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.