August 31, 2007

First Days in South Korea

Well, I'm in Korea now and survived my first 2 days of new staff orientation. The returning staff are coming back tomorrow (Mon) for another full week of orientation. Taejon Christian International School (TCIS) believes in hitting the ground running and that's exactly what we did last week from the 7:30am breakfasts to the 6pm barbecues. I kind of wish there was more time to set up the apartment but it's more important that I connect with people on campus so the apartment will have to wait a bit.

I am so impressed with the faculty and staff at the school. They are so incredibly friendly and helpful and I am appreciative of that especially since everything here is new to me. About half the staff are Korean and they will seemingly give you the shirt off their backs if you ask them. Not only that but they follow-through on what they say they will without you asking twice! I'm finding out exactly how much Asian people respect age and level of education -- to the point where they will ask you outright what your age is so they know how to approach you and address you. If you’re older and/or have a high level of education they will make sure they bow when they meet you. I don't think I'll get used to this anytime soon.

Can you say hot and humid? I can honestly say that I have NEVER experienced anything like this before, even in Florida in the summer! It's one of those things where I walk to school (5 minute walk at best) and am drenched. In fact, we don't even have to move and we're wet... standing in line at the cafeteria, watching a serviceman hooking up my internet in my apartment, eating lunch at a local Korean restaurant (some restaurant owners don't believe in air conditioning). Unbelievable. I've never taken so many showers! Well, they say we should expect this till mid September and then things will start to cool down. May September come quickly!

August 30, 2007

My Neighborhood (Korea 2007)

I just got home about 20 minutes ago from my first shopping trip to HomePlus ON MY OWN. Yup, I survived shopping in Korea! I memorized my way there through the narrow maze of streets, none of them identified with names or numbers.

You might ask how we get the taxi drivers to take us home without street names? Well, you basically tell them the area or neighborhood you live and then direct them left/right/straight to your building. Apparently it's an old Asian method of finding your way around town. Works OK until you get a cabbie that doesn't know your neighborhood, like yesterday. Add to the fact that all the streets look the same and we can get lost pretty quick.


In fact, a lot of things are determined by the neighborhood here in South Korea, including what color and size trash bag you should use. I was told that since I live in Han-sup (2 syllables) I need to use a certain trash bag than another neighborhood with fewer or more syllables. No kidding... I'm not making this up!

Back to my shopping experience... I managed to get to HomePlus and around the store no problem. I noticed while shopping how much I rely on product packaging/branding to find items on the shelf. For instance, Oreo cookies have the same packaging of blue background and white lettering, only in Korean of course. If I look close enough, I can phonetically spell-out the Korean label and it will sound like O-re-O. Too fun.






I'm even doing OK at checkout because I know the currency, my numbers and words for "thank you" and "bags" -- important because you have to buy every bag at the cashier.

I've been told that Koreans love signs on their buildings and I can now confirm that this is absolutely true. Check out these photos of the street just outside the HomePlus store where I went shopping today... they call it 'Little Las Vegas'.

August 29, 2007

My First Apartment (Korea 2007)

Since I am filling a new position at school, they are providing a new apartment for me. In other words, I didn't get an apartment from a former employee but got new furniture and furnishings =) The apartment is larger than I expected with 6 rooms, including enclosed balcony for the washer and dry rack. It reminds me of the housing in Europe with no built-in closets but wall units for clothes instead.




Some of the great features of the apartment include hardwood floors throughout with a stainless steel kitchen (nice big sink with industrial sprayer).

I would have to say the negatives include NO VIEW except of my neighbors and small businesses lined up along the incredibly narrow streets below. From one extreme with the rural views of Chesley Lake to condensed urban living! I'm still getting used to the one room bath/shower concept (where the entire bathroom is a shower), singing washer with buttons identified in Korean and the locks/security system... but other than this, things are looking pretty good!

August 28, 2007

Cultural Differences

After awhile a person can get used to a new culture so I want to jot down some of the differences while I’m still fairly new to the country. It’s so easy to assume the way we do things in North America is the way most people around the globe would operate. Well, I’m learning that is not always the case...

Currency
I learned this week that Korea's largest bill -- 10,000 WON -- is equivalent to the CDN/US $10 bill! Can you believe it, if I need to pay someone $500 in cash (for those who don't take credit) then I have to count out 50 bills in $10 increments. This makes me feel absolutely rich walking around with pockets full of money but what a pain at the cash register.


In fact, I was talking with a couple from TCIS who worked in Korea about 10 years ago when their salary was paid in cash. Apparently not everyone had bank accounts back then so this couple stored their cash in suitcases in the closet. After awhile they had so much cash stored away they didn’t know how much they had and when one of them needed money to go shopping they took, oh, about 1-2 inches with them =)

Food
A lot of people are asking whether I like the Korean food and I can honestly say that the food is really good here! I'm even getting use to kimchee (fermented cabbage with spices) that is served at every meal including breakfast! I don't crave Korean food for every meal but I must say they certainly know how to fill a table... typically with one main plate per person and a slew of small side dishes with sauces, soup and (of course) various types of kimchee.

The quantity of food they serve at any given meal is usually more than I can handle but the price is definitely easy to swallow. I can sit down for dinner and the total bill is typically around $3.50-4.00! Since they don't tax or expect a tip, it is more economical to eat out than buy food at grocery stores. Got to love Korea =)


Expense
So far I’ve found most Koreans to be very hard working no-nonsense people, both on campus and off. For instance, I went into a little tailor shop right across the street from my apartment to get new pants hemmed. Amazing that I can walk into a place where I don't know Korean and the owner doesn't know English, and still walk out of there 5 minutes later with pants hemmed perfectly... all for $2 cash! I simply gave the lady my pants (that I carried in with me... just to make the story clear =), pointed to the hem line, she measured, then snip snip and they were done. So who needs a lot of explanation and work orders to get a job done?

Street Life
There are a number of things I still have to get used to like walking the narrow streets of Daejeon as cars pass by within inches. It is such a different way of life here... enough room on the streets for one vehicle to drive as cars and pedestrians share the same space. But don't only look out for traffic because people also use the street as an extension of their home or business. Just yesterday I walked by a restaurant that had a blanket laid out on the street with about 20 dozen red hot peppers drying in the sun. You need to keep your eyes open when walking the streets of Daejeon!

There are plenty of cultural differences but I’ll save some for later posts. Needless to say, life is never boring around here!

August 27, 2007

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

I just got home from my first Korean professional baseball game. What an absolute riot! Technically the game is the same with 9 innings and such but the crowds and flavor of the game is so different than in North America. Aside from the fact that the Koreans like to munch on dried squid during the game, I would have to say I found the crowd cheering the most entertaining.

Imagine a Korean young guy standing on a platform and literally 'orchestrating' the crowd cheering through the entire game. They don't have near the crowds here as we do back home, so it feels more like a baseball game during spring training. Well, this guy had white gloves (like most public servants here in Asia, from train conductors to taxi drivers) and a whistle and directed the crowd as to when to chant, clap and sing. Then during the 5th inning stretch (not typical 7th) they had everyone stand up and do something like the 'hokey-pokey' or 'chicken dance'. Needless to say, I was highly entertained.


I went to the game with someone who has lived here for many years and he informed me that it is expected that people will double and triple park not only in stadium parking lots but around the city. That's OK, though, because they also expect that you'll leave your car in neutral so if they need to get out they'll literally push your car out of the way! Just make sure you don't leave your vehicle in neutral near a hill =)

Coming out of the ball park after the game, I found it interesting how many parents and young kids came up to us hoping we would speak English to them. I guess they see it as a way they can practice their language skills. They'll share with us the latest English word they learned and we smile and encourage them. One parent wanted us to see that his two year old knew how to "blink". These kids are so cute.

August 26, 2007

TCIS Campus

Orientation week has been incredibly busy. Soooo many new faces and job requirements to remember, including the location of my office! Most buildings at Taejon Christian International School (TCIS) are newly built but there are a couple buildings still around from when the school started in 1958.

My office is in one of the older buildings where each room is heated and air conditioned individually. I actually like my office location because it "has character" =)


In the following photo, you'll notice the new high school and administrative offices in the back with the Tech Building and courtyard in the foreground.


Interesting history of the building: I was told my office, which used to be a classroom in the original high school, is pure luxury now with its modern electric heating and cooling. Apparently these old classrooms had huge 50 gallon kerosene tanks in the middle of the room with exhaust piping to the outdoors to heat the rooms in winter! Not only was it difficult to maintain a certain temperature because they would always run out of fuel but it was hard for the students to see the blackboard with this contraption sitting in the middle of the room. The good old days =)

And just so you know I'm not making this up, here's a picture I found of the first 1962 graduating class (of 4) walking in front of the now-Tech Building. Hard to imagine so many memories exist on this one campus!

The campus itself is really quite beautiful; the buildings and layout of the campus actually remind me of Trinity Western University in British Columbia (school I attended for my undergrad). Unlike Trinity, however, I was a bit surprised at first to learn how TCIS is situated right in the middle of downtown Daejeon! As mentioned previously, the school originated in the 1950s when there were rice fields adjacent to the school property. Some of the older staff told me that over the last 50 years the city grew around the campus and now TCIS finds itself in the midst of a bustling and very active downtown environment!

The nice part about being part of the downtown is the number of small restaurants and coffee shops in the neighborhood. You literally walk out any of the school gates and you have a vast selection of restaurants and small shops. It amazes me how many English words I see on their signs, but then again, these shops are catering to an international staff right next door!


Jin Hong (a co-worker in tech support) and I often frequent the local 'Star Expresso Coffee' shop. It doesn't have quite the selection of a Starbucks but you can't beat the price... strawberry bubble tea and 'choco shakes' for only $1.


It's also interesting having my apartment in this downtown environment too... quite the change from living in rural Canada by the lake! All in all, I really like the change of pace and the fact that I'm only a few minute walk from school -- makes my daily commute virtually non-existent.

August 25, 2007

Life at Work (Korea 2007)

Judging by the number of posts I have on life in Japan or Korea, some of you may be wondering whether I actually have a job at TCIS. Well, I do and my work days are typically jam-packed and full of learning!

All in all, I am thoroughly enjoying my job as technology coordinator at Taejon Christian International School. Much of my job is directing the school in the use of their technology and helping staff and students use software on campus. The South Koreans are highly technical so my job is both challenging and fun... challenging for me to stay on top of the latest and greatest technology and fun because I don't have to work with antiquated equipment.

The other part of my job in teaching Computer Graphics to high school students is a bit more of a challenge for me than expected. The kids are great (very polite and studious) but I find it challenging to keep ahead of them sometimes because they’re so quick to figure out new programs and technology. When all is said and done, I think the kids are having fun as they learn how to manipulate images on Adobe Photoshop.

The atmosphere at this missionary school is quite a bit different from the average grade school or high school in North America because it has elementary, middle and high schools all on one campus! Needless to say, the energy level is quite high with almost 600 kids sharing 10 acres of campus. On my way to lunch I took a couple shots of the middle school kids playing basketball outdoors while the elementary kids were finishing up in the cafeteria.














One of the great aspects of working at a Christian International School is that I can be involved in activities aside from my assigned job duties. For instance, it's great to attend chapel services and help accompany the choir. Even though I'm just moving from one keyboard (computer) to another (piano), it's a change of pace and I really enjoy it!