Konglish [a korea top 5]

[original image.]

In lieu of recent events; namely, an unexpectedly excellent (yet in many ways now routine) weekend in Korea, a recent bout with el plague day hanguk, and my current state of brainfuzz resulting from future plans and problematic circumstances, I don't really have that much to say. Some may think this lack of meaningful content would mean I would simply shut my mouth for a moment; but, I like to talk. And this is my blog. 

So, my friends, I bring you the first installment of my Korea Top 5's, a series of serious and not so serious reflections on my year (10 months down!) in the ROK. The following is an excellent example of the not so serious end of the spectrum.

I present to you my Top 5 Favorite Konglish Phrases:

OK, hold up Emily, FTW!!

That's not even a real word!

Perhaps.

Or perhaps not. For those of you who haven't spent copious amounts of time in Korea, Konglish refers to a select group of Korean (or Hangul) words adapted from English. These words can range from those with the same meaning as their English counterparts (ie: 컴퓨터 = kom-pu-teo = computer) to words that closely resemble English but have a slightly different meaning than one might expect. 

Alright, now that were all on the same page...

My Top 5 Favorite Konglish Phrases are :

5. 초코파이(cho-ko-pa-i) - Choco Pie

This one may not technically be considered Konglish, but I am making the rules here. Choco-pie refers to a chocolate treat similar to a moon-pie, that makes my students go simply bananas. While they are not particularly delicious, 초코파이 makes the list because it is shouted at me in a most hilarious fashion on a daily basis. [Background info: My students are rewarded with stickers for participation, winning games etc. When a student receives 10 stickers they get to choose from a coupon grab-bag and win prizes such a "No Homework!" "Change your seat!" and, you got it, "1 Choco-Pie!"] At least once a week, one of my students will come running up to me waving a coupon in my face (or smiling mischievously sans-coupon) and yell "TEACHER! I AM CHOCO-PIE! I AM CHOCO-PIE!" While, as an English teacher I must ardently correct the students each time, making sure he or she at least says "Teacher! Give my Choco-pie, please!" hearing, "I AM CHOCO-PIE!" never fails to make me smile :)

4. 서비스 (seo-bi-su) - Service (occasionally pronounced servic-ee)

Korean servis-ee is awesome. It basically means free of charge, or on the house. Korean businesses LOVE to give out servic-ee goods, though sometimes in unexpected and inexplicable ways. There are the standard freebies that come along with cosmetics; a loofa here, some cotton swabs there, you know the drill. There are always a few 1+1 and 2+1 deals ( buy one/two get one free) at the Family Marts and 7-Elevens. And then there are the bottles of glue and boxes of plastic bags (for example) taped to your coffee and cereal. One of my friends even gets servic-ee lettuce from the produce lady at her grocery store Asssaaaah! (which leads me to my next point...)

3. 아사!!!! - Asaaahhhh!!!!

This basically means Awsome! Woohoooo! Yayyy! I always know I've done something right when I explain the rules of a game or activity and hear a few "Assahhh's" from the monsters.

Also, it's pretty catchy. You should try it out. 

2. 파이팅 / 화이팅!!! (pa-i-ting / hwa-i-ting) - Fighting!!!

Another favorite form of encouragement, is a good old "Fighting!!!" This is one of those words that directly resembles its English origin (although it is regularly pronounced "Hwaiting!!") but has drifted away from the literal English meaning over time. "Fighting!" is now the equivalent, of  "You can do it!" "Good luck!" "Keep going!" and is generally shouted as a form of encouragement. National sporting arenas are often full of ", 대한민국 회이팅!! daehanmin-guk, hwaiting!! or even 코리아 화이팅!! Ko-ri-ah hwaiting!! Go, Korea!! It is also not uncommon to receive a "화이팅!" from a group of excited Korean's mid-hike. Alternatively, I have one student (English name Thomas, Korean name unknown) who will sometimes run into the room and scream " EMILY TEACHER, 화이팅!!" and then shake me vigorously by the shoulders. At these moments, just about everything is a little unclear.

1. 피자 (pi-ja) - Pizza! 

There are few things I, or my students, love more than some good old 치자 그르스트  치자 피자 (chi-ja crus-tuh chi-ja- pi-ja). One of those things may be trying order myself,  "ha-ghe (one) chi-ja crus-tuh chi-ja- pi-ja"  at the PizzaSchool without bursting out laughing mid-order. For these reasons, as well as its amazing deliciousness and ability to bring chi-ja into my  so often chi-ja-less life, 피자 is my number one favorite Konglish word of all time.

Any Waygooks out there have a favorite they would like to share?

Off to dream of hwaiting pijas...

Anyeong[hikheseyo].

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Wanderlust.

Decisions, decisions, and questions and decisions and problems and decisions... 

original map

Getting closer to a post September first plan by the day, updates to come when decisions are made :)

 

Anyeong[hikheseyo].
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Dear Beber Camp,

You started today and, for the first time in fourteen years [edit: Miss Halley Wolf reminded me that its actually the first time in fifteen years..jeez] , I am not there. That's a pretty crazy thing. A pretty amazing thing. Just like you. Crazy and amazing and kind of weird. Well, really weird. But, Ok weird.

Ok, because I am here. Ok, because even though I think about you almost everyday, and sometimes feel a bit/a lot nostalgic, I am still here, and happy that I am here. I am living in Korea, and soon will be off to Vietnam and Cambodia. And that is awesome. And with my days in Korea numbered, and the sunny shores of Lake Beulah miles and oceans away, I find it far easier to dwell on my dwindling number of days in the ROK than the moments I am missing in Mukwonago.

Which isn't to say your not on my mind, because that would be (a downright lie) silly considering what a big part of my life you have been. On a daily basis, it brings a huge smile to my face to know that you exist, that you are happening right now and making so many other people happy. It makes me actually giddy to know that my first campers are on leadership now, and that my staffies are the ones in charge. It makes me smile because I know they are so great, and going to do so many great things, and that their time is now (p.s. you guys are so great!). 

So, while I know that I made the right decision to be here and not there, and I know that the place I should be right now is here and not there, I just wanted to let you know that you're still in my heart. That I am wishing on you and everyone there 8 (or 10) weeks of insane laughter, and fun, and sweat, and hard work, and maybe a few tears (but the good kind). That I know you will continue to be amazing even if at the present my thoughts are more Korea-centered. And that I am so thankful to have you as part of my life, and know that you are a huge part of the reason I am where I am.

Thank you for being the place I realized I wanted to be a teacher. Thank you for being the place my weirdness could shine through my self-perceived social-awkwardness and fear of strangers. Thank you for being the reason I have always been Ok packing my bags and leaving my "real" life for extended periods of time. And thank you for teaching me how to find and show the world the best of me.

Thanks for everything. You're pretty cool and will be even with out me. So, until next time, keep being an amazing thing for so many amazing people.

 

 Sending love, health, happiness, and poker chips from the ROK to Mukwonago.

사랑. 건강 . 행복 .

Anyeong[hikheseyo].
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On a related note: 

Dear Jules and Trudles,

Today, in my haste, I laminated something important without a sleeve. The item proceeded to melt around the roller and totally mess up the machine. I then had to get my non-english speaking co-worker to help me fix the problem because all the buttons and instructions on the machine are in Korean. So there's that. 

Don't forget the sleeves. Don't sell them all at the shuk.

-Emily

For my 아빠, belated.

Belated again, but here at last. Just wanted to take a moment to wish my amazing wonderful father, Happy Fathers Day! I hope you enjoyed some quality sunshine and family time at the lake and I wish I could have been there. And, seeing as I am thousands of miles and oceans away, I hope you spent at least twenty five percent of the day practice fishing in the front yard. Bonus points if Uncle David, the Kowalsky and Singer contingencies, and by some serious bending of time and space Grandad were able to join in on the fun. Father's Day love and shout-outs to all the dad's in my life!

All the love I have

사랑하는아빠

Anyeong[hikheseyo].
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Muuido Take 2 [A Top 5 prequel]

 Hey summer... I see you have arrived.

Credit to Mike Williams for this excellent shot of yours truly.

With temperatures regularly hovering in the mid eighties, and humidity already threatening to rise to the point where breathing feels like chewing yellow dust flavored paste, summer has most definitely arrived in the ROK.

I've been feeling a dawning sense of time slipping through my fingers, most bluntly measured by the shrinking number of days left in the land of the morning calm. Realizing that my time in Korea will, in fact, be ending sometime in the near future, I've started to feel a little nostalgic for the time I will never experience again.

Ok, perhaps that was a bit melodramatic. But, I have realized that, while Korea is in no way the perfect place for me to live forever and ever, while it may be frustrating beyond belief, I've been extraordinarily happy this year. I was blessed with a wonderful opportunity, which I hope I took full advantage of. I've been pretty content with the decision I made, and hope that future decisions will turn out as grand as this one.

Luckily I have a bit more time to live out my Korean life, and I'm not going to let it slip away with out a bit of reflection and appreciation. I have recently started doodling some Top 5 lists on napkins, lesson plans and the like. I promise that, in due time, I will share said lists with the interwebs. For now, I hope you enjoy a long weekend in what is surely one of my Top 5 Places in Korea.

Welcome [back] to Muuido. 

 As those who have been paying attention may remember, my recent Memorial Day visit to the small wonderland of Muuido was the second time I had ventured to this Western Island. 5 of us spent a few days on the sand enjoying the last bit of summer during Chuseok, and had such wonderful things to say, that the rest of our friends decided they needed to check it out. Naturally, none of us were going to say no to another weekend on the beach, especially if that beach came accompanied with beach-side huts, amazing fresh seafood, nighttime campfires, and a bizarre natural phenomenon to boot. (Everyday the tide goes out well over a mile, leaving seemingly endless mudflats where the Ocean used to be.)

Our long Korean Memorial Day weekend seemed like the perfect opportunity for a group Muuido trip; so, two weeks ago, twelve of us filed our bags with picnic goods and beach towels and set out early to enjoy 3 days of relaxation on the coastal island.

Turns out we had the same idea as what seemed like every foreigner and Korean family on the peninsula. There was even another large group of Badgers, with whom we occasionally rub elbows. Over Chuseok, our crew was joined by three or four other huts of English teachers and a smattering of Koreans who seemed utterly shocked that we had found the place. This time it was a little more like foreigner Spring Break meets all of Korea on a family trip to the beach. Basically, it was ridiculous.

 

"Most Korean's, they think the sun is enemy number 1." - Mike's co-teacher

None the less, our days on Muuido were spent lazing around and playing sports and games on the beach, wandering the mudflats, laying some more, and having the most legit Korean picnics these waygooks have ever seen.

 

 

 That is of course until around 4 pm when the tide began to roll back in, and with it....

...the zombie apocalypse. I am not joking. I think due to a even more bizarre reaction between the sun baked mud flats and the cool ocean water, the hours between 4 and 5 looked like nothing short of an apocalyptic horror movie. A heavy fog swept in literally engulfing the horizon, as well as all those left racing the tide back to shore.

The zombie apocalypse effect was only enhanced by a small army brigade (or some sort of army prep program .. a bit unclear) running drills in the mist. Tell me this doesn't look like they are preparing to fight of the Zombies,  or maybe KJI.

After providing us the opportunity to marvel at the bizarre weather and realize that we would not, in fact, have to fight off the zombies, both evenings clear up enough to enjoy icey dips in the ocean, sunset galbi on the beach, delicious fresh seafood feasts, and twilight hours filled with campfires, REAL s'mores, a little 맥주, and friends.

While this trip to Muuido was most certainly different than my first encounter with the island, it was an amazing weekend none the less. I think this little coastal gem accounts for two of my favorite weekends in the ROK and, for that, it most certainly makes my Korea Top 5.

Anyeong[hikheseyo].
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[Public service announcement to any waygooks who may have stumbled across this post in search of information, on or directions, to Muuido. I have now followed terrible directions found online TWICE in search of Muuido. The easiest, most direct, and correct route is as follows: take the most convenient route to Incheon Airport. From there the 222 bus will take you straight to the Muuido ferry. There are two 222 buses; both go to the ferry but one you will have to walk about 5 minutes. Just check with the driver, you want the one to the ferry but the other isn't the end of the world. Don't take the 306, as it drops you off really far away.  Once you reach the ferry you buy a ticket for about 3 dollars that is your round trip ferry ticket. No need to hold onto it, as anyone whose on the island has obviously paid. there ferry takes under 5 minutes, and from there you wait for the bus. There is literally only one bus on the island with two stops. The second stop is Haeundae Beach. You can rent huts for 20,000W a night plus a 10,000W key deposit. 4 People can fit in a hut as long as your not giant, 5 was a tighht squeeze, three would be practically roomy. Hope this helps, as it seems there is very little practical info out there. :) ]

The most beautiful commotion.

"One man's trash is another man's treasure." or so they say. If this is the case they would have been just as overjoyed as I to spend a lovely Sunday afternoon exploring one of my new favorite places in Seoul.

Welcome to the antiques section of the Sinseoldong Folk Flea Market. 

Confession, I may be a border-line hoarder; but, I was just about in heaven walking through aisle upon aisles of treasures. 사랑해. I want everything.  Alas, my dreams of filling my apt with flea market goods must for the most part be placed on hold until I am stateside again. But, future roomies be warned: flea market shopping will most definitely happen.


Anyeong[hikheseyo].
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Pretty Pretty Princess

Now I know what you might be thinking...but, as it turns out, this post will NOT focus on my Pretty Pretty Princess Bed. Bummer, right?

But wait! Hang on a second! Before you leave the page in disgust that I am not dedicating a solid hour of my life to writing about my bed, I ask you to read on.

This post will, in fact, focus on the most Korean Pretty Princess I have ever seen and the event necessitating decent/ascent(?) to the roll of PPP.

The princess in question? My wonderful, amazing, and newly married friend and co-teacher Juha!

See what I mean? So pretty, So princess-like.

I've mentioned previously that Juha's surprise in engagement was exactly that, at least to me. I was absolutely floored when she sprung the news on me during passing period, exactly six weeks before the big day. Nonetheless, I was pretty pumped to attend and see what weddings in the ROK are all about.

The big day has come and gone (and gone even further due to my blog neglect) Juha's Bali tan has faded and we are back to our normal class schedule and routine; her manicure, however, has been preserved perfectly since the wedding which is borderline offensive to my own perpetually chipped pointers.

Basically, I'm saying its been four weeks since the wedding. Ready to hear about it?

Getting married in Korea is a really big deal.  A really big deal in that it is what's expected. It is what you do. It is the persistant torn in the side of parents and grandparents across the country. It what "everyone" wants. (note the quotes around everyone... I am sure their are many Korean's who are perfectly happy living the single life, or place greater importance on other aspects of there life; however it seems to be the prevailing attitude of many that it is essential to get married or, at the very least, have a boyfriend. I can't tell you the amount of times I have answered the question, "Do you have a boyfriend?" in the negative only to be presented with the second half of the query, "Why?") OK, back to more important things. Like weddings...



...or rather, Marriage. Because that's the thing. Getting married is of utmost importance. The wedding, not as much. Except that's not entirely true; but, it's sort of hard to describe. The wedding is important as it is represents the essential event of marriage. The ceremony itself, however, seems significantly less serious than those in the states.

From what I can tell, almost all Koreans get married in a Wedding Hall, which is sort of like a wedding factory. The halls are enormous and often contain three or four smaller ceremony halls decorated in various styles. Of the halls I poked my head in, it seems that most were decorated with a variety of floral arraingments and neon. Lots. Of. Neon. (What's a wedding with out a little sass?? Or proper lighting effect?? I say, nothing.)

  


All of the small ceremony halls open up to a larger foyer where the a mixture of party guests mill around chatting before, after, and during the ceremonies, which are most often happening all at once. People come and go as they please and sometimes only sneak in to drop of the standard gift of 30,000W (around 30 dollars) and say hello to the bride or groom). Half the parties are usually eating in the communal banquet hall right on through the ceremony.

Uncertain as to how the day would play out, I showed up a little early and milled around with the guests of the various weddings, trying to spot someone I knew to tell me where I should be and what was going on. Eventually I found a fellow teacher, who ushered me into the Brides Room to greet Juha and take some photos. We were also given cards granting entrance to the banquet hall.

After taking some photos we milled around for a little longer and waited for the wedding to start. Juha opted for a western style wedding, which meant that she and her husband wore a white gown and tux, as opposed to  traditional hanbok, and completed a rendition of the westernized cake cutting, bouquet tossing, etc. Juha told me that after the public wedding there would be a more traditional Korean ceremony at her husbands home.

I was a little startled when part way through the ceremony one of the other teachers asked if I wanted to go eat. I initially declined as I wanted to see the ceremony (weird right?) but, after a few more minutes of incomprehensible Korean and the realization that this is perfectly acceptable, normal and expected, I decided to join the rest of the teachers in the banquette hall. One teacher even asked why I was late! Just goes to show me that, even when I think I have gotten used to Korea, this lovely country is still full of surprises.

It almost goes without saying that the entire experience was strikingly different to my first "friend wedding" this past summer when, due to some vague directions and a less than helpful GPS, I was horrified to almost miss the small ceremony in a lovely church on the Vanderbilt campus. The later was a multiple-ulcer-inducing afternoon, to say the least (Love You, Fatttyyy!!)

Back to Korea. After enjoying a range of Korean and "western" foods from the buffet, I sat chatting with a few fellow teachers until we heard the music signalling the ceremony would be ending. Along with my co-workers, I went back outside to listen to someone with a simply lovely voice singing in Korean and watch Juha and her husband walk down the isle showered with streamers and confetti.

After the ceremony ended I still didn't really know what to do. I had lost my English speaking allies and it seemed like half the party had left, while at least half remained outside the ceremony hall. I noticed that another group of teachers were waiting in one corner of the hall and decided I would do whatever they did.

What commenced was about a half an hour of formal photos of the wedding party and guests. And, it turned out it was a good thing I decided to stick around since, after ten minutes or so, another teacher (who I have recently discovered speaks secret excellent English!) came over to tell me that we would be in the photos. Yeah, I said it. I am in Juha's wedding photos forever and ever for all of time. I will probably stick out like a sore thumb as the only non Korean, but it was really fun and nice to be included it what I assume were photos of friends of the bride and groom. 

Obviously not mine... this is a picture of one of the  official wedding portraits. In NO way is this photo credited to me, however I have no idea who deserves the proper credit. My B :(

After the photo session ended, I deemed it the appropriate time to leave. It was really unclear where I should leave my gift; so, after resigning to bring it to school after the honeymoon, I said goodbye to the other teachers, discarded my heals, and hopped on a bus back to my side of town.

So there you have it my friends. An introduction to a Western Korean Wedding. What did you think? Not sure? I know how you feel. But really, that's not important. What is important is that Juha looked wonderful and both her and her husband seemed even more immensely and incredibly happy (albeit a little nervous). Juha still seems extremely happy  and comfortable with her circumstance and thus I could not be happier or more excited for her. Yayyy Juha! You deserve all the love and joy in the world!

Thus concludes my observations on a Korean wedding. For those who wish to see the full effect of the Princess transformation, here are a few "normal" photos of Juha and I at my first teacher dinner. (note these were taken pre-live nakji and Disco Pappa)

Anyeong[hikheseyo].
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bits of my week[end] [3]

Ok, I promise I've got a few posts that are just chillin' in my brain waiting to be written in real life; but, the weather this week as well as a series of frustrating tasks requiring my attention realllly didn't lend itself to any creative or blog related productivity.

So, for now, you get a few glimpses of a quiet weekend in the ROK. 

1. The bright red lips that make an occasional appearance in my life, though they usually don't make the teacher cut. I happen to be sporting these babies when I ran into a few of my sixth graders on the bus today. They couldn't have been more giggly. 
2. Lesson plans, summer camp plans, life plans, and a bit of welcome distraction. 
3. Current favorite thing about Korea: the rose vines in full bloom wrapped around the fences of nearly every apartment complex and school :) love. 
4. Guilty pleasure: remnants of a perfectly popped bowl of popcorn
5. The most recent of nail polish choices likely to make my father cringe
6. Delicious 만두 dumplings from a newly discovered [read:finally took the time to explore] market in Pyeongtaek.

For those who haven't noticed and don't frequent the FaceSpace, I've added a link to some new photos on the right sidebar. The newest album includes photos from Sports Day, Busan, Muuido and a few randoms. Enjoy! 
 
Anyeong[hikheseyo].
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beach bound

See ya later Pyeongtaek...

 Hello Muuido...

(us flag / 태국기, Muuido photo credit - Ali Werd)

In honor of United States Memorial Day and Korean Memorial Day (현충일), I'm heading back to Muuido for a few days of sunshine, seafood and salty breeze with my chingus. 

Anyeong[hikheseyo].
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