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Survey time - regarding community

OK, so I know enough of you readers enjoy the little monthly poll on the blog (assuming you're not reading through the RSS feed or a Google Reader-like setup). A fellow K-blogger is doing a short survey about community between expats / foreigners here in Korea, so hit him with your opinions. 10 multiple-choice questions you can ace in five minutes. Click that you read me (among other blogs, I'm sure) and I'll give you a cookie.

Bear in mind that this survey is only for current or previous English teachers in Korea. Hey, I can't make all the rules, but there they are. Enjoy --

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Last Post before the Big Day

As you may remember, Heather and I are getting married this Saturday the 19th. The preparations are well advanced and there are just a few more things to organise. The final factor will be the weather, because if it rains, we'll have to move it all indoors. Right now the forecast is good and so I hope it holds up.

In the meantime though, I believe there is still a little room for some unmarried childishness before the deadline. Dad, Chris, Heather and I ate at a Fuku restaurant in Busan last week and found seemingly endless entertainment in the name 'Fuku' on the menu. Fuku can be pronounced in a few different ways, and a 'Fuku Salad' sounds like something that Van Damme would order in a villain's restaurant.

Fuku is, of course, the Japanese word for pufferfish. They're known for their deadly neurotoxin which can kill a person in a matter of minutes if not prepared correctly. You'll know if you're poisoned because it will leave a distinctive tingling sensation on your lips, apparently.

Here's Dad and Chris after a good night's sleep. They seem to be enjoying Busan more than Seoul, which is probably because the environment here is more relaxed and closer to nature. That was the original reason that I chose to live in Busan in the first place.

This is what fried fuku looks like. Koreans would normally call this dish agujjim, and it's normally a little too spicy for me. This one was good though.

And to end the post this week somewhat politically incorrectly, here is the 'Women's Parking Lot' at the hotel where Dad and Chris are staying in Busan. I'm not sure why it's apparently segregated here at all, and I also saw men parking in here. But it's a befitting example of the low level of bewilderment that permeates the lives of many foreigners living in, and enjoying Korea.

And to you, the reader, that's all from me for the time being. After we get married, we'll be heading to Hong Kong, Macau and Australia for a 2 week honeymoon. There will no doubt be a short interlude while we are enjoying ourselves, but I'll be back to share photos with you. In the meantime, you may want to browse the archives or have a look through some of the other K-blogs in the list on the right. Until next time, I wish you well and we'll hopefully be enjoying ourselves also.

An open letter to ATEK's new president

Dear Mr. Dolezal,

Congratulations on winning the ATEK presidential election, as reported in the Korea Herald (HT to Rob York - you guys really should sign him up to write your press releases) While I'm sure the news will be surprising to some, I trust that the members of ATEK will accept you through the democratic process that has been followed.

Your challenges are many, and I'm sorry to say that there are almost as many critics as supporters. Your job will be tough, but quite a bit of work has already been done. Contacts have been made, some battles have been won, and there are many opportunities to improve things. The road towards better treatment for foreigners in Korea is long - this is mile number 2 of a very long marathon.

Being the president - and working with the National Council - means your immediate job is to pick people for various National positions. For the benefit of readers, the bylaws state "a Vice President, a Communications Officer, a Membership Officer, and one or more Fiduciary Officers" should be appointed by you and confirmed by the National Council. At least one of those selections should be your former opponent, Ms. White. During your presidental debate, she carried herself well and ably answered every question asked her.

While the following represents a list of ideas, they are just ideas:

Pick a direction - whether advocacy or group organization, single-task your main objective

Publicize your successes - press releases and announcements (when not spammed or sent few hours) are rarely a burden.

Inform the public. What CAN you do for someone? What CAN'T you do? As an example, ATEK can help someone contact a lawyer, but can't help them pay for it.
Make it clear that one doesn't have to be a member of ATEK to ask for assistance. [Note: if this is incorrect, please comment or e-mail and I will retract]

Fight misinformation actively. Don't assume posting something to your website and pointing someone to it cures misinformation.

React fast. If reporters can write a story about something in a matters of hours and bloggers can post their reaction within a day, you need to be able to match that speed. On that note, keep your website up-to-date - press releases from two months ago don't count.

Make partners with other organizations. Any organization supporting childhood education should support your efforts of better teachers and better schools. Also, expat communities make excellent partnerships reaching out to the tens of thousands of English teachers - and the many more expats living in Korea.

Enable your people. Lofty goals are nice, but the day-to-day responsibilities are easier to accomplish. If they're asking or thinking, 'am I allowed to do that?', recheck communications and retry.

KISS. Making things more challenging to comprehend by couching them in pages of legalese does little to build community or consensus.

I understand that a vacuum of leadership at the highest levels gave rise to a number of these issues - things I'm hopeful are now in the past. With a new leader in place, I'm confident in ATEK's potential to assist teachers of English in South Korea.

Sincerely,

Chris Backe

P.S. Roboseyo's post on Korea Sparkle gives even more suggestions, in case you hadn't seen it yet.

RIP Keith Floyd

Just a quick note to mark the passing of Keith Floyd, who died Monday at the age of 65 from a heart attack.

Floyd was the orginal food punk, cooking glass in hand with a devil-may-care attitude while Anthony Bourdain was still washing dishes (no disrespect to Tony.)

I first encountered Floyd on the BBC's Saturday Kitchen, where re-runs of his mediterrean adventures ran at just about the same time as my own, latent relationship with cooking was starting to develop.

He embodied a relaxed, fun and creative approach to cooking, emulated today by chefs such as Jamie Oliver (one of Floyd's most vocal eulogisers) and played a part in taking alot of the starch out of British food culture.

Cheers Keith.

BUSAN BLITZ

Goodbye montage. Footage found on the bottom of my shoe. Nikon d5000.

Posted in Busan, Film, Nightlife, South Korea, Video

Destination: Seoul Forest, part 2

Author's note: Note a new feature starting with Destination posts at the bottom!

My trip here last year was during the Seoul Drum Festival, and as such my attention was mostly diverted from the park itself. Created on 350,000 pyeong (286 acres, 1.15 million square meters), it requires a full day to truly see and enjoy the park. One website with a review of the area suggests this is to Seoul what Central Park is to New York; I don't disagree, but think Namsan Park offers a more central location.

And yes, it's a park, not a forest. Despite what the name might suggest, this area has been created rather recently (June 2005), and as such is not yet anywhere near a 'forest' level of trees. The horses racing statues throw me for a loop, though, as it looks very similar to something from my former hometown in Kentucky.

The Seoul Design Center is in the park, offering a view of the future much like the one in Seonyudo Park:

Because all design rooms should have fake trees with hangeul letters, computers, and looped videos of design schemes to watch. Don't forget about the hardwood flooring...

An example of one 'video' - stand in the right place and look through the hole to see. While at a good height for people in wheelchairs and most kids, the average adult has to stoop or try their knees out to see inside.

While not a place to see the reality of plans, it's still an interesting endeavour towards promotion. After leaving, I rented a bike (3,000 won / hour; bring an ID to leave as a deposit) and headed off. A nearby sign (not pictured) suggested one of two courses to follow; a map picked up from the aforementioned Design Center suggested some more.

The natural reservoir - possibly the only part of the park that hasn't been completely changed. There are plenty of places to picnic along the reservoir, and yes - plenty of trees as well.

Go ahead, say it - awwww....

Horses?! In Seoul? That aren't attached to a carriage? Wow.

Several areas of dirt offered presumably offered people the chance to practice riding horses. In one square a couple horses seemed to be on a short rope, while in the two above the riders seemed to be more experienced. I didn't see anything about taking riding lessons; if that interests you, stop by with a Korean friend and see what you can find out.

Aha! Here we are - finally an area of Seoul Forest that looks like a forest. Those trees are awfully close together though... And so perfectly laid out in a grid.

Most paths through forests have stone paths through them, of course.

Entering the Ecological Forest - and an opportunity to pet or feed several deer. They had to compete with the pigeons, which spooked the deer on more than one occasion.

Something about this picture does not compute.

The Ecological Park is essentially off-limits to those of us walking on two legs. There are supposed to be roe deer, elk, mandarin duck, and mallard ducks inside, though I only saw the deer. There's plenty of places to observe the animals through the metal fence, but near the gates were the best places.

Almost time to get the bike back, but this waterfall was interesting. Try throwing a coin into the bowls near the turtles - the one on the left was more popular because the land curved around slightly, making it a little closer.

Just one area of a large park more suitable for the children. Some adults had to get in on the action as well:

Ouch. But impressive - basically full splits in jeans? Wow.

Something different - a park especially for those in wheelchairs or physically disabled. Come through the brightly-painted tunnel, go up the dirt ramp just off-picture to the left, then slide down the stairs. A very nice touch.

Behind me as I shoot the slides is this rather interesting creature. The wire is solid, enabling kids to climb the figure from the inside. If you're confined to a wheelchair you can join your able-bodied friends via the ramp. For us more... adventurous... climbers, a metal ceiling smartly prevents one from climbing above the figure's waist.

A water crank - turn the handle (just off-picture to the right) and watch the water spin up into the bucket by your feet.

A well-built wobbly bridge. Walking across this thing - even while sober - is very difficult without holding onto the sides.

Apple trees? Suuuurre, why not? Nominated as the place to go if zombies attack Seoul and all the grocery stores closed.

After a full day's worth of walking, encountering animals, and sightseeing, a dusty red moon seems like the best way to call it a night. At this point, begin making your way back home - there isn't much in terms of non-natural light to be found. While nice for seeing stars, not being able to see where you're going produces a different kind of stars.

Seoul Forest is highly worth the visit for the open space, the variety of park, hiking, and many other activities (not pictured this time around was a skating park, along with many sporting facilities for the public). While the park is open 24 hours, after sunset is essentially a time to enjoy the dark thanks to few non-natural lights.

Ratings: (out of 5 taeguk symbols)

Ease to arrive:

Foreigner-friendly:

Convenience facilities:

Worth the visit:

The 'live-up-to-its-name' factor:

Directions to Seoul Forest: take line 2 of the Seoul subway system to the Ttukseom station. Take line 8 to street level, then walk to the intersection, cross the road, and turn left. Keep walking straight for 350-400 meters before turning right near some construction. Approaching from line 7's Ttukseom Resort station is also possible, and buses 2014, 2224, 2412, 2413 stop right in front of Seoul Forest.

The Swedish Chef

I have a visitor.
It's kind of amazing.

Life in Korea: health checks for all (except the Korean teachers, of course)

So my school (Which Must Not Be Named - let's just call it a Large Adult Hagwon) has dictated decided that all foreign teachers must undergo a health check at their head office in Seoul. Not a huge deal to travel there - I walk by it some days while walking home - but it's the principle of the matter. What the school says, goes. They want to take your temperature every day when coming into work? They can do that. They want to fire you after you get the swine flu on vacation? Yep, they can do that too. They tell you to stay at home for a week after leaving the country - or saying you can't leave the country? They're doing it now. They want to get almost OCD about foreigners, whether they've left the country or not? The school can do just about anything they want. Next thing you know there'll be a 'mandatory exercise meeting' to keep everyone in shape (anyone else read 1984?)

I suppose this shouldn't surprise me - consider that the US has had stories of employers offering to help smokers quit (carrot), or charging them more for insurance (stick). This article (PDF) even talks about how to pass on surcharges to smokers while keeping it legal. That's not the focus of this particular post, however...

When you first arrive in Korea, your school will typically ask you (or accompany you, in some cases) to submit to a health check. It's required by the government as part of your visa, so the test is done for government purposes. One of my earliest posts briefly talked about it, and it wasn't that big a deal at the time. I had nothing health-wise to hide, and it seemed standard enough. My only (very minor) complaint was having to go back to work with a band-aid on my arm where they took some blood - right where all the elementary students would see and HAVE to know the story...

I still have nothing to hide health-wise, but why does my school bother? The government already has some pretty good safeties in place. The only reason I can see the school doing medical testing is either A: a genuine perk to ensure teachers are safe and healthy, or B: a marketing tactic - we're proud to say that all our teachers have been given a physical and are swine-flu free! In this economy and as expensive as the classes are, I wouldn't be surprised by the latter at all. According to the NHIC (National Health Insurance Corporation), anyone covered by Korea's national health insurance program can already get a fairly through physical for free once every two years (click FAQ, then 'health checkups'), so the testing by the school is either redundant or convenient, depending on your perspective.

Oh, and let's not forget about the point of the title - this check is only for the foreign teachers and Korean staff, not the Korean teachers who work at the same school. Why? "Oh, they're on different contracts.", one person from the school's office said. At my school, the Korean teachers work on three-month contracts, not one-year contracts like foreign teachers. Fine, so it's not a test just for the swine flu - if it were, a Korean is just as likely to get it as a foreigner who hasn't left the country since they arrived. I also learned that the Korean staff has been subject to an annual physical for awhile; this was the first year they've required foreign teachers to join.

My boss (a Korean woman who also handles the students and phone) passed on the message weeks ago, so I don't fault her for doing her job or passing on the message. She also helped me with the three-page form (all in Korean), though it's a little embarrassing going through your medical history with someone that's basically your boss. How often do you smoke? How often do you drink? How often do you exercise? Would you rather tell your boss the truth, or would you rather lie on a medical form? Neither seems especially favorable...

In any case, I head up to the school's office, complete with paperwork in hand. Height and weight check. Simple eye test (I LOVE how everyone handled the same steel eyeball-coverer). Simple hearing test. A blood pressure test - just fine at 120/80. And then, a blood test.

Geez.

I try asking what they test for - and of course the nurse doesn't speak English. I ask again; no response. They take some blood, then I move to the next 'station' around the desk, complete with 3 pages of paper forms in one hand and the other hand holding a cotton pad over my vein. A simple oral check. In the next conference room - still holding the cotton pad in place - I was handed a little white plastic strip by a nurse who seemed to presume everyone knew exactly what to do. Go to the bathroom, pee on the strip, let her see the two colored squares to show I'm drug-free, then throw the strip in the oh-so-elegant plastic bag taped to the desk. Of course, if I did do drugs, it would've been too easy to pull a switch or fake it since no one followed me or was present.

Next, I arrive in a second small conference room, where a Real Doctor reviewed all the paperwork and asked me if I had ever had hypertension or heart problems. WTF does that have to do with anything? Heck, if you want to know for certain, why don't you do another test? He signed the form after reviewing the paperwork - yay I'm done!

Wait!

"Go out the back door of the building and find the bus."

What?

Excuse me? You have so many tests you can't fit them all on one floor? As it turns out, the bus carried the final piece of equipment: that infamous chest x-ray you hug. Now, try hugging it while 6 feet tall and standing in a bus designed for those no taller than 5'10". After a little moving around, we made it work, the doctor got his chest x-ray and took the paperwork, and now I'm done.

So now the school knows I'm healthy. Here's hoping this is the last I've heard of this stupid BS for a long time to come. Let the school send their stupid marketing newsletter in the name of retaining or reassuring students - OR if they do genuinely care about their teachers, buy the swine flu vaccines for us and put the worry entirely out of your students mind. Either way, I'm moving on - I have better things to do during my non-working time.

Question from a reader: giving gifts to a director

A reader writes in with a question:

I am on my way to Incheon in a few weeks to start teaching at a hagwon. I'm both excited and terrified (in a good way), and can't wait to leave!

I have read that it is a good idea to bring your Director a gift, and doing so usually starts you off on a good note with them. The problem is I haven't found any examples of the type of gift to bring. Any ideas?

J.

Hi J.,

Giving your director a gift is one custom that gets you started on the right path with an employer, although it's far from required or expected. In fact, it's more likely that you'll be given gifts of some kind as the new person at the school. For most teachers, that includes a few things to make your first days in Korea easier - some food in the fridge, showing you around town (possibly your co-teacher if at a public school, or your director or another teacher if at a hagwon), and the like.

It's somewhat common for the director / owner to take the group out to a Korean dinner and give you your first taste of things like galbi (Korean barbecue) or soju (Korean fire-water, similar to vodka but weaker). Of course, half the reason they do that is to see how you handle things - try your best to be gracious and not be culture-shocked.

If you want to give a gift, it will be appreciated - but not always accepted at first! They might refuse, and you must insist they take it. This push-and-pull / give-and-take is part of the Korean culture; you'll also see it when Koreans are figuring out whose turn it is to pay for dinner as they slam their card in the checkbook before someone else does.

So what to get? Start by knowing what you can about your director / principal. Male or female? Older or younger? What do they do when not at work? Your recruiter should know these answers, or one of the other teachers at your future school could also tell you. Some general ideas include alcohol (such as a bottle of liquor or wine) goes over well with some, as does coffee, chocolate, tea, or other tastes of your home country. If your area is known for the production / manufacturing of something, consider that as a possibility. Trinkets or souvenirs are also an idea, which can remind the person-in-charge where you're from or be something to make their desk a little happier. If you discover your future principal is a camper or hiker (both fairly common activities), go to your local camping / hiking store and look around.

Don't forget about your future fellow teachers - both Korean and native English teachers. They won't be expecting anything from you and probably won't be getting you anything either - but it's definitely classy to bring them a taste of something non-Korean. Again, know what you can about these people before buying - the last thing you want to do is try giving a bottle of Jack Daniels to the principal's who also a nun!

Thanks to korea4expats.com, I can tell you that "Korean Customs Regulations allow each adult to bring in two bottles of wine or liquor with them duty free." Other consumables, such as food, get a free ride so long as they clearly appear to be for personal (not commercial) use. If you plan on bringing anything you shouldn't have to pay duty on it.

Welcome to Korea :)

Koreabridge