 10PM and made it back to our hotel for around 11:15. I thought that the night would end early, but a teachers meeting was called and we all meet at 12:30 in the morning in one of the rooms. I thought it would be a quick affair, but then beers showed up. We started drinking and after 30 minutes, fried chicken also arrived. Half the teachers did not want to be there because they were exhausted. It must be something about Korea culture that prevented them from saying that they were tired and had to go to bed. Finally, after all the beers and fired chicken was finished, the meeting was over and we could finally go to bed.

The next day we returned and I was able to get a great night sleep. I had two days left in the work week which made the week feel unusually fast.

Take Out Food in Korea

When I first experienced take out food with some fellow teachers at my school, I thought it was odd that the delivery person brought the food in hard plastic bowls with metal cutlery. The first thing I thought to myself was that I did not want to pay extra for the metal spoon and hard plastic bowls that the food was in. However, I soon realized that the bowl and cutlery were not for garbage like it would have been in Canada. It turns out that the bowls, plates and utensils that were given to us for our meal were not for us to keep or throw away, but to be returned to the restaurant.

After a brief explanation from my colleagues, I was amazemed to learn that the delivery guy  has make two trip to one location when someone orders food. The first to deliver the food, the second to pick up the plates, bowls and cutlery. Wow! I thought to myself.   This created a lot of work for the deivery person, but also went along way to reducing waste. I heard that Korea is a green country, and I am impressed with the way they do delivery.

The delivery guy may not pick the remains up on the same day, but sometimes the day after. This morning when I was leaving my house for work, I noticed that my neighbor left their take out dishes by their door. It was too early for them to have ordered food that morning, so it must have been from the previous night. After eating a take out meal, the procedure is to leave all the dishes by the door. Someone will eventually come and pick them up.

Corporal Punishment

Officially, corporal punishment has been banned in South Korean schools for a few years, however, it does still continue to a certain extent. I have not seen any students hit with sticks, but I have seen ear twisting, head smacking and exercise types of punishments. Here is a wikipedia link I found regarding the governmental standards that one could use in South Korea concerning the stick size that a teacher must use to hit their students( Corporal Punishment Standards). Accoding to this source, only a few provinces have adopted this ban, but it does not seem to include Gyeongsangnam-do (the province where I'm employed). 

Today, during my period 3 lesson, two students came in about 15 minutes late. My co-teacher gave them a short lecture in Korean, and then told them to get on their knees with their hands up in the air. When their shoulders got tired from holding their hands over their heads they would lower them for a few seconds until my co-teacher would give them hell for lowering their hands. They would let out grunts but obey by raising their hands over their heads again. This went on for about 10 minutes until they got into the plank position. If anyone has taken a yoga class, they're probably familiar with this position.  It can be a challenge to stay in plank for even a minute. These students stayed another 5 minutes or so trying to maintain the position. They did not do a very good job at it reverting between planks, downward dog, and completely resting on their hands and knees with head down trying to relieve the pain. However, they would rise up again and do the whole process over again until my co-teach thought that they had enough. This all occurred while the lesson continued. The demeanours of the students was still happy. They were smiling and even participating within the lesson by yelling out answers when they were asked to do so.