Cross Walk

As in many places there are to types of cross walks in Korea, those with signals and those without signals.

In the case of a cross walk with a signal a foreigner in Korea may spend their first week looking for a button to push so that the signal will turn in their favor. (stupid foreigners) On the first day the foreigner will look quite avidly for a button at every light they happen upon. Eventually the foreigner will give up from frustration and hope that the cross does not require a button to indicate that pedestrians should cross. After the first day, the foreigner will look more casually for the remainder of a week until they can accept that Korean magic cross walks do not have buttons, they simply turn on their own.

Now I realize that the downtowns of big cities in the States also have magic cross walks that turn with the traffic, however Soegwipo is a small city so I was caught off guard. Additionally the cross walks don’t always turn with the traffic lights so the foreign pedestrian often becomes impatient when it seems that it is safe to walk, yet the cross still indicates to stay. After a week of acceptance and growing comfort with the whims of the crosswalk a pedestrian will suddenly cease watching the world pass on their extremely long wait. The pedestrians eyes will lock onto the cameras sitting just above or below the signal which allows for crossing. How many times was that camera scene and not registered by the brain because a pedestrian was staring so ardently at the signal?

In the case of a cross walk without a signal one should never wait patiently for a speeding car to stop, because it won’t. No, a pedestrian should step boldly into the crosswalk, at which point the speeding car will slow just enough to let the pedestrian pass and then it will go speeding off again without a stop. Perhaps a really nice and conscientious driver will notice a pedestrian a block or two away and begin slowing well in advance. But, if the foreigner waits for a complete stop before stepping into the cross walk the driver will become agitated, press forward, and give a dirty look. This only leaves the foreigner to wonder, why did they slow down so much, but not stop to let me cross. Clearly the foreigner is naïve to the 1^st law of crossing Korean walks “A driver in motion must stay in motion, but will slow to let a pedestrian cross.”

Settling In

We left training in Seoul and landed at our studio in Jeju a week ago. The apartment was a bit dirty and moldy but not as bad some that I've heard about. In Korea it is not an obligation to clean the apartment when you leave, you only have to remove your worldly possessions. A Canadian lecturer at training said that it was bad luck to clean the apartment before you leave. I don't know if this is true or not, but I do know the previous tenant was from an English speaking country, so I'm not sure what his excuse is. Probably when it gets down to the wire if a deposit isn't contingent on cleaning then it just isn't a priority.

In one short week we cleaned everything up and put our stuff away, but we are still working on making our little room a home, so I'll post a video when we have some more plants and such.
Mike had school on Monday, but fortunately I didn't have to go in until Wednesday so I was able to get our flat organized. I'm so grateful for the extra time because it would have been hard to enjoy the first few days at school knowing our space was a wreck. It stresses me out to come home to clutter. Settling in has busted the myth that things in Korea are super cheap. I shopped around and I got pretty good deals, but things are basically the same price over here. A few things are significantly more expensive. I picked up a plastic dresser for $60 that I could find for $20 in the States. Food is expensive generally and fruit is particularly pricey. I recently paid $8 for two pairs and two peaches.

Despite the minor disappointment on the prices, the beach and constant view exceeds all expectations. Today we celebrated a long week of settling in by relaxing on the beach in warm aqua-green water. Come visit!

North Korea

Yesterday we got out of the classroom and went for a field trip to Ganghwa Island which is about two hours north and west of Seoul. The first stop was a peace observatory that lies on the Ganghwa Straight just 2km from North Korea. The currents make for a difficult swim but a pro can do it in about 15 minutes if they have permission from the UN and the government of the destination shore.

One brave bull survived a flood and made the swim from North Korea where he was rescued by the South Korean military. This bull was christened “ox of peace” and married a Jeju cow (I’m going there!) named “desiring peace” These peaceful cows had 40 happy calves and the story serves as a symbol of the long desired unity of the Korean Peninsula.

The first photo is South Korea on the right shore, and North Korea on the left shore. The rest of the photos are North Korea. It’s hard to believe that the beautiful mountains are a prison. Since the whole world is looking at this area of North Korea through high powered telescopes I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the most developed place in the country.

Flight

When our ride to the airport arrived I got a little emotional. Suddenly we were leaving, and I had a brief panic about it. This panic was exacerbated by the driver showing up a few minutes late and then telling me in what I perceived to be a harsh voice that the airline we were flying with didn’t exist. I immediately excused myself from the conversation because I knew Mike, Patty, Katy, and Nanny could handle it. Give yourself three hours to navigate JFK folks. Fortunately Asiana Air does exist, and we got through to the gate minutes before boarding. None of our bags were over weight but they most definitely will be when we fly from Seoul to our school sites in Jeju.

All in all the flight to Seoul with Asiana Air was as comfortable as a 14 hour flight could possibly be. The bathrooms had tooth brushes, and we were given slippers. The food was amazing compared to other airline food. It came in real dishes, and they served octopus for one of the meals.

All the bags arrived undamaged in Seoul and we collected the phones we ordered without incident. My new number is 01-076-275-263. Then we met our employer at a kiosk and we were immediately hurried onto a bus. After an hour we traveled through Seoul to our training site where we met our roommates and shoved off to bed.

Today we had a medical check in the morning, and currently we have a break until after lunch. We have met a lot of really nice folks who will be teaching on Jeju with us. (New friends!) I’m trying to use my down time wisely and stay awake so that I don’t wake up at 4am again this morning.

Another Year Gone

First let me clarify that I recognize years based on a school schedule. Years Start in early fall, and end in early summer. Summer itself is a magical in-between time separate from the rest of the calendar. My year in Seattle doing AmeriCorps with Sea Mar Community Health Centers is over and unfortunately I have written nothing about it. Though it is inadequate I will attempt to summarize a big year in one small blog.

Intergenerational Program

Half of my role at Sea Mar was to facilitate and encourage intergenerational activities between the child development t center and the skilled nursing facility. I had the privilege of witnessing the residents light up when the kids came, and the kids were equally delighted with the extra attention.

Prior to this experience I never worked with people who were aging and dependent before. Watching an adult’s health or mental capacity decline rapidly as a child grows was astonishing and humbling. I want to challenge myself to become a certified nursing assistant at some point so that I can be of greater help, learn more about aging, and continue to expand my comfort zone.

The intergenerational program also offered the opportunity to get involved with institutional change. It was clear to me that the intergenerational program did not have the structure it needed to really do the most good. Upon doing research I learned about the emotional benefit for participants and economic benefit to facilities that run quality intergenerational programs. It was clear that the resources didn’t exist for some changes, but other changes required simple and free changes that would bolster the program. I had the opportunity to write proposals, create trainings, and sit at meetings with my boss’s boss. It sounds important and a little glamorous, but mostly I was frustrated and disenchanted. Sea Mar is in no way to blame for my immature attitude. I chalk it up to impatience, and a naivety of the time and energy required to make changes in a large organization. Fortunately frustration doesn’t cause permanent damage, and I learned a great deal in the process.

Soccer Project

The soccer project fell into my lap when I unexpectedly and reluctantly shifted away from art therapy. The universe is abundant with opportunities, but it is still hard for me to be accepting and grateful when my plans are forced to change. Most of the year I struggled with maintaining a positive outlook, however I’m glad I stuck it out, because now I am more resilient and accepting of change. Moreover I got to be a lead in starting a new program from the ground up. It wasn’t easy and my constant morale issues didn’t make it any easier, but I learned soooooooo much. I can’t express how grateful I am for this experience.

The soccer program was a partnership with the South Park Community Center to provide an affordable soccer program to kids ages 7 and 8. The program is designed to continue growing until it is serving kids from the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th grade. Soccer is a huge institution in Seattle, and it is expensive. The existing soccer associations don’t have connections in South Park, and barriers from language to economic prevent the youth from having access to recreation. Ideally the soccer program begins to bridge that gap so that youth in South Park will have the same access to all the social and health benefits of sports that other communities have.

This project gave me my first taste of community organizing. Fortunately I had a stellar mentor who is very experienced at organizing. The opportunity to learn from her was such a gift. I could write pages on what I learned about community organizing, but I will simplify it to; I learned a lot, and I have so much more to learn.

This past year was like two years worth of professional development squeezed into one. It was a real challenge, and I know I will be processing it for quite some time. Currently I am in Korea teaching English for a year, we’ll see what this new adventure brings!

Quarter of a Century!

Happy birthday to me! Two weeks ago I turned 25! I was thoroughly spoiled for my birthday :)

Twenty-five carries with it weight and breadth. I am unmistakably a “real adult” in my own mind and in they eyes of the world.

It isn’t until just before I left college that I started experimenting with labels like “woman” and “adult”. I’m comfortable with these titles now, and it is less surprising when older adults treat me as an equal. Though periodically I still don’t feel quite adult enough, like when I facilitate meetings with older more experienced folks, but I’m getting there.

My parents always said that being an adult was hard, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it thus far. Adulthood arrived mostly all at once for them, and I imagine the cascade of responsibilities such as kids, “real jobs”, and homes must have been overwhelming. My adulthood has come in phases, and the new responsibilities have been thrilling. I get to buy whatever I want. I can come home whenever or if I want and I can move wherever I want. Bills, jobs, and doctor’s appointments were added gently enough that I wasn’t bothered, while kids are currently a non-issue.

I figured I had come of age relatively unscathed. The process has been subtle, and I’ve coped along the way, always so thrilled with my liberty that hardships have been barely perceptible.

For the past couple of years I have been observing that life is a little less exciting. More often I’m likely to view something as similar to other things. The little things that used to be so thrilling when I first left home have become everyday. As I age the highs aren’t quite as high, and initially this was disappointing, but lately I’ve discovered that the lows aren’t quite as low. I’m coming into a balance of sorts. My limits have expanded a lot since I was 18, and I’m much less reactive to any given circumstance. This is not to say that I don’t sometimes feel overly reactive and incapable of handling a situation, but the causes of these feelings are increasingly more complicated. Sometimes I pine for the days of ultra excitement in ordinary things like grocery shopping, but mostly I’m comforted by a new and evolving sense of groundedness.

It is only recently that I’ve been coming to terms with diminishing thrills, but I’ve been processing the changing nature of relationships subconsciously since I was about 16. At 16 I suspected every Christmas would be the last Christmas that all four of us kids would be together. Fortunately we had 4 more Christmases all together, and I was so grateful for each one that when the Christmas finally came when we were apart I could accept it with only a bit of nostalgia.

It was only last spring when I consciously realized that accepting relationship changes has been a challenge in my coming of age. This realization became obvious while re-reading Little Women when I cried because Meg married and left home. It’s not as if Meg leaving home was a surprise, I’ve read Little Women at least 10 times since 5^th grade, but it was only with age and experience that I finally understood Jo’s heartache at the changes in her family.

It’s also been challenging to watch as friends become distant while work and romance increasingly take center stage. These changes are confusing, even when I am an active participant, but I imagine that clarity will come on the coattails of new experiences. I'm excited for the future, and I'm alive in the present.