Thanksgiving weekend

It was a very grounding thing to talk to my daughter and the 'Charlotte Gang' yesterday before heading out on a weekend trip with my fellow faculty members. Being the only native English speaking person amongst a group of 20 offers its challenges for sure.


I must say this right off - Koreans DO know how to rig out a bus. The windows and seats are dressed with beautiful, colorful fabric. Multi-colored lights run down the top of the bus softening the atmosphere and yet adding a bit of flare. And there is a very funny little touch - the ever present microphone (with tons of reverb on it) for announcements and general pomp and ceremony. More on microphones another time.


We left on Saturday at noon and returned to Anseong Sunday at 4:30. During that time I saw the Presidential Retreat, which was graced by a sculpture garden that had huge found object art depicting all the characters from Harry Potter. I saw an awesome lake and then the damn that created it. It snowed!! I peed in my first 'squat' toilet (and actually took a picture but when I looked at it later it was all black, which, of course, is what the hole is, but doesn't really work as a picture! Oh well.) I had my second 'singing room' experience. I hiked a beautiful mountain, saw one of Koreas oldest buddist temples, and ate a boat load of food! AND had my first overnighter in a Korean hotel, which was really beautiful but still meant sleeping on the floor. Yes, there were gorgeous, linen covered pads to sleep ON and beautiful, linen covered comforters to cover with (wish I had taken a picture of those), but we were still on the floor! It's pretty weird to walk into a hotel room with no beds.


I did great the first day with the language thing, trying to engage myself as much as possible and just enjoy.............. My co-teacher Caroline was very good about giving me time and attention. But I know she tires of that too, needing and wanting to speak her native language and just hang out. By lunch on Sunday (and granted, a lousy night of sleep didn't help) I was really feeling the isolation. I had to get my diary out to be my friend; it's like an acceptable way of talking to yourself in public.


It's in those moments of isolation that I remember so many people saying I was 'brave' for doing this. I really didn't understand that when it was said. I felt pretty comfortable with 'having an adventure'. But I now realize there is an element of courage involved in simply staying positive in what might be named 'isolation'; keeping your spirits up, when you don't have anyone to talk to. Being a light bearer when you're feeling alone.


Watching the sun dance on the water of the lake made lifted me up, and I thought of all the places I have sat in my life and watched the sun dance on the water. So I wrote in my diary; all waters are one water, we share the same air, there is only one sky we are all looking up to, there is only one sun warming us all. Seperateness is an illusion.


On this, Thanksgiving weekend, a time when I am usually with family, I really needed to believe that.


Here's some pics from my weekend. Hope you enjoy them.











































Big, big love to all of you!! I hope you had wonderful Thanksgivings.

xxxxxxxxooooooooooo
p.

Sunday, November 23

What a beautiful day! It must have been 60 degrees outside this afternoon. I'm told that the weather fluctuates like that during the winter; a few days really cold then warming up a bit, back and forth. I think I can handle that.



This rather wonderful day consisted of my first webcam visit with Sue and Kathy in Atlanta - what fun, then shopping in the market where I scored an awesome winter coat for just 30,000 won (about $34), then a trip to the Jin je ban (the bathhouse) and then a visit from 2 new Korean friends Jin and Soon.



Let me tell you about the Jin je ban. It has become my Sunday ritual. Today was my 3rd visit and each time I go I've made it a point to experience something new they have to offer. My first visit I had a full massage; man, I needed it. My body was racked from all the hard work it took to get me out of America and then the stress of being here for several weeks with a fairly high learning curve. But it was a GREAT massage. Righteous - but expensive.... about $55. Then I was told that I could basically name my price and they would adjust the massage accordingly, so the next week I got a $35 massage and it was about 1/2 as good as the first one, appropriately! After each of those massage experiences, I would then go downstairs to the women's bath section and take a shower and sit in the whirlpool hot tub. I had noticed a section within this section where two women with bras and panties on (which stands out because everyone else is butt naked) were doing facials and body rubs and light massage, so I resolved to try that today. AWESOME. At one point she took my hand and put it on my belly to get it out of her way and I could feel all the dead skin she had rubbed off. Tons of it. I also got in the sauna today for a bit. But my favorite part about being there is, well, just BEING THERE. I love the feel of it; the community of it. You see all ages, children, teenagers, young women, middle age women, and the very old. Beautiful women's bodies......... at every age. My favorite image today was clearly a 3 generation grouping. Grandmother was being scrubbed by daughter and granddaughter. It was so beautiful. And they scrubbed and they scrubbed and they scrubbed. The women spend hours there. There are 4 large baths: 1 whirlpool, 1 still hot water, 1 still warm water, and 1 still cold water. There are 2 walls of stand up showers and 4 rows of sit down showers. The sit down ones just don't work for me - can't see doing it. But you sit in these cute little pink plastic chairs in front of a mirror with your own shower head and wash away. God how I wish I could take pictures, but of course, that is impossible.



The only downside to this experience is that I have yet to find a buddy to go with. So I not only stand out like a sore thumb as the only white woman in there, but because of the language barrier, I cannot participate in the 'community'. Hopefully that will change, I'm learning the Korean alphabet and hope to get some lessons with Jin and Soon so I can communicate a little more, and one of the other English teachers has a change happening in here schedule in a couple weeks which will allow her to go.



Mostly I'm doing very well. I had one surprise meltdown at school the week before last. I was sitting at lunch (which I generally really like, because it's cooked there and always very good, traditional Korean food), and looked down into the very thin soup, which is not my favorite thing, and just started crying. It came out of nowhere. I couldn't stop, so I had to leave and go back upstairs to the English Center. It just kept coming... I couldn't stop for nearly a half hour. The news spread throughout the school and before you knew it the Kindergarten teacher was by my side taking me for a walk around the school yard and telling me how lonely she is in the evenings because she is a single mom and it's very hard. So I call it my 'melt down over soup' day.



Oh, and today I was visited by the Jehovah Witnesses! Yup, got the Watchtower right here in #502 Ian Village. Ya gotta love it!



Love to all, p.

This was my last night in the states. It was perfect. Kathy and Lindy singing together.... it was so special for me. Wouldn't ya know, I got all teary............... that sweet sadness I call melancholy. Ah, release!











And then I arrived in Korea - ahead of myself.

This time thing is very wierd - conceptually. I have it in my mind that I am ahead of you guys, but in reality I'm behind, because I have to wait another day to hear what's happening back there. So strange. Anyway........... as I've mentioned befofre, I'm in a 5th floor apartment. I arrived at my apartment at about 1:00am Korean time. These are the first images I saw when I looked out my apartment window that first morning.

It's always foggy in the early morning.... but you can see the mountains in the background of the middle photo.

This is Carol, the other English teacher at my school. She is from Canada and she has issues. I have to be careful with her.

And here's a couple more shots of our English Center.

This is Mr. Lee being his charming self when we were taken to a

'singing bar'. Very bizarre experience.

The lovely couple flanking the traditionals are Susan and Johann from S. Africa. Great people. I look forward to getting to know them better.

I'm going to quit now. I do so hope this works.

Huge love,

pamella