Fun in Afghanistan

Neon soju that is slightly more expensive (3,000 won), but tastes like Coolaide. 

I teach two kindergarten classes. The day is made up of forty minute periods, and I have one of the classes throughout most of the day; however, the second to last period I switch to the other class to teach them from a book called World Kids. This week we began the unit called "Fun in Afghanistan".  We learned about Afghanistan culture, and comparisons. For instance, most places in the world, right now, are more fun than Afghanistan. We also learned about price comparisons and the concepts of cheap verses expensive, which as a 27 year old (Korean Age) in a completely new culture I am still struggling with understanding.

Prices here are quite screwy. You can easily get Gimbap for 2 American dollars or 2,000 won; water bottles are 500 won (50 cents); and you can get cheaply intoxicated with a 1,000 won bottle of soju (although in all fairness it might take two bottles, which does double the price).

Meanwhile, other common place Western items are either unattainable or ridiculously pricey. Last weekends trip to Cosco set me back 21,760 won for 32oz. of Mozzerella cheese, a luxury item that can only be found at a store like Cosco. Roughly 10lbs of beef cost almost 256,000 won.

While Westerners seem to have little trouble paying the ridiculous Costco prices, when it comes to dinner their ideas of cheap vs. expensive seem to change over time. Paying over 5,000 won for dinner is often considered far too much here. The average cost of dinner for three is usually under 20,000won ($20).  It actually becomes cheaper to go out to eat than to buy food to cook at home. 

Manicures

Work has been very stressful. There is always a lot to learn the first month at any new job, and it stands to reason that the stress level would compound in a new country. The test making, grading, and report cards are almost finished, though, and I'm slowly relaxing into the general swing of things.

I got a manicure yesterday to help me calm down, and those few moments of bright colors combined with the absence of text books did the trick.  It is nice to have a cross cultural coping mechanism for a stressful day (although as a waygook I was not treated to the lotion hand massage that the person next to me received. I'm not certain if it was part of a special package for the person next to me, or part of a special exclusion for the waygookin).

Today several of my students complimented me on my new manicure. Oddly though, it was the boys who did most of the noticing- while simultaneously showing me their manicures. Out of the five who mentioned my wicked cute orange-with-white-polka-dot digits, three were boys with nails just as bright as mine {although the boys didn't have matching pedicures like I do :-) }. 

Between the adorable children and the manicures (and the awesome gender-bending combination of the two), there are plenty of moments to brighten up my report card filled days. 

Coworker Bonding

On Saturday, I saw a completely new side of my coworkers. It all began as a simple rafting trip in the country, and turned into an experience in coworker bonding that could only happen outside of America.

For 24,000 won (approximately $24), we had an amazing ride down a Korean river. The water was far from rapid riddled, but the Koreans made it exciting by instigating raft wars with us whenever they passed. I think our raft lost the splashing wars, but the scenery and the laughter compensated for our lost victories. We emerged from the water sopping wet and in desperate need of showers. It so happened that a shower was included in our 24,000 won.

We proceeded to a public bath house or "spa", and the very public bathing area. There, my female coworkers and I bathed together. The spa had a variety of hot tubs, sitting showers, standing showers, cold water tubs, saunas, and a strange warm pool of green water that was supposed to do "something good for half of your body" (many things get lost in translation). Children and adults bathed together in total acceptance of cleanliness and nakedness (although us waygook {foreigners} did get more than our fair share of curious glances). Friends sat on the floor of the sauna drinking green tea and talking; women washed their daughters' hair.

While I doubt that the Kid's Club staff will adopt the Korean style of frequenting the bath houses together, I think it was a cultural experience we all appreciated- even in its awkwardness. 

South Korea Runs on Dunkin'

I found a local Dunkin' Donuts yesterday and decided to try a cup of American coffee, but instead I ended up with a uniquely Korean experience. Along with coffee, a wide array of lattes, and the name defining donuts, Korean Dunkins' serve a wide variety of fine cakes and pastries that at the very least look freshly prepared and quite beautiful. 

I decided on a donut in the end though, or, more precisely, a Honey Glutinous Rice Stick (which was actually rather tasty if you like sticky rice cakes), and a 12 Grain Latte (an experience which will never be repeated). It was a difficult choice considering my options: Mango Chewistas, Coconut Cocoa Donuts, Honey Fig Sticks, and Green Tea Old Fashioneds. My stomach still hurts from the 12 Grain Latte, and I'm still trying to figure out what part of a donut made from green tea is old fashioned. Nonetheless, I feel the pressing need to go back and try the Chewistas.

Answers to a Few Questions

I've received many questions about Korean culture, food, and style. I hope this entry answers a number of your questions: 

The entire country is like a small town with a 1950's mentality and an eighty's fashion sense. Strict moral/ cultural guidelines rein supreme here, and are adhered to as strictly as the standard youth wardrobe of converse and oversized T-shirts (complete with bad or obscene English phrases). 

Women here wear ridiculously short skirts and shorts, but do not show any cleavage. Besides the oversized eighty's tops, they wear T-shirts under tank tops and sundresses. The women care more about fashion and propriety than almost anything else. They would rather wear high heals to climb a mountain (and do wear high heals to climb mountains) than to look bad.

Women do not smoke in public here. There are ash trays in every bathroom, because while men are allowed to light up in almost every restaurant and outdoor space, if a woman were to do the same she would be considered a whore or harlot. 

While a woman with a cigarette is considered loose, she is not nearly as loose as the prostitutes who come by van load onto the street to peddle their wares. These women also smoke, and they do not carry parasols (another standard in Korean fashion). They have no need to keep the sun off their skin, because they only come out at night. The girls are beautiful, and expensive.

If you don't have the million won for a girl of your very own, some of the DVD rooms and Norabongs have women willing to lend you a hand.

Prostitution is probably Korea's largest area of criminal activity. Prostitutes and strip clubs are illegal here, but none of the laws are very strongly enforced. It is so safe, even in the city, that many people do not lock their doors.

As for the food, Koreans like spicy and that suits me well. The country is trying to incorporate more Western foods into their culture, but often get them horribly wrong. Everything is sweet here, except the pastries and cakes which are remarkably bland. So far my favorite thing is the sugar covered multi-grain crackers.  What at first appears to be normal, usually ends up being the most strange.

I'm still learning about the people and culture here, and I definitely don't have it all figured out yet; however, no matter how long I stay here, I don't think I'll ever get used to people bringing a pool with them to the beach (see picture at top).