Some things I will never understand..

Happy (belated) St. Patricks day everyone! All the foreigners celebrated St. Patties day on the weekend and it was really nothing to write home about (literally)-- okay I need to stop using that line, its just too easy haha! It pretty much seemed like any other day except we threw on some green before we started drinking. I say "foreigners" because I don't think many Koreans party or even recognize St. Patties day as any special day. I figure this is because Korea has such a prominent drinking culture, that any holiday where one is intended to drink alcohol, would counterpart a typical day for most Koreans. Therefore, there is no use of calling it St. Patties day or anything else for that matter. Majority of Koreans are going to drink no matter what day of the week and not just one beer or two, I have seen many empty the bar! Now you may think I am exaggerating or generalizing all Koreans to be constantly inebriated, but ask anyone who has lived in their country, and I can guarantee they would say the same thing. Almost everyday after I leave work at 9pm or 10pm, there are handfuls of Korean men (and few women) gallivanting on the streets. Personally I find it quite humorous that some Koreans can drink an immense amount of alcohol, acting out in the evenings and be complete professionals during the day. When the lights go down and the moon comes out, it's a whole other story! I remember my first week of work, the Principal of my school asked me if there was a word in English to describe feeling sick after a night of drinking. "Uhh... hangover"? I replied hesitantly... at this point I was unaware of Korea's alcohol tolerance. He smiled and shook my hand..."Ahh yes, yes, hangover", walking away with a smile. I suppose he had now understood his diagnosis in English.
Here are some pictures of the weekend festivities:

Starting St. Patties day right... with a green cup of beer!

My co worker Joanna's band (Feed the Boats) played for the St. Patricks day celebration Saturday night

Some of my Korean co workers even showed up!

The bar tenders were dressed for the occasion too!

Just last Thursday my co worker and I went for Korean BBQ after work and during our relaxing meal, a Korean man stormed into the restaurant holding a large metal knife (smaller than a butcher knife and larger than a steak knife) screaming on the top of his lungs and waving it around over his head! Joanna and I both sat there frozen and weren't sure what to do!? I mean, Koreans typically sound like they are yelling or angry, even though they might just be asking what you ate for dinner the night before... so since we couldn't understand this obviously intoxicated and belligerent man, we depended on the reactions of other patrons in the restaurant to get a good read on this guy. Well both our instincts were correct, after we noticed the waiters and waitresses backing up into the kitchen, we knew that we were in a somewhat dangerous situation. After waving the knife high and low, the man decided to park himself at a table directly behind US (the only foreigners in the restaurant)! He then began stabbing the table and throwing cutlery and napkins on the ground... this was getting to be more serious and the fact that a drunk man holding a knife was sitting behind me, didn't really sit well with me. I decided to quickly stand up and sit at another table, and at the same time a younger gentleman entered the restaurant trying to calm him down. This infuriated him more, throwing his eyeglasses on the floor waving the knife even more violently. At this point Joanna and I are assuming the police have been called and were just waiting nervously for him to be escorted out. However, that was not the case. A waiter and the mans acquaintance physically lead him outside and the waiters stood in front of the doors to ensure he wouldn't come barging back inside. About 15minutes later... he came barging back inside. But this time he just wanted to retrieve his glasses that he threw off in an angry rage. It was such a ridiculous situation and I couldn't help but think that if something to this extent happened in North America, he would have been sitting in the back of a cop car WITHOUT his damn glasses!

Anyways, I'm sure I have mentioned in earlier posts that you sit on the floor in 8 out of 10 restaurants around here. I thought after a while I would be able to get used to eating my meal cross legged, but my feet still seem to fall asleep EVERY time! It's getting really frustrating and I don't exactly understand WHY they don't have chairs?! Maybe its a cultural/heritage thing, but it is now 2010, and it just seems more civilized to eat a nice dinner sitting on a chair! Okay, I will admit, my legs might be longer than the average Korean, or non Korean, but a lot of other people I have spoken to agree and prefer sitting in a chair when they are eating a meal. Oh well, I suppose I will just have to deal with numb feet for the duration of my restaurant experiences in Korea! Could be worse...I could have "squatter" bathrooms as the only toilet option at my workplace!....oh wait.... I DO!!

My intentions are not to turn this blog entry into a vent session, there are just some Korean practices that I will never understand. Clearly, it is more comfortable/convenient for women to use a standard, Western toilet and I don't think you need to be a Westerner to appreciate that. What boggles my mind is the fact that there are equal amounts of 'squatter' toilets and Western toilets around the city so every time I enter a facility and need to use the washroom, I find myself praying to G-D that I'll get a good one!! What I am trying to say is that since you can find both types of toilets, why would anyone PREFER a squatter!? When my school was being built how and why did they decide on implementing the squatters?

"Hey Bob, which kind of toilets do you think we should install here?"

"I dunno Jim, I'm running low on toilet seats, lets just give 'em the good old squatters!"

Okay, this conversation would obviously be in Korean... but how else do you think it went down?

Since we are on the topic of bathrooms, I must mention the eclectic mix of bathroom signs I have seen during my 4 months here. WARNING: Some of them are graphic so if you are reading this and are under the age of... oh I don't know... 13? You should probably stop here.

Can you guess which kind of toilet is behind the door?

This is a co-ed bathroom... go figure.

Only for children... seems a little creepy if you ask me

I don't even know...?!

This one speaks for itself. The english translation is pretty ridiculous too.

They couldn't be more clear!!

There is absolutely NO reason for these outrageous and ambiguous bathroom signs (the standard male/female stick figure would be sufficient) but again, there are some things in Korea I will never seem to grasp.

Another example involves my students. Apparently, saying, "Your face looks Chinese" is actually considered an offensive remark! I have been hearing this being said by my students and one even began to cry! Reallllllly!? However, they call each other "fat" and "ugly" but that doesn't seem to bother them. Another thing I have learned about Koreans while living here is that they are, for the most part, BRUTALLY honest and sometimes just downright rude! My co worker Joanna got a Christmas card from our Korean co teacher that basically said, "I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a happy new year. It is great working with you. Go on a diet. From, Mrs. Ohn".

No word of a lie! When I was talking with my students about the Canadian Olympic figure skater whose Mother passed away, one girl raised her hand and said, "But teacha, she is fat!". I sort of stood there unresponsive. That is really what you raised your hand to say? Oh boy. Keep in mind, this was the same girl wearing 27 flesh colored bandages on her face to cover her pimples.

Well unfortunately the yellow dust is blowing in and almost all my friends and students are sick! The sky is a strange shade of green and apparently the dust has never been this bad! The majority of my students have been coughing and sneezing throughout the lessons and I know some of them should be resting at home but that is not even a conceivable option for these children. They just toss on a SARS mask and call it a day! Not only are these masks now a fashion statement, but they have also become a quick fix to ensure these hard working kids never miss a day of school. Luckily, I am feeling fine, but worried that it will catch on. Thinking about investing in a mask myself... obviously it would need to be bedazzled or a nice shade of pink! Going to take a rest and update you all again soon!

Signing off,

Gillian xx