Springtime Date with Fellow Teachers: Vietnamese Spring Rolls, Cherry Blossom Petals, and Mt. Hwangryeongsan Bongsudae in Gwangalli

THE RESTAURANT
This afternoon, after the school field trip, I joined two other teachers for lunch at Gwangalli. Stella, a new teacher this year, cheerfully drove us to a Vietnamese restaurant, where we enjoyed food (seafood fried rice and fresh spring rolls) the memory of which makes my mouth water. The atmosphere of the place was perfect, with high ceilings that encouraged breathing suffused with relaxation and contentment, and with sunlight pouring in from a wall made of glass on one side and warm ambient lighting on the other. 

Two of my beautiful fellow teachers before our meal was served

Spring roll ingredients. Those different sauces had the three of us continuously wrapping spring rolls all throughout the meal!

THE CONVERSATIONS
Not only was the food delicious, the company and conversations were also definitely well-seasoned. We talked about seemingly everything: from professional to personal lives, different cultural cuisines, our relationship statuses and dreams, this year's goals, next year's ambitions, thoughts on multicultural dating, marriages, and families, the two main government-sponsored English teaching programs in Korea (Fulbright and EPIK), traditional and contemporary Korean dating, including match-making companies, and the absolute beauty of springtime.

I am usually not one for dipping food in sauce and whatnot, but these were different...

THE MOUNTAIN TRIP
[aka Tour of 황령산 봉수대 (Mt. Hwangryeongsan Bongsudae, Beacon Mound]

After lunch, and at Stella's promptings, we decided to drive up to Mount Hwangryeongsan Bongsudae, where Stella said an incredible view awaited us. She was right! You could see the whole city of Busan with the 360 degree view afforded to us. As if the vista was not enough, there were hundreds of beautiful white and pink cherry blossom trees lining the roads we traveled on, and the paths we walked and hiked on. There were cherry blossom petals everywhere - swirling in the wind, caught in our hair, and landing randomly on our shoulders. It reminded me of winter, except the swirling snow were soft and colorful, and remained in your hand for as long as you were gentle enough to handle them.

Stella's role of photographer continues...

I climbed up here to get an even better view of the city!

I don't know who this man is, but I think he makes my photo more epic-looking by conveniently matching the surrounding area with his white jacket and looking pensively off into the distance

Sujin Teacher giving one of her wonderfully shy smiles

"[E]scape the hustle and bustle of the city for a while" = Check

The two of them were smart enough to have worn flats and tennis shoes today, while II, unfortunately, wore high-heeled, ankle-length boots 

This picture does absolutely no justice to the view

Paths lined with cherry blossom trees!

You can see the pink petals clearer here where they are contrasted with the green shrubs

Here we are at the end of our journey, and heading back to Stella's car

PRAYER FOR MY FELLOW TEACHERS
When we went back down, Stella's car was covered in pink petals. A light breeze blew a thin layer of these petals inside Stella's car as I opened the door and eased into my seat. It seemed like a grand but invisible wedding was being performed in our very midst.

Lord, thank you for this day. You showed me the beauty of things You have created, both large and small, and I praise Your name for each and every one of them! Thank You for the lives of my fellow teachers. I pray that You would empower them in their professions, nourish them in their current and future relationships, and guide their ambitions as You prosper their dreams!

Yeongdo Girls High School Goes on a Field Trip: Broaching the Sensitive Topic of School Field Trips in Light of the Recent Sinking of the Sewol

THE SINKING OF THE MV SEWOL

I have been back blogging this past week. In light of the recent tragedy of the MV Sewol sinking, there is one particular topic/event that I have been hesitant to post about for the past two weeks: school field trips. 

Yeongdo Girls High School students bused to the Busan Museum in Daeyeon-dong, Nam-gu for their annual field trip five days before Danwon High School students boarded the ship that would ultimately never reach Jeju Island, the destination of their own field trip. 

A small percentage of my students from different classes posing for a photo after exploring the museum

The whole of South Korea is in agony over this tragedy. While some passengers were rescued, many more were not - including hundreds of students just one year older than the ones I teach and have the privilege of continuing to teach. 

THE AGONY, THE ANGER, THE SHAME, THE GRIEF

 I can relate to only a very small percentage of it all. Culturally and linguistically, I am many levels removed from directly experiencing the full gravity of this loss, and so I feel unfit to even broach this topic. However, because I am here in Korea, continuing to teach high school students, and basically daily encountering and re-encountering the ghost of April 16, I suspect that I will have opportunities to write more about this later. For this post though, I simply want to accomplish two things:

     1) Acknowledge the aforementioned heavy feelings shrouding the heart of the nation, and
     2) Without detracting, distracting from, or devaluing the aforementioned, celebrate:

THE HOPE, THE UNITY, THE STRENGTH, THE LIFE

of South Korea. I continue to be impressed by this nation's ability to unite together and stand its ground. Unity may crumble, strength may wane, life may be lost, but, no matter how bleak the hour, I believe Hope still reigns at the end of the day.

As Korea grapples with the reality of hundreds of [young] lives lost, may she also not lose a beat in continuing to love and care for the millions of young people who are with us today.

Here are my students, who, everyday, I will learn to love more and more. 

YEONGDO GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL FIELD TRIP TO BUSAN MUSEUM

Students traveled in groups, boarding buses from our island to the mainland.
I bused down with a group of students living in my neighborhood and, thus, was able to find the museum.

There were other school field trips this day. The girls got excited over the sight of an all-boys high school also roaming around the museum grounds

This student gives me the deepest bows every time she sees me! Extremely respectful and polite - I adore her!

Teachers half-heartedly trying to create organized lines out of the hundreds of students milling around the square

Alright - you got me. Putting away the camera now...

This green-jacketed man perfectly matching the well-maintained shrubbery

It was a Seattle weather kind of day

Stella agreeing to be the girls' personal paparazzi

The silliness memo did not reach me or the older, male teacher to my left...

A PRAYER FOR SOUTH KOREA
Lord, give South Korea a Hope so extravagant as to pierce through this overwhelming current of despair. Enable her to, once again, rise from the ashes, assured of the beauty of Your plans for her and, especially, her children.

For the Love of Samgyaetang, A Whole-Chicken-Falling-Off-the-Bones Soup

CELEBRATING THE BIRTHDAY OF ONE OF THE KINDEST TEACHERS AT SCHOOL

After teaching our morning classes, Sookhee and I went out to lunch with Mi Suk Teacher. Without me knowing it, we were going out to belatedly celebrate Mi Suk Teacher's birthday (which was yesterday). This teacher is one of the very kindest teachers at school and always does little things to show her favor towards me. She has done this since I arrived at Yeongdo last year, and continues to show me the utmost kindness until now. I felt guilty at not having known about her birthday, and done something special for her.

*Flashback to my own birthday back in November when she was among the group of teachers who celebrated me with a cake and enthusiastically sang me a "Happy Birthday" song in English!*

Noticing my despair, Sookhee confided in me that she had also forgotten and that was why we were  going out!

ONE OF THE BEST RESTAURANTS SERVING SAMGYAETANG IN YEONGDO
To make up for it, I resolved to beat Sookhee to paying for our lunch, which just happened to be at one of the best restaurants that serve samgyaetang at Yeongdo. Samgyaetang is basically hot chicken soup with green onions and "other delicious flavorings" (according to another clueless reviewer online). 

A whole chicken

We sat using the tables and chairs

I'm guessing this is some of the "other delicious flavorings" thrown into our samgyaetang

THE STRUGGLE OVER WHO WOULD HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF PAYING THE BILL
When it was time to leave, I got up and, noticing that Sookhee was still seated, felt confident as I took my time sauntering towards the counter. Mi Suk Teacher was there. Upon a closer look, she appeared to be reaching into her handbag and handing over her credit card to pay for our meal. I had two seconds to fly across the restaurant and intercept this payment. Hugging her to me (and truncating her elbow's reach towards the counter), I pivoted so that I was in between her and the cashier. This would have been a lot smoother (not to mention successful) had I had my own card ready upon interception. Alas, I had to fumble in my pocket, during which time she escaped!

Mi Suk Teacher struggled and insisted that she pay for our lunch, which, to me, was ridiculous since we were there to celebrate her birthday! We struggled some more, with Sookhee laughing on the sidelines.

THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES ON...
Unlike other people who only pretend not to want to pay the bill, Mi Suk Teacher really did seem like she wanted to pay and that she had, in fact, gone with us that day with the intention of footing the bill. I continued to dance with her in front of the counter and may have, at one point, tossed my own debit card towards the cashier in an effort to beat the good teacher, who, at that moment, had once again escaped from me and was making deliberate strides towards victory.

The poor restaurant owner picked up the debit card I had tossed to her from a semi-indecent distance and, at the same time, accepted the card that Mi Suk teacher more calmly and civilly handed to her (like any normal person might). Looking at the both of us, she made the executive decision to use Mi Suk teacher's card instead of mine.

I sighed in defeat.

My attempt to redeem myself from having forgotten her birthday yesterday did not work. Meanwhile, Sookhee was still laughing uncontrollably on the sidelines. At this point, she was using both hands to cover her deep amusement over what had just transpired.

MIMI = ZERO, SOUTH KOREA = ONE
As the three of us made our way back to the car, I aired my grievances over the injustice that was a birthday person paying for the birthday meal. Sookhee assured me that my intention was good, but that Mi Suk teacher, as our elder, was to have her way if she wanted to pay for the meal. Just as I had thought, Sookhee had also designed to treat the three of us, but...got the memo earlier and received it with more grace than *cough* some people *cough*.

Lesson learned, South Korea! Lesson learned.

It's Springtime in Busan!

2014 Spring Conference | Jeju Island, KAL Hotel, and Angel-in-Us Cafe

THE BEGINNING OF MY JOURNEY

It seems just like yesterday that we had Fall Conference! I had my backpack (yes, just one) all packed last night for the next four days. I was determined to have as hassle- and stress-free a flight as I knew was possible for other people in movies.

At around 5 a.m., I could already hear my parents stirring in the kitchen. I got ready and was able to hitch a ride with my host Dad, whose workplace is a mere 15 minutes away from Gimhae International Airport.

Here's what my day looked like traveling from Busan to Jeju Island:

Host Dad calling a taxi for me so I could continue commuting to the airport and he could continue on to his workplace

The hotel we stayed at for four days and three nights

Didn't I label this post "Official Stuff"? 

HOW I SPENT MY FIRST FEW HOURS IN JEJU
09:00 a.m. - Landed at Jeju International Airport

09:30 a.m. - Got on the Limousine Bus that would take me to the KAL Hotel in Seogwipo

11:30 a.m. - Arrived at KAL Hotel, and noticed I was the only ETA around. Not surprising, since conference was slated to begin at 2:00 p.m.

11:35 a.m. - Hailed a cab to drive me to the nearest Angel-in-us Cafe, which just happened to be 5 minutes away (\3,400)

I arrived extremely early for conference

11:45 a.m. - Read my Bible at Angel-in-us while eating honey bread with green tea ice cream and sipping on a hot caramel macchiato with whip (or "whipping cream" as they say here). Savored the post-flight and pre-conference peace I was afforded in my little corner at the cafe. Resisted the incredible urge to fall asleep due to exhaustion.

01:45 p.m. - Hailed another cab to drive me back to the hotel. Felt legit hailing all kinds of cabs from point A to point B when the distance is a mere 5-minutes.

01:50 p.m. - Discovered that the conference time had been moved to 2:30 p.m. due to late arrivals. Grabbed my Fulbright ID badge and room keys from the lobby and headed to the 8th floor, where I power-napped.

02:25 p.m. - Rolled out of my super comfortable bed and mentally pumped myself up for the presentations up ahead!

Okay, fine, I traveled with a backpack AND a purse...This is still a huge improvement from having a carry-on bag

How many cups of caramel macchiatos have I consumed here in Korea?!?!

The perfect recipe for a quiet, peaceful afternoon to myself!

After the Conference welcome remarks and presentations, I had dinner and wandered around the hotel grounds with Gabrielle and Hope.

Even though it was dark, the three of us could still feel how beautiful the place was. We plopped down on the fake grass and just took the time to share how our respective experiences have been since we saw each other at Fall Conference. We shared our highs and lows and punctuated the end of our walk by praying for each other. I was hungry for this kind of fellowship, and am extremely grateful for having had the opportunity to visit with these two young women tonight.

A Rare Lunch Date with My Three Co-Teachers at 석화정 (Seokhwajeong)

Sookhee, my amazing Fulbright co-teacher, has been in the habit of mercifully saving me from the, sometimes, mind-numbing monotony of school life by inviting me to eat lunch outside of school. I don't know why, but my usual reaction usually goes like this:

ME: ...we will what?!
SOOKHEE: We will eat lunch outside today! 
ME: ...why? [raised eyebrow]
SOOKHEE: You know, it's nice weather today [refers to the window overlooking a sunny day that I had, somehow, been oblivious to all morning]
ME: ...hmmm...[and then, feeling strangely loyal to cafeteria food, I ask] But - what about school lunch?
SOOKHEE: [laughs hysterically at me] Aren't you tired of school lunch? 
ME: Mmm, it's okay...
SOOKHEE: You must be tired of eating same food everyday, right? Just be ready. After fourth period, we will go
ME: [still feeling like we're students skipping class] SOOKHEE, ARE YOU SURE THIS IS OKAY TO DO? 

SOOKHEE: Yes! Of course. We are free to have lunch at school, at home, anywhere!

ME: Yeah, I knew that. I'll be ready by then. 

And so it was that, today, I had the extra special opportunity to go out for lunch with not just Sookhee, but also with my other two wonderful co-teachers: Eunyeong and Miyeon.

Here we are after Miyeon seonsaengnim (teacher) drove us around in circles around the island before finding the restaurant. 

Here I am with Eunyeong seonsaengnim and Sookhee seonsaengnim, clearly having adapted the Korean way of dressing up for work

Entering the restaurant and not knowing what type of food would be served

Most Korean restaurants have you take off your shoes before entering

I have been so blessed to have known these women!

Our table before our super delicious orders arrived. No joke, SUPER delicious.

We ate oyster soup and seafood Korean pancake, both of which reawakened my somewhat dormant excitement over the everyday act eating and feeding myself.

I even took a photo of the restaurant name and contact number, just in case I return by myself

Here they are again: Miyeon, Eunyeong, and Sookhee

A breath of fresh air, a nice change of scene were just the things I needed to continue on with this 9-hour work-day! Oh, and the hot caramel macchiatto Sookhee bought for me after lunch. No complaints here.

MY QUESTIONS FOR YOU
When bored, falling asleep, or feeling completely out of it, what brings you back to the present? Is there a person who usually comes in and helps yank you out of the thick haze of monotonous being? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.