Cherry Blossoms, love motels and kimchi sales.

Last weekend, Jarrett, our Canadian friend we so lovingly refer to as "Maggie" and I took the three hour bus ride down to Gongneung for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival. I had been worried that the blossoms would be affected by the snow we'd been having but luckily, they delivered. The blossoms were beautiful and we got to catch up with a lot of old friends. We even ran into one of the elementary principals from Yanggu.
(I have recently been lamenting my loss of anonymity. I am seen by a Korean I know even three hours from home.)
Around dusk, we three headed back to Chuncheon (the nearest major city to Yanggu) only then realizing that we'd miss the last bus to Yanggu and we'd have to get a hotel in Chuncheon.
Maggie assured us she knew of a cheap love motel* near the bus terminal and so we set off. After arriving at this hotel (Hotel If), we were told they had no vacancies. This is how we ended up staying in the nicer, more expensive Hotel Petite a few blocks away. Initially, I was pretty mad about the price (the three of us paid 140,000 won all together for two rooms) but my negativity was assuaged when I saw the king size bed a jacuzzi bathtub. (Jarrett and I share a twin at home and I haven't seen a bathtub since I arrived here.)
The best part of the trip was the next morning, post-latte and well-rested, when we went shopping at E-mart**. There were no Koreans pushing and shoving their ways down the narrow aisles, trying to get to that Kimchi sale. It was early Sunday morning and they were all at church or sleeping; we had the place to ourselves. Brilliant.

*love motel- a cheap hotel Korean couples use for alone time away from their families. (They usually live many generations in a household.)

**E-mart- the Korean Wal Mart

A return to simplicity

My move to Korea, the total upheaval of normalcy and routine in my life, has had some unintended consequences. The word 'consequences' here has a neutral or even positive connotation.
While the lifestyle here is relatively similar to that of Americans, there are a few differences that really have made an impression on me.

1. Certain things considered necessities in the States, are truly luxury items in Korea. (dryers, fast food, dish washers, ovens, space)

Dryers- while having a dryer is a nice amenity, it uses an indulgent amount of electricity.
See the power consumption table here; dryers top the list of power usage (4000 watts.)

Dish washers are the same story. They use tons of water and electricity.
Here is water usage for an older model (I've never had a brand new dish washer.)
Pots & Pans Cycle --- 78 minutes - 15 gallons.
Normal wash --- 69 minutes - 12.5 gallons
Water MIser - 60 minutes - 10.0 gallons
Light wash -54 minutes - 7.5 gallons
Rinse & hold - 18 minutes - 5 gallons.
Also, as a result I am more conscientious of my dish usage because I know I have to clean them by hand later.

Fast food- As pervasive as fast food is in the States, it's no wonder our country has a weight problem. I have noticed that the Korean people have smaller waistlines, clearer skin and fewer health problems related to obesity. Jarrett lost a good deal of weight during our first month because processed food is pretty scarce where we are. It is much more affordable to eat fresh vegetables and meats; not to mention, much of the food is grown locally. It doesn't take careful observation to notice the meat is smaller because it's more natural, the potatoes are dirty because they just came from the fields and the milk doesn't have that chemically taste.
See my previous post here for an overview of our new diet.

Ovens- this is the one thing I wish we had. I do miss making casseroles and cookies. But the lack of an oven has forced us to find new, more creative ways of cooking. Jarrett has been experimenting with all sorts of new cooking methods with very positive results.


2. Things deemed unnecessary in the States are a must in Korea.
Public transit- We don't have cars and so we rely on public transportation.
What a blessing! I don't have to pay for gas, insurance, maintenance or parking. Not to mention, Koreans are terrible drivers and I'd be terrified to drive on the roads with them. The blog "Ask a Korean" deals with the subject in depth here.
It costs $1 to go into town and $5 to take a bus to the nearest metropolitan area. $12 for the two-hour bus ride to the capital (Seoul.)
The only downside is planning around the bus times but they come frequently enough that it is no problem.

Affordable healthcare- I had heard very good things about the Korean healthcare system from expats before I came here. I heard equally horrendous remarks about "socialized medicine" in Korea from people who had never traveled anywhere, much less been to Korea. (These were the same people who asked me in which Korea was I going to teach English.)
The healthcare is not free, because they take a small amount from my paycheck every month to pay for it. But it is shockingly cheap and efficient. I had a sinus infection last week. It took thirty minutes to see a doctor, get my medicine from the Pharmacy, and get back home to bed. Urgent care like that must have cost a fortune, right? All expenses accounted for, it cost me $8.

Recycling- recycling here is not a choice but instead a part of your social responsibility in much the way not littering is a part of American social responsibility. In Korea, you sort your trash into three categories: food/perishable, recyclable and other. The recyclable you then sort into the appropriate containers.

*I must put a disclaimer on this post so that I am not misunderstood. I am not saying Korea is superior to the States, nor am I saying that Korea has no problems. I intend to acknowledge the things about Korean culture that I find very objectionable in a future post. Also, as I have limited experience in Korea (one month) I can not speak for every household in Korea, but instead for the collective experience of the Koreans with whom I have discussed these matters and the other foreigners with which I live.

Q&A

1. What do you eat, mostly?
I am “very lucky” as the Koreans say to me, to have a boyfriend who loves to cook. For breakfast, we have the normal western meal eggs and bacon or cereal. Koreans usually eat rice and pork or fish for breakfast, if they eat anything at all. That is so weird to me! My co-teacher says she eats Ramen or a banana for breakfast.
I eat lunch for $2.00 in the cafeteria. Always rice and kimchi (spicy fermented cabbage), and some kind of meat or fish. Sometimes we have octopus and noodles. Yuck!
For dinner, we rarely eat beef because it’s expensive but we frequently eat quality pork, chicken, fish and mussels.

1.b I would love to go to the market there and check out the veggies/fruits.
Fruits are very, very expensive. Upwards of $10 for grapes or strawberries. The vegetables are delicious and cheap though! We eat onions, greens, mushrooms, garlic and potatoes almost everyday.

2. Is there chocolate? Coffee?
The assortment of chocolate is pretty much the same as it is in the States. I have a yummy brownie after lunch everyday and it costs about $0.30.
Coffee, however, is so expensive! Last weekend we splurged on a coffee press, grinder and bag of beans. We also have a mini moka pot that makes espresso. Koreans drink a lot of instant coffee; it’s just not the same!

3. Are you suffering from baked goods deprivation?
I can’t bake cookies or casseroles because I have no oven. But the quality of store-bought breads and pastries is amazing! Much better than in the US. There are also many bakeries in Yanggu that have decent breads and coffee.

4. How large/small is your town? Is it like Gainesville/Denton/Fort Worth...?
Comparatively, Koreans say Yanggu is a small town. There are about 35,000 people here. Denton’s population is 113,000, Gainesville is 16,000. Yanggu is really cute and pedestrian friendly. I have to take a bus into town (costs $1) but from there I can get anywhere. Taxis are prevalent and cheap. Click here to see a video tour of Yanggu, South Korea. Start the video at 1:12.
Because of Yanggu’s small size, I see my students everywhere. They yell “Hello Laci teacher!” and chase me down. How about the Korean adults? It takes the adults a while to get used to us (we are like aliens to them.) Because we are so different, anyone who has seen/met us knows who we are. That means our behavior is always important. I have a hard time remembering their names and telling the adults apart if I don’t know them well. But out of 35,000 Yanggulians, I am the ONLY white, blonde girl.

5. How do you do your laundry?
We have our own washing machine for the first time ever as a couple! It’s nice but most people don’t have dryers in Korea so we hang our clothes to dry. It is a luxury that I enjoyed in the States, but dryers use SO much electricity that I think it’s more sustainable to go without them. Though the washing machine works too well, I think my clothes are becoming threadbare!

6. The kids in your class, are they bratty or well behaved? Is working with children a more effective form of birth control than abstinence?
The kids here I would imagine are more well behaved than most. But, kids will be kids no matter what country they are from. Sometime I want to slap them, but most of the time they are so sweet and adorable. Especially the really young ones, they love hugs and snuggles.