Colloquial nude baseball

I have mentioned before that I tutor a man who owns a yogurt store. Recently, he told me he was selling his franchise. “No more free yogurt,” I sadly thought to myself, and asked him why. He told me it was too stressful and went on to give me an example. “If someone wants to quit, they don’t give me six months notice,” he whined. I said, “Six months?” in surprise, and he said, “Yes, it’s very stressful.” I cannot begin to count the number of times he has sent me a text message less than an hour before we are supposed to meet for a lesson and told me something has come up and he cannot make it. I’ve even arrived and begun the lesson and he’s asked to change it. I thought, “With all due respect, dude, it’s an ice cream store!” Anyone who knows me knows that I love frozen treats more than the next guy and his mother put together, but who makes a career of pulling the lever and squirting it into a plastic cup? [An aside: Speaking of careers, if anyone knows of a company who wants to hire an Internal Auditor, HELP! I am job searching in Hawaii—though not limiting options—and it seems impossible to get anyone to foot the bill for your trip out there because so many people abuse it for a free vacation without any real plans of relocating. (Why people wouldn’t want to move there is also worth pondering, but I know everyone has their reasons!)] Anyway… this guy can be pretty funny. We’ve had several “lost in translation” moments where I try my hardest not to laugh, for fear of making him afraid to practice, but some you just can’t help. Lately I’ve been covering colloquialisms, and I finished “I’ve got your back” and moved on to “C.Y.A.” Two necessary things to know that will undoubtedly come up at some point during his stint in America. Mixing the two and trying to comprehend the meaning, he said, “So, I’ve got your @$$…” and I looked at him, thinking he was joking. When I realized what wires he was crossing, I just cracked up. I explained that these two aren’t synonymous and you really shouldn’t ever say that again!

Last weekend while in Daegu, Sam and I decided we’d try to find a tailor who might be able to make him a shirt for his tuxedo that wasn’t at Seoul prices. (I recently had a formal dress and two dress shirts made. HUGE FAN! Nothing is ever long enough for me—and both of these were winners at reasonable prices. Well, reasonable prices for America anyway, but hey!) We meandered around the market area of the city and really just enjoyed ourselves and the exploration more than the purpose of our adventure. Foreigners rarely make appearances here, based on the looks we got from all the merchants. We decided we’d head to Citizen Stadium to see if we could get a schedule for the Daegu Lions professional baseball team when we stumbled upon a college game in its third inning. We walked through an open gate into the bleachers and took our (free) seats overlooking home plate and first base. Sam proceeded to pick a team for whom to root and tell me the strategies of each play and why they were or weren’t good while I enjoyed the randomness of finding such (cheap) fun that was still somehow a cultural experience. One of the players managed to anger the umpire, but unlike in America where it would’ve been blown off, there was much bowing and apologizing and whatnot going on. Sam and I looked at one another with a small amount of surprise, coupled with some amusement at the difference in where we are and where we are from. Then someone noticed the outsiders. The teams were changing for the upcoming inning and the cameraman put us whities on the big screen so that everyone— probably no more than 50 people—could see how worldly their game had become with the foreigners in attendance. We got a kick out of it, waved, and then got replaced by a local. We vowed that we would put on a better show for those watching if we made the cut again, but no such luck. However, we did put on a show on our return drive home. The weather was positively awful! Monsoon season still underway, the game finishing just as the drizzling turned into a downpour, the car was nearly a boat! We were being careful and going so slow that we could dance at the same time. Thinking no one would be watching, or be able to see through the falling rain, we headbanged and sang at the top of our lungs at one traffic light, only for Sam to look over to the passenger in the neighboring car doubled over in amusement, and the driver rubbernecking to see the cause of it all. Uh, whoops. Well, they were having such a good time watching us that we figured we could only play it up. Sam made a “hang loose” sign with his hand, stuck his tongue out, and rattled his head up and down, all while looking straight ahead and driving onward through the rain (Dad, don’t freak out—it wasn’t even half as rebellious as it sounds). My hair was on top of my head—total 80s style—and to cover my own laughter I was bobbing up and down as well. After their SUV passed us, we rested our antics and laughed at ourselves. Who says mixing cultures doesn’t benefit anyone!

I resolved that this weekend would be a good one to check out a deal a friend mentioned—a scrub, 50minute massage, and face pack for $50—and brought along my Canadian friend who lives around the corner. What the founder of this deal failed to mention was that this was at a sauna, which requires you to get naked in front of God and everybody. I’ve learned that there aren’t many things in life I’m not okay with, so long as I’m expecting them. This, however, I was not expecting. I decided to go against the grain and be the one everyone gawks at because I kept my undergarments on. The woman assigned to give me the massage insisted I go in the sauna room first and then that I strip down. I tried telling her that I’d already taken a shower and didn’t need to go scrub myself with a bunch of naked women, and that my undies were perfectly okay. Then she left, during which one of my friends nonchalantly paraded out of the sauna room, completely in the buff, to ask me a question. I’ve never been one great at concealing my feelings on my face, so you can imagine my surprise (how many of your friends have you seen completely naked—and if so, how many were completely sober when that happened?). Regardless, the whole event was just comical. The massage lady eventually returned, my friend hid herself away in another one of these rooms where they exfoliate every millimeter of your body and then pour cold milk on you, in addition to baby oil, and such was the end of the excitement. After our pampering—if you can call such an odd experience that—we went back in the locker room to change (or dress) and meet the third person in our party who had opted for a fully clothed sports massage. However, my naked friend was still naked. So my fully clothed friend, too, got the practice of holding a straight face when their eyes met. It’s not that it’s a big deal to be naked, because when you have to do it (like in the showers at the gym) you get used to it immediately. It’s the element of surprise, and then comparing it to the normal ways back home, it leaves one scratching her head and raising an eyebrow. But hopefully nothing else.


Copyright 2006 Olivia R. Reed

Monsoon Season - No big deal!

Well this has been my fourth round of report card writing, and as you may imagine, even less exciting this time. Spitting out more than 50 pages of how someone’s child is doing, only to make sure there are no repeated comments for students in the same class, isn’t anyone’s idea of fun. And not that I expect to nickel and dime my employer, but we don’t even get paid for it! I’ve spent more than 70 hours at school this week for regular classes, writing reports, and a training session 2 hours away for an extra class I’ll be teaching later this month, and I know Mr Lee is appreciative even if he hasn’t yet said thank you. I just had a vacation last month, but some extra sleep sure would be nice!

Last weekend I traveled down to Daegu to continue helping Sam settle into the new place. We had lunch with two of his co-workers, Taber and Ford, who we call by their last names consistent with Army norms. We searched for an Iraqi restaurant because both of these men spent time there and understand enough Arabic to make it interesting. We were unsuccessful in our search, thus had lunch at a chicken restaurant. And by chicken, think Cane’s. Well, not quite. But the menu had four options, all of which were chicken. We settled on a big bowl of soup that came with a full chicken in it, stuffed with rice, some ginseng, something else I didn’t recognize, and no seasonings. Later that night, we went to dinner with five friends before a late viewing of Pirates of the Caribbean 2.

The following day, Monsoon Season reminded us of its presence and poured down morning through afternoon. After a heavy case of cabin fever by the end of the showers, we took a walk to the top of a hill on post. It’s amazing how calm and beautiful the city can be after the fury of a rainstorm! The sky was clear, the people were quiet and still, the mountains and clouds shone a beautiful sunset. However, the season will continue for a few more days or so, and typhoons are upon us. But typhoons here are nothing like the mad rushes to the store for batteries and water like with hurricanes at home—I didn’t even know until Sunday afternoon that the following day would be when the storm that had been brewing would arrive. And why would I? It was just a rainy day!


Copyright 2006 Olivia R. Reed

Couple Ts and Missile Madness

Well I must say that there hasn’t been a ton of excitement around these parts as of late. Fourth of July weekend was spent moving Sam into his new (third) home in Korea. Unpacking boxes and sifting through papers doesn’t make for a riveting blog. I unfolded and put his sweaters on the bottom shelf of his closet, since he won’t be using them for a few months. See? Not interesting. We did return to Seoul and attempt to find La Casa Loca, a Mexican restaurant in Apgujeong I’d cut out an article about, but it has closed or our hour of walking was in vein. And if you know anyone from California who is as passionate about his Mexican food, this could be quite an upsetting event.

I have saved a cultural tidbit for a time when activities about which to write might be low. And here we are! I’ve mentioned before how shameless Korean men are about wearing pastels or frills that many (southern) American men would call “gay” or “girly” or something of the sort. Well I’ve noticed since the beginning of my time here that many couples have matching rings (worn on their right hand—DeBeers’ Marketing would probably be displeased as their “Women of the world, Raise your right hand!” campaign encourages women to wear diamonds they purchase opposite diamonds purchased by another in order to display their independence. I must say, I think it’s a great and fun idea, and a thought for someone who plans to kick off a career soon and wants to make a somewhat silly purchase for this type of thing) as well as jackets and this weekend I even saw matching belts! The most common, though, is “Couple T’s” worn by the duo and advertising their connection. They don’t necessarily have a lovey dovey message, they’re just the same exact shirt, color, or message. The color can be, as you may guess, anything! Baby pink to black-- I've seen it all. It’s like a regular Sadie Hawkins dance! I jokingly suggested to Sam that we sport the T-shirts we have (not bought for this purpose) so we can really feel Korean.

I’ve received several emails as of late from friends who have been busy but took the time to check in and make sure that I’m not swatting missiles down. Certainly, the antics of our northern neighbors are worthy of our attention, but Kim Jong-Il bearing a striking resemblance to an unhappy toddler (both in appearance and behavior) doesn’t have me overly concerned. Maybe he's upset because he has no one to wear the match to his couple T. What is interesting, I think, is how well my elementary students understand the issue. A class this week asked me why they spend money on missiles and military instead of food. A valid point for any 10-year-old mind. Koreans are taught how to regurgitate and, in my experience, have often been stumped when asked to think on their own two feet. This doesn’t mean they’re dumb or slow or behind, it’s just what they’ve (not) been taught. So I take opportunities like these missile launches to prompt the kids to think more about the “why” and “how” rather than the “what” and they’ve responded beautifully! Besides, it’s an interesting opening to class.

I plan on being out of Seoul this weekend, but maybe there will be some noteworthy excitement down south where I’m heading. There have been protests, marches, burnings, calls for removal of Kim Jong-Il in Seoul since the launches earlier this week. Additonal excitement is noted in the following email I received from the USEmbassy here:

Embassy of the United States of America
Seoul, Korea

American Citizen Services
Consular Section

The U.S. Embassy in Seoul is transmitting the following information through the Embassy's warden system as a public service to all U.S. citizens in the Republic of Korea. Please disseminate this message to U.S. citizens in your organizations.

Korean police authorities advised the U.S. Embassy in Seoul that a series of large-scale anti-Free Trade Agreement (FTA) protests will occur in downtown Seoul, Monday through Friday, July 10-14, 2006.

Monday – Friday, July 10-14, several hundred people are expected in front of Donghwa Duty Free building two blocks south of the U.S. Embassy.

Additionally the police expect a large gathering around Shilla Hotel, where the talks will take place.

On Wednesday, July 12, in front of City Hall at 4:00 p.m., up to 20,000 participants are expected to protest against the FTA.

Traffic may be congested in these areas during the times indicated above. The Embassy advises American citizens and their family members to plan their travel accordingly.

Additional gatherings may occur during the week as the FTA talks continue.

Political, labor, and student demonstrations and marches have on occasion become confrontational and/or violent. American citizens should exercise caution and avoid gatherings of large groups in order to minimize risk to their personal safety. Streets may also close without warning on orders of the local police. American citizens are advised to expect heavy traffic delays.

Please report any suspicious incidents or surveillance immediately to the Embassy (tel: 02-397-4000 (24 hours); fax: 02-397-4101; or e-mail: seoul_acs@state.gov).

The Embassy encourages all American citizens to read and follow the suggestions in the world wide public announcement issued by the Department of State on June 6, 2006. See http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_1161.html or http://travel.state.gov/.

The U.S. Embassy in Seoul will continue to keep the U.S. community informed of any changes in the overall security situation. Notices concerning security matters will also be broadcast on AFNK television and radio. The Embassy encourages all U.S. citizens to register their presence in Korea with the American Citizens Services office at the U.S. Embassy or via the Internet at http://travel.state.gov/travel/abroad_registration.html or http://www.asktheconsul.org/.

For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov, where the current Worldwide Caution, Public Announcements, and Travel Warnings can be found. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S., or, for callers outside the U.S. and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).

American Citizen Services
U.S. Embassy Seoul
32, Sejongno, Jongno-gu
Seoul 110-710, Korea
Tel: 82-2-397-4114
Fax: 82-2-397-4101DSN: 721-4114
http://www.asktheconsul.org/ (English)
http://www.usavisas.org/ (Korean)
e-mail: seoul_acs@state.gov

This warden message expires on July 15, 2006.


Copyright 2006 Olivia R. Reed