Hello,
My birthday has passed along with Halloween (which doesn't really exist here :) ). I've always thought that I would stay in Korea for a couple years to pay off my debt and save for graduate school. I just wasn't sure if I would stay at SEEC (my current) school or not. I've really enjoyed my experience here and have been able to save a lot to pay on my debt. I think that I'll stay another year if they let me and perhaps after that move into Seoul. I've considered going to graduate school starting next year in the fall for a Master's in TEFL/TESOL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language/Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). If I didn't start that next fall I've also thought about starting graduate school in Seoul once I move out of Gapyeong; they also have Master's programs and I may even be able to take some courses in philosophy or theology.
Right now I am really interested in where morality comes from and then from that, what is moral. I recently asked a co-worker and she spoke to a friend who gave me a book to read. It is interesting so far, I'm only half-way through, but I still think that I want a different answer to my question than what the book gave.
I recently went to Seoul to go swing dancing. I typed "swing dance seoul" into google and someone had posted all the places you could swing dance in seoul with directions how to get there and the cost for each one. So convenient for me. I asked one of my co-workers to find me a bath-house to stay in and there was one not to far away. When I went dancing there I turned out to not be the only foreigner. There were two other girls there from abroad and both were English teachers in Seoul. Also many of the Koreans I danced with could speak a little English and were pleasantly surprised when I spoke a little Korean. Before dancing I ate at a pizza hut near by and realized that I should carry toilet paper with me in case the pubic bathroom doesn't have any. I also realized that I should carry an umbrella in case it rains. I suppose that won't be too much of a problem now seeing as it has already snowed. At the bath-house there is a separate area for men and women. When you enter, you get a set of clothes and a key. You put your shoes in a compartment and then go to a place for only your gender. You strip naked and take a shower. They have towels that you can use to scrub yourself with. They are really effective. After that you go to a hot-tub and relax in it. They have all sorts of temperatures, so be sure to check it before you go in. Some are really hot and some are quite cold. Some are special ones that have natural sea water, earth water, mineral water, etc. After showering again and hot-tubing it again, you dry off and put your clothes on that they gave you. You can then go to sleep in one of the sleeping areas, eat at a restaurant, play a game on the computers they provide, go to a sauna and sweat, or watch a movie that they have playing. They also have people who can give your body special treatment, ointments, massages, etc. Sleeping in one was a bit difficult to me. You sleep on the floor (it is heated) with a foam brick for a pillow. You can sleep in a common area (where both genders mix) or a gender specific area. I don't know a great deal of Korean, but I do know the word for "man" and "woman." So I thought I was going to a male only sleeping area. When I arrived I noticed only females around me. I quickly left and thought to myself that the sign must have said that no males were allowed in this area. As I was leaving the female only area, some girls saw me scratching my head in confusion and started laughing at me. I found the males sleeping area and lied down to sleep. Many men were snoring around me so it was hard to get to sleep. I also woke up frequently. It was hard to sleep well, but it was good enough for one night.
Going to Seoul is a lot of fun, so I did it again. We haven't had students for two weeks now, so we took some vacation and went to Seoul during the week. On Wednesday we went to a very large mall called (Co-Ex). We saw the movie 2012, ate at a Mexican restaurant and went to an aquarium. After wards some of us went to an arcade and played some games. I ate dinner with my cousin and then went swing dancing that night. No other foreigners that night, but more people spoke English to me and even some asked me to dance. There were less people there though. I stayed the night again at a bath house. This one is famous and is called the Dragon Hill Spa. It certainly was bigger than the previous one I had stayed at and had more things to do. It was two thousand won (roughly two dollars US) more than the other bath-house. The next day I went with some friends to the DMZ(the Demilitarized Zone). The DMZ is 4 kilometers wide and marks the area between North and South Korea. The actual border is 2 kilometers in from both sides. We were able to take a trip all the way up to the border, but not cross it of course. That morning before heading to the DMZ we went to a USO (United Service Organization) base at camp Kim to buy our tickets for the tour. They had a restaurant that served an American Style breakfast. The worker there spoke English as a native language, the menu was in English, the Tv in the background had English on, I was just overwhelmed by all the English going on around me. It was like reverse culture shock hit me and I felt so odd. But the breakfast was great.
The past two weeks have been great. Next week we have some people coming from SMOE (Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education) to observe us teaching 20 minute lessons for contract renewals. I will be teaching drama. I hope that things go well.
