Let the grant year begin.

---> 1. Turning the page 

•  The coffee shop on the hill 
  
   With my time in Goesan coming to a close, my friends at the coffee shop invited me to a farewell party. The people there have such good hearts, so it was really a wonderful night. Meeting them really made my time in Goesan special. Just to relate a few of the highlights of the night...

• The owner made me an iced caffe latte without me even ordering. I'm now one of those people who can order by merely saying 'I'll have my regular."



As a going-away present she made me some laminated, large-size photos. Happy to say I put them to good use!



Another of the coffee shop goers gave me a parting gift as well: cups from the university where he graduated. Seoul University is one of the SKY universities, which is paramount to Ivy League.

• They even picked my friends and I up and dropped us off because it was raining. 
• They prepared Korean barbecue with all the fixings and made fried Korean pancake.
• They had put a picture up of a group of us Fulbrighters and they had us sign them and write notes on the wall. (see picture above)
• When I tried to pay, they waved away my money and said, "Family doesn't pay."

•  Orientation graduation ceremony  

 In Seoul, we had a graduation ceremony which deems us official Fulbright ETAs. Each class prepared a skit for the ceremony. My class wrote a song in Korean that told funny anectodes from class.

As class captain, I was asked to give an introductory speech in Korean to kick things off. I was definitely nervous, but everything went really well.  I'll upload the video once I get access to it.

•  Seoul weekend 



After the graduation ceremony, Mrs. Shim (the director of Fulbright Korea) invited us all to a boat ride along the Han River.

 

 Roommate love! 

 Last weekend with everyone together! 

Me and Tander (Ted + Xander). 
You two are truly wonderful!

 Traditional Korean performance on the street 

The timeline of life roles for a Korean man: baby >  toddler > compulsory 2yr. military service >  ajussi (older man)

Ps. the Pope was in Seoul while I was there. I didn't have the pleasure of running into him, but it was a big deal. 

•  Fubright Closing Talent Show 

• So, it's Fulbright tradition to put on a talent show at the end of orientation. It allows us not only to get closure with one another but also so see what hidden talents are found within our group. It was really awesome to see everyone perform. You guys did an awesome job!  
• Haley and I wrote some parady songs with lyrics that poked fun at Orientation and drew upon some of the highlights of the 6 weeks in Goesan. We kept a low profile and no one ever discovered who the authors were. Well, at the beginning of Talent Show, our MC asked the authors to please stand up and so we were discovered. But the best part was that a group of ETAs got together and arranged an acapella choral piece from it. The song is called "Do you wanna get Patbingsu?" sung to the melody of "Do you wanna build a snowman?" from Frozen. They did such a beautiful job and it was really fun to see the song brought to life by people who can actually sing really well (unlike me..... hahaha) 
• 
• I was also able to perform in both a contemporary dance piece and  fun group K-pop dance number. It was a lot of fun to share. There's a video link somewhere, and again, once I get ahold of it, I'll put it up. 

---> 2) Meet my homestay family!

• 규환 (Gyu-hwan)

He's an adorable 4 years old. 

He loves to hang out in my room.

And especially to jump on my bed.

In the morning I wake up to him at my bedside. At night, after I turn the lights out, I hear the door creak open and a little voice say, "Whatcha doin' sister? He loves going into my closet and smelling all my lotions. And of course, he always likes it when I pick him up and toss him in the air. He climbs on my like a jungle gym. I've never felt so big in comparison to anyone before. It's such a joy to watch him explore his world. He's so curious and brave, always wanting to try new things and ask questions. His nose is the key to his exploration of the world. He smells EVERYTHING. I mean, everything. He smells Minu's butt all the time and asks me to smell it too. He smells my feet. He asks me to smell his hair after taking a bath so I can smell his 'baby smell.' He's even asked me to smell his hand. In this particular case he wanted me to experience the  '고추 냄새.' In any dictionary, you will find that this means 'pepper smell.' But luckily a friend I met last year had taught me that young boys use the word 'pepper' to refer to their 'pee-pee.' Needless to say, I politely declined the offer. He likes to frequent my closet and pillage for lotions to smell.

The wandering hand.

Gyu-hwan has something of an obsession with my 겨드랑이, or armpit. When we're together, his hand always finds its way into that particular crevice. I finally asked his mom why he does that and she said that he had a hard time weening off of breastfeeding. Apparently, the armpit skin has a similar texture as that of a nipple...

So, one night both of my homestay parents were out doing a few errands so I was at home with the kids. We were playing and all the sudden Gyu-hwan looks and me and says '시' (pronounced she). I knew this word. It means poetry. So, I figured he wanted me to read him some poetry. So, he runs into the adjacent room - to grab a book right? - but no. He comes back with a plastic coke bottle that's been cut halfway down so that the neck is gone. And, well, he just goes for it. He pees into it. Right in front of me and Che-eun. We laugh as she tells me that what he was saying was '쉬' (officially pronounced shwi, but sometimes pronounced she), which means pee. Now I know.

Sometimes I wonder if Gyu-hwan understands that I am from a different place and that I speak another language. Does he really understand that I am not a Korean speaker or does he think I am just kind of dumb and can't talk right? Either way, he takes the opportunity to teach me Korean. Sometimes he'll tell me long-winded story and I don't understand. So then I ask him what a certain word means and he'll explain to me in Korean. Once, he was trying to explain to the the kind of smell a lemon gives off (of course, smell talk! haha). I didn't know the word for lemon, so he actually went and got a lemon from the kitchen to show me. 

Selfie sneak attack! He loves technology and is better at it than I am. He somehow figured out my password (so observant!) and figured out how to take some cute selfies. By some, I mean 32.

Gyu-hwan is a very thoughtful young boy. At dinner, he'll grab some kimchi for his plate, but before doing that, he'll put some in my rice bowl. Once while I was taking off my nail polish I said to myself that I needed more tissues. He went and got me the whole box. <3 He even reminded me at night to take my allergy pill! What?! So smart!

Passed out. 

This is one of our favorite games. I make him puff out his cheeks and close his eyes and then I pop them! It makes a funny noise and it gets him every time. I love it when he squinches us his eyes like this. When it's my turn, he isn't shy about hitting hard haha.

채은 (Che-eun)

Che-eun is 11 years old (4th grade, 10 yrs old in American age) and is an absolutely wonderful girl! She's my little helper. She showed me how to use the home computer, how to make coffee/tea, she translates things for me, she invites me to watch Korean dramas with her, and she even reads me storybooks in Korean. <3 When she grows up, she wants to be an attorney. 

Girls night! Hair and nails.

Chinese hair style. Thanks girl!

She loves taking pictures as much as I do.

Silly!

Shopping spreeeeeeee

My partner in crime. We told Gyu-hwan that she was stuck. It was so funny to watch him try to help her out. Che-eun is a really great older sister. She takes care of Gyu-hwan but doesn't put up with his you-know-what when he needs to behave. I don't know if it's just me, but she seems  mature for her age.

Mom, she is obsessed with Bop it game you found. Between that and the card game, we're never bored. If we're not playing those games, we're doing puzzles, playing jump rope, stretching, or running after Gyu-hwan together.

• 정인지(Jeong-In-Ji)

She's 40 years old and really sweet. Despite my limited conversation capacity, she is extremely patient and our communication is pretty solid. Sometimes the dictionary on my phone is a saving grace. But for the most part, we work through the confusion with class haha. 

She is Buddhist and goes to temple only for holidays and special events. The rest of the family doesn't practice religion. Her favorite hobby is hiking. Like me, her favorite season is autumn and she loves hiking most during fall because of the changing colors.

I don't call her mom, nor do I use her first name. I call her 언니, which means 'older sister.' Within my host family, I play more the role of the cool aunt more than anything else.

She bought me Refrigerator Pants! If you've read my previous blogs, you'll know what these are. I feel like I've officially been accepted into Korean culture.

She majored in Japanese language in college, worked as a book designer in Seoul, and currently is a stay-at-home-mom as she prepares to take her realtor certification exam in September. She goes to the library every weekday morning to study. Gyu-hwan goes to daycare and Che-eun goes to school.

She is my liaison to good Korean food. I'll try to remember to include some pictures for my next blog. But she did buy me cereal and milk and made sure to let me know that I can have it as a snack whenever I like. Often in lieu of water, we drink 우엉, or Burdock root tea. It contains a substantial amount of dietary fiber, calcium, potasium, and amino acids. Korean traditional medicine says that it prevents hair loss and works as a blood purifying agent.

 In classic Emily style, I have not wasted time in getting to learn firsthand about the healthcare system in Korea. As one who knows me well would expect, I found myself visiting an ENT clinic almost as soon I arrived to Cheonan.  My host mom drove me and Che-eun to the clinic and once I sat down she began to explain what the nurse had said. She kept pointing to me, repeating the word '수술.' I had never heard this word so I looked it up on my phone. It meant 'operation' or 'surgery.' I think she saw my eyes jump a bit out of their sockets because she made sure to re-explain that the doctor would be a few minutes late because he is in the middle of a surgery right now. Whew!

• 원웅희(Won-Ung-Hweh)

 Won is 41. He works as an electrical engineer at a small firm that his older brother created. He works long hours and even works on Sundays. He speaks fairly good English and is a funny story-teller. He told me that they once had to take Gyu-hwan to the doctor because his skin turned yellow. They later found out it was because Gyu-hwan was consuming far too many mandarines a day. The mandarines actually turned his skin yellow!!! Somehow through my Korean and his English, we've managed to have conversations about gun control, the Korean president 박근혜 (Pak-gun-hye), Obama's administration, and the issue in Ferguson.  He's pretty open minded and up on the news. He's not shy about speaking English and I really appreciate that he shows an interest in where I come from. He asked me to call him Won, which is his last name. It feels so informal to address him this way, but I have no problem with it. 

Here's my room!

---> 3. Cheonan, my home for the next year 

The main street in downtown. Locals call this area the Terminal because it's right around the terminal that takes you to Seoul as well as provides inner-city transportation. It's got the big department stores, cafes, boutiques, shops, book stores, food courts...etc. I still have a lot of exploring to do, but I really like the city so far.

Cheonan's got a bunch of colorful, eccentric statues.

The cutest, most expensive popsicles I've seen yet.

A typical walk around the downtown side streets of Cheonan on a Friday afternoon. You'll see swarms high school students walking around hand-in-hand with their friends. Everyone just came from school so they're all wearing their school uniforms. 

This motel name is pronounced 'Cómodo motel," which is Spanish means 'comfortable motel,' which sometimes implies sexual relaxation... could it just be a coincidental similarity? 

Carolyn, a 2nd year Fulbright ETA has taken me under her wing and shown me around Cheonan. She took me to this fusion international-Korean food place and we ate Jjampong, which traditionally a Chinese dish. It was delicious. 

This is the Disco Room. It's a big disc that rolls around and bounces you and your friends all over the place. Apparently it's a hip place to go if you're in middle or high school.

Carolyn took me to this beautiful coffee shop. Like my roommate Haley says, "If you can find a good Coffee shop, you'll be happy anywhere."

Sorry it's upside down. Whoops! Should I have told them that you can't shorten the word 'cocktail' like that?

This is an eccentric art cafe. It's got abstract art on the walls, a rocking horse at the entrance, weird little baby dolls with unwavering gazes at every corner, and a youthful but chill ambiance.You can get side dishes, coffee, or drinks here. Their Sangria is on point.

Shameless use of sepia tone

---> 4. Yongso Elementary School 

•  The head principal and my co-teacher were the ones who picked me up from Goesan and took me to Cheonan. I was super nervous to meet them, but they were extremely nice and happy to meet me.

On my first day visiting the school, the students were still on summer break. But my co-teacher led me to the office to officially meet the principal and vice principal. I gave them my deepest, much-practiced bow. They ended up inviting me for coffee with them in the office, and my co-teacher left me alone with them. We chatted for some 10 or so minutes, and I left feeling really excited to work for them. Unfortunately, the head principal will retire in a few days, as he is 62 and all school faculty and staff in the Korean education system must retire at the age of 62. I hope the new principal is just as nice.

 
• On the first day of school, I was introduced by the principal and gave a speech in Korean to the entire school over the morning announcements. I think it was good for the students to see that it's okay to take risks and make mistakes when learning and speaking a second language. Everyone in the office seemed so excited that I could speak Korean, which made me feel good. Usually, I'd say hello in Korean and they look back in disbelief asking how I learned Korean so well. So, I guess the bar is set pretty low for foreigners in Korea. ;) Either way, I'll take the compliments.

• 

  A glimpse at the notes for my speech. Mom, Dad, and Andrew -- > you're all included! Bonus points if you can find your names. :)


• Very exciting for me: I'm part of the slipper club! When entering school, everyone must change from their outdoor shoes to their indoor slippers. I forgot this the first time I visited school. But after seeing the error of my foreigner ways, my host mom took me out to get some the other day, so I finally fit in! It keeps the floors nice and clean, especially on rainy days. Korea definitely does this one right. Comfortable shoes at school? Did you hear that U.S.A?
• 

The students are absolutely adorable. The level of cuteness is through the roof. The students bow to me and formally address me in the halls. It's so different from in the U.S., where students show respect by not letting the door hit you on the way out of the classroom. They are eager to speak English with me and that makes me so happy! I start teaching tomorrow officially as today is a get-back-into-the-swing-of-things day. Their summer break was 4 weeks long, so they're getting new books, materials, and schedules. I teach 3-6th grade and have a little over 500 students. My co-teacher's goal for me is to memorize their Korean names by the end of the first month. I've got a face-name study sheet so I know what I'll be studying at night! :)

My Fulbright co-teacher, Kim-Jin-Suk, is wonderful. She's helped me set up my bank account, get a phone number, show me the ropes at school, and she's even taken me out to eat a few times. And by out to eat, I mean a feast.

She speaks excellent English, she's really hard-working, and she is very well-traveled. She just got back from Jordan actually. She is someone I can really depend on. When I have a question about Korean culture, how to say something, or what the proper way to go about something at school is, I can go to her. She's really open minded and I am really lucky to have her as a co-teacher. She's even invited me to join her Mountain Walking Club. Once in September and once in October, I'll be joining her for some scenic walking trail fun.

Unfortunately, she will be leaving our school come March. In Korea, school teachers must rotate schools every 5 years. This is done to promote equal access to education by preventing richer schools from hoarding all the best teachers. My other co-teacher is called Lee-Yeong-Ju. I just met her for the first time today, so I don't know much about her. But so far, she has been really kind. All the teachers here are rather young, I've noticed.

 

One big difference between U.S. and Korean schools is that every morning, all the teachers stop by the Principal/Vice Principal's office to formally bow and greet the higher-ups with a formal "hello." When they leave for the day, it is expected that they do the same. Generally you say something to the effect of, 'Work hard."

Star status: Walking down the halls today has been like stepping out on the red carpet. So many students know my name, they all want to say hi and bow to me, they want to tell me their name, their heads turn when I walk by. It's great! I'm gonna soak up this honeymoon phase for as long as it lasts. 

---> 5. You know that moment when...

I would love to have the job of naming products like this.

 ---> 6. Biggest struggle so far 

 No wifi anywhere for Emily. 어떻게??? Isn't Korea the most connected country? 

Wifi = 1; Emily = 0

 ---> 7. Misc. notes 

• In Sino-Korean, the name of my city (Cheon-an) means "Everything under the sun." 'Cheon' means sky and 'an' means under.

•  Recently South Korean president Pak-gun-hye visited President Obama at the White House. It was a really big deal for South Korea and they took a lot of pride in the event. However, it ended up in really bad press when one of her male subordinates was caught groping one of the female interns at the White House. It really cracked open a can of worms. It has brought shame and  negative attention to Korea as Korea is now labeled as a country ridden with sexual harassment issues. Perhaps this will be a turning point for Korea in regards to gender issues and sexual harassment.

Trying to find a parking spot can be rough. But in Korea, they have lights above every space. Red means its full, green means its vacant.  This is genius. Do we have these in the U.S.?

• It's awkward getting used to a society where you don't wave, smile, or even make eye contact with strangers. Greeting strangers is simply not part of the culture here. I totally understand it. I mean, you have no real connection with them. Not all people in the U.S. smile at me when I smile back, but it definitely happens more back home than it does here. But I think I'm going continue doing it because that's my personality. I guess if I start to feel like I'm making people uncomfortable, I'll stop. Until then, CHEESE!

•  I had the opportunity to watch the famous Korean classic, Sunny. Wikipedia describes it as a South Korean film about a middle-aged woman who tries to fulfil her friend's dying wish of reuniting their group of high school friends. The film alternates between two timelines: the present day where the women are middle-aged, and the 1980s when they were in high school.  It's a coming-of-age story. It will make you laugh. It will make you cry. I highly recommend it. The English subtitles are spot on. It's kind of on the level of The Breakfast Club in regards to how famous and widely viewed it is.

Feel free to check out the trailer here.

•  For all of you foodies out there, I have found your calling. You can get paid to eat. In Korea, there is what's called 먹방, or Meok-bang. It's really simple: you make a lot of food, you put on your camera, and you eat. This is a mix between Man vs. Food and food porn. Unfortunately, this might be a product of a society that over diets and experiences food vicariously through watching others eat.  

The viewing options are infinite

That's a weird note to end on, but hey what can you do? Anyhow, I'm really enjoying my time here in Korea and I'm learning a lot. But of course, I'm always thinking of you. Thanks for reading and take care!