Hello all,
As promised, I've decided to give you some more updates about a few different things. First, last month I did end up going to a dentist a couple times, which was an interesting adventure. The last time I visited a dentist in the States, I had been encouraged to have my wisdom teeth removed. I never did really follow up on that until I came here and found out that one my coworkers actually had had hers extracted since being in Korea. In her case, she experience pain and probably did need them out; in my case, because I've never specifically had trouble with them, I was only going off what I had been advised to do. Thus I contacted the same dentist, who happens to have studied at none other than the University of Michigan (which I discovered when I was there and told him where I had moved from), because the operation had gone well for my coworker, and she recommended this particular dentist highly. Because he studied in America, he does speak English, which, for me, remains one of the necessary abilities of one who would work in my mouth. As you can surmise, I contacted this dentist intending to have my wisdom teeth removed, and it was only after our second meeting that things changed a bit.
Let me also give you a little taste of how my first trip there actually played out. This dentist works out of a nearby university, and because the bus ride is a little out of the way and because I was in a time crunch, I ended up taking a taxi. Most places I go in the city require a 10-15 minute taxi ride; this university was about 30 minutes away. So I arrived pretty much at the exact time that I should have been in the dentist's office because I didn't expect the commute to take quite so long, but no biggie right? Right. My coworker had given me a general idea of where I should go and what the check-in process would look like, so I was feeling pretty confident with how it would work out. I went inside to the check-in area and grabbed a number (quick aside … that could easily turn into a much longer one: I'm pretty sure that I've seen more "take a ticket" machines during my 6 months here than I've ever seen before in the rest of my life. Pretty much anytime there's a possibility of a wait, guess what, go visit the number machine. I'm still not sure if I prefer the "wait in line" or the "take a ticket" model … but I've readily noticed its prevalence since being here and figured it's worth mentioning to you as well) and took a seat. Now you'd think that since I've been here this long (granted, it was technically only about 5 months at that point … and so much has change since then … haha … maybe not … since I'm now hearty to the 6 months mark) I would have anticipated that even though I was at a university, the tellers would probably still only speak Korean, but somehow I had just hoped that it would go really smoothly. As you might guess, it wasn't as smooth as I had hoped, but somehow we muddled through all the information-gathering so that I could be a real, live registered patient.
It's in times like those that I'm continually impressed and simultaneously simply relieved how it can all just work out with such a barrier between us. Think about the times when you've gone to a dentist and doctor and had to fill out forms or give information; it's often not the most straightforward, easily accomplished process. Now think about doing that when all the forms and all questions asked are being given in another language. Whew. I can only sum it up like this: immediate perspiration and stress spikes through the roof. And somehow, as I alluded to before, each time this happens, I'm a little caught off guard once again. Somehow I feel comfortable enough with the situation (of being a foreigner in Korea) and my general daily interactions (with people only speaking Korean) that I kind of forget my immediate language barrier. This reminds me of something from the past: I really like watching movies or shows in languages other than English, thus subtitles become invaluable to the movie-watching/movie-understanding experience. There have been countless times when I've simply forgotten that I was "reading" the movie rather than just listening to it, and I've gotten up to do something, and suddenly it clicks: "What did he just say? Oh yeah, that's right. I still can't actually understand Japanese. haha." In this same way, I approached the counter without really considering how difficult it could be to process a new client when the client doesn't speak the right language. That process took a bit of time, but I soon made it into my dentist's office.
On this particular day (it was a Tuesday), I had intended to get a routine cleaning and x-rays. Both of these, the dentist had said, were necessary before something like wisdom teeth removal, and I agreed. So first he set me up to get an x-ray. This was the first time I've ever stood up for a dental x-ray, and it was pretty sweet. I stepped up to a large machine and had to bite a certain piece (to keep me stationary), and then an arm rotated the x-ray device around my head to get a complete 360 degree shot. I felt like I was engaging such high-tech equipment here … but that's probably just because I'm used to a small practice where I've always gone in my hometown of Auburn. In a city that's population doesn't exceed 15,000, I'm pretty sure that there's not such a demand for the most advanced dental equipment, so I'm not gonna chalk up this new device to Korea only … although it did make my experience here all the more exciting. As it turned out though (or didn't turn out, actually), the x-ray machine was somehow broken, so after being bombarded with x-rays first in the dentist's office, I had to go to a different place nearby to get a second set taken. It was also just before I left for that second place that I found out there weren't enough staff available, so my cleaning would have to wait until the next week.
That following week (it was a Tuesday again) I returned to the same place, and this time having a better idea of how things could go, I made sure to be super early -- I'm talking like, 15 whole minutes. Yeah, for those of you who know me well, that's super early. haha. And even though I was early, I jumped right into the chair, and things got started. As it turned out, after reviewing my x-rays, the dentist said that I really didn't need to have my wisdom teeth out after all. I was pretty glad to hear this, so I ended up only getting a cleaning that day, and we said our goodbyes for the next 6 months, until I could make my glorious return and assume the throne once again in pristine office 5b. Now all in all, this trip to the dentist was pretty different from anything I've experience before, and I can't necessarily attribute all that to being in Korea. As I already said, I had always gone to the same dentist's office, and it's the kind of place, because my immediate family goes there as well, that even as I didn't go very regularly during college years, each time I returned, the staff members often made small talk that was pretty specific to my family or life. Interacting with the Graves family leaves an impression -- mostly because after you've finished with one or two or three … there are still a ton more to come through the pipeline. haha. So lots of information is passed from Graves family member to staff member each time. In this most recent trip, though, all that familiarity was stripped away. Additionally, whereas before I would be able to see things and help the dentist from time to time (maybe with something as simple as "Hold this suction tube;" "Well, ok!"), here I played no role other than simply opening my mouth and keeping it that way. And actually, when I was tipped back, a black covering was placed over me that had only an opening for my mouth, so truly I was more cut off from everything around me than I had ever been before. It proved to be a very strange, yet exceedingly interesting experience from start to finish. Frankly, I'm really looking forward to going back in a few months and doing all the motions yet again.
So that was my trip to the dentist. I did survive, and it was great. haha. Let's see … what else for now: language update. Truly, if I studied more, I would be in a better position and know more, but regardless I have continued to study here and there and pick up things from general conversations, and I still enjoy this process a lot. I've decided that during this first year, I want to finish off my current textbook, paying most attention to vocabulary building and the understanding of grammar and mechanics that conversational ability. Before coming here, I had a romantic, naive impression of learning a second language, and some small part of me (probably more than I'm willing to admit) thought, "Oh, no big deal … attaining fluency should be no problem … yeah, just give me 6 months or so." haha. Maybe for some this wouldn't be a big deal, but I'm constantly realizing that I simply don't possess the appropriate motivation or desire or time to make fluency my own reality anywhere in the near future. And I'm ok with that. I will keep studying as I can and enjoying the process of small revelations here and there.
Ok, while considering the length of this message already, I've decided to postpone the "day in the life" part for another day, and instead I'll add one more part about my last weekend. On Saturday I got to take a trip up north with my friend Dianne. We met up with a bunch of people from a club she's a part of in a very small village called Bongha. Bongha is the hometown of the last South Korean president, President No. Going into this trip I really didn't know anything about our current president, let alone the one prior, and even now I still don't know much, but learning the little bit that I did was very, very interesting, and it made me realize that finding out more about Korea's recent (or distant) political or social or religious (et cetera) history is something I really should do … and now feel a little more compelled to do. From time to time, I've read little, general articles about Korean things, but I've not spent intense time looking at more details about how the country really has changed and developed as a whole. Turning back to my trip, learning about President No in particular was very intriguing. From what I understand, President No was one who wanted to "fight the good fight," but I think that something went awry toward the end of his presidency (and by the way, South Korean presidents serve for 5 year terms without the option for reelection). The next president to be elected has been very different, and there are some very strong opinions about the current president and his actions/policies (that I'll handily leave out of this message), which have caused some to look back upon President No with a more endearing perspective. All the while, there were still quite a few people who only loved President No throughout his term. After he finished, President No returned to his hometown, and he got back into living life. He interacted with anyone and just seemed to be a nice guy. But then he decided to end his life and jumped off a peak from the mountain that is practically in his back yard. When I learned this, I was really shocked. I encourage you to look into this for yourself if you want more real details, but it stands out to me as one of the saddest stories I've heard in a long time. And so we came to this village to pay respect to President No and learn more about him. Now, when the tour guide was pointing out things and speaking in Korean, I didn't really pick up much, but it was neat nonetheless. People who loved President No have put together money and built a memorial to him next to the city, at the base of the mountain, and while there, we walked through a small ceremony to show respect to the past President. It really was a touching experience -- mostly just being there and witnessing the responses other had to what was being said and shown. On a lighter note, we did all eat lunch together, and during lunch I made some new friends, the most notable of whom was a goofy guy with whom I drank some rice wine with our arms interlocked. haha. Oh how Koreans love to drink -- especially with foreigners.
Alright. I think that's it for now. This weekend I'll be heading away with some other teachers for the Lunar New Year, so I'm sure I'll have some more great stories for you for next time. I wish you all the best (don't worry; just in case you happened to be momentarily perplexed by the conundrum ensuing from wishing a superlative to multiple people simultaneously -- since we all know that there is, technically and actually, only one "best" -- I am actually wishing you individual, relative, personal "best"s that are not mutually exclusive), and I'll catch you again sometime later. haha.
Much love to you all.
pfn,
bg
ps- if you want to see some photos from my trip to Bongha, visit here:
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Ben's Korean Adventures, Edition 16
Hello, hello!
After a very long hiatus, I have returned. "From where?" you might ask … well, I'm not really sure, but regardless … I'm back! haha
The last time I actually wrote was in early October, although I did drop a line to you all around Halloween as well. Since then, it really has been life as normal and a continuation of daily routines. Being here for just a week under 6 months now (wow!), I feel very much at home. Granted, there are things (mostly people and the ease of ordering board games online … haha) that I miss, but being here is really good. I think this feeling also stems from the fact that this is my first time truly living on my own, but the two are practically indistinguishable now. All this to say, things have been moving along very smoothly on this side of the world.
Recap from the past couple months: this has been the first time I've ever been away from my immediate family for "The Holidays," and although it proved to be a little strange, I think that both Thanksgiving and Christmas remained enjoyable nonetheless. I spent Thanksgiving at school teaching for the better part of the day, and then I had a Thanksgiving dinner (unlike any prior) with a couple teachers. We decided to eat some low-maintenance comfort foods, which ended up including tuna melts and ice cream and other simple foods that are presently escaping my memory. Then, during the following weekend, I went to a foreigner-heavy Thanksgiving potluck that was de-lic-ious. As many of you know, my taste in foods isn't usually what I'd label as "refined," but still … the food was great. The best part came definitely at the end when we shared some carrot cake that one guy had made. Wow. That's pretty much the only way I can sum it up. Wow. By far (and not just because of this context), it was the best (carrot) cake I've ever had. Going to this party was great as well; the party-goers comprised a group of people I haven't spent much time around, yet all of whom seem enjoyable and nice and pleasant. Since that party I've even been able to hang out with a few of them some more; making some more foreign friends with good people is always welcome here.
And then there was Christmas. Since I've been here I have Skyped with my parents once and some of my siblings on a couple occasions, but it wasn't until my Christmas morning/your Christmas Eve that I got to video chat with nearly all of my immediate family in one go, and it was … fun. haha. Even for that short time it felt vaguely similar to the opening scenes of Home Alone. For anyone who doesn't immediately understand this reference, here's a little insight: I'm the second of nine children in my family, and maybe because most of my siblings are boys, it's always loud (to say the least) when they're around. Our little video session immediately brought me back to the all the memories of busyness and energy and everything else for Christmas morning … or pretty much any other morning at home, for that matter. It was a very fitting time to see everyone like that. Other than the video call, I ended up spending both Christmas Eve and a solid chunk of Christmas Day with friends here, and we hung out, watched a movie, ate sushi and played games. When it was all said and done, I think it ended up being a very successful holiday. And then I went back to school the next day. haha.
Yes, as I just stated, I did, in fact, teach both the day and two days after Christmas. We did receive a "holiday vacation," but it didn't start until the Wednesday after Christmas, and then it stretched through the following Tuesday (thus I went back to school this past Wednesday). Having a week off was great. It was just like any other break in the past -- sleep in late, stay up late and fill the in-between time with … anything. Mmm (intoned with pure delight). Part of that intermediate time did include the dawn of a new year, and that also ended up being pretty enjoyable. I went to a friend's house New Year's Eve night, and then we all headed downtown around 11pm. In downtown a stage had been set up for the evening, and by the time I arrived things were in full swing. A number of bands or singers performed 2 songs a piece, so even though I arrived pretty close to midnight I still got to see/hear 6-10 different groups perform. And then midnight happened, and 2012 commenced.
Here are two particularly memorable things from that night: first, I was the only foreigner as far as I could see in the crowd of Koreans near the stage when the countdown began, so whereas typically when the ball drops we all hear, "Happy New Year" from every direction, I initially didn't hear that once (because it's obviously all in Korean), but then an arbitrary guy who'd been standing nearby for the last 30 minutes or so turned and wished me a "Happy New Year" in English. Ahh. It felt great. After the clock struck 12, I did stick around to watch other groups on the stage, so I ended up catching a taxi back home close to 1:30/45ish. Now, as a piece of background information, my confidence with taking taxis has increased exponentially over the past couple months. I've now taken quite a few by myself, and I always feel pretty certain that I can tell the driver where I need to go, and we'll get there. On this particular evening, though, I said where I wanted to go, and the driver repeated it back to me, and I confirmed what I thought was the same thing as my initial instruction. So we left downtown and began the trip back home, and during this part of the journey I didn't pay very close attention to where we were headed because of a number of factors, and then, when we had been driving for longer than I thought we should have been, I looked more closely outside and found that nothing looked familiar. haha. And then I noticed some signs with places I knew, and I deduced that -- ta da -- we were headed to somewhere other than the comfort and warmth of my home. At the same time, however, there was that ever-present doubt in the back of my mind that maybe we were still headed to the right place because really, how much of Gwangju do I actually recognize? Not that much. Fortunately, though, soon thereafter we began to slow down close to where the driver was taking me, and he quickly realized that this wasn't my home. haha. I repeated my destination for him again, and with a big "Ahhhhhhhhh" of understanding and a chuckle of amusement, he then turned around, and we began again on our merry way. So after a very long taxi ride, I finally returned home. I'm very fortunate to have had a great driver who wasn't annoyed with my poor directions, since the burden for the mistake does rest on my shoulders, and from that adventure a new lesson has been learned: always repeat and repeat and repeat -- just to make sure (because probably my pronunciation isn't so great).
I think that's enough for now. Next time, look forward to reflections on my Korean dental appointments, a language update and "a day in the life" … and whatever else I can come up with between now and then :). I truly hope that all of you are well and happy as this year is kicking into gear, and if I haven't heard from you in a while, drop me a line and let me know what's going on. I do love hearing from others and knowing a little more about happenings in the States.
Much love to you all.
pfn,
bg
After a very long hiatus, I have returned. "From where?" you might ask … well, I'm not really sure, but regardless … I'm back! haha
The last time I actually wrote was in early October, although I did drop a line to you all around Halloween as well. Since then, it really has been life as normal and a continuation of daily routines. Being here for just a week under 6 months now (wow!), I feel very much at home. Granted, there are things (mostly people and the ease of ordering board games online … haha) that I miss, but being here is really good. I think this feeling also stems from the fact that this is my first time truly living on my own, but the two are practically indistinguishable now. All this to say, things have been moving along very smoothly on this side of the world.
Recap from the past couple months: this has been the first time I've ever been away from my immediate family for "The Holidays," and although it proved to be a little strange, I think that both Thanksgiving and Christmas remained enjoyable nonetheless. I spent Thanksgiving at school teaching for the better part of the day, and then I had a Thanksgiving dinner (unlike any prior) with a couple teachers. We decided to eat some low-maintenance comfort foods, which ended up including tuna melts and ice cream and other simple foods that are presently escaping my memory. Then, during the following weekend, I went to a foreigner-heavy Thanksgiving potluck that was de-lic-ious. As many of you know, my taste in foods isn't usually what I'd label as "refined," but still … the food was great. The best part came definitely at the end when we shared some carrot cake that one guy had made. Wow. That's pretty much the only way I can sum it up. Wow. By far (and not just because of this context), it was the best (carrot) cake I've ever had. Going to this party was great as well; the party-goers comprised a group of people I haven't spent much time around, yet all of whom seem enjoyable and nice and pleasant. Since that party I've even been able to hang out with a few of them some more; making some more foreign friends with good people is always welcome here.
And then there was Christmas. Since I've been here I have Skyped with my parents once and some of my siblings on a couple occasions, but it wasn't until my Christmas morning/your Christmas Eve that I got to video chat with nearly all of my immediate family in one go, and it was … fun. haha. Even for that short time it felt vaguely similar to the opening scenes of Home Alone. For anyone who doesn't immediately understand this reference, here's a little insight: I'm the second of nine children in my family, and maybe because most of my siblings are boys, it's always loud (to say the least) when they're around. Our little video session immediately brought me back to the all the memories of busyness and energy and everything else for Christmas morning … or pretty much any other morning at home, for that matter. It was a very fitting time to see everyone like that. Other than the video call, I ended up spending both Christmas Eve and a solid chunk of Christmas Day with friends here, and we hung out, watched a movie, ate sushi and played games. When it was all said and done, I think it ended up being a very successful holiday. And then I went back to school the next day. haha.
Yes, as I just stated, I did, in fact, teach both the day and two days after Christmas. We did receive a "holiday vacation," but it didn't start until the Wednesday after Christmas, and then it stretched through the following Tuesday (thus I went back to school this past Wednesday). Having a week off was great. It was just like any other break in the past -- sleep in late, stay up late and fill the in-between time with … anything. Mmm (intoned with pure delight). Part of that intermediate time did include the dawn of a new year, and that also ended up being pretty enjoyable. I went to a friend's house New Year's Eve night, and then we all headed downtown around 11pm. In downtown a stage had been set up for the evening, and by the time I arrived things were in full swing. A number of bands or singers performed 2 songs a piece, so even though I arrived pretty close to midnight I still got to see/hear 6-10 different groups perform. And then midnight happened, and 2012 commenced.
Here are two particularly memorable things from that night: first, I was the only foreigner as far as I could see in the crowd of Koreans near the stage when the countdown began, so whereas typically when the ball drops we all hear, "Happy New Year" from every direction, I initially didn't hear that once (because it's obviously all in Korean), but then an arbitrary guy who'd been standing nearby for the last 30 minutes or so turned and wished me a "Happy New Year" in English. Ahh. It felt great. After the clock struck 12, I did stick around to watch other groups on the stage, so I ended up catching a taxi back home close to 1:30/45ish. Now, as a piece of background information, my confidence with taking taxis has increased exponentially over the past couple months. I've now taken quite a few by myself, and I always feel pretty certain that I can tell the driver where I need to go, and we'll get there. On this particular evening, though, I said where I wanted to go, and the driver repeated it back to me, and I confirmed what I thought was the same thing as my initial instruction. So we left downtown and began the trip back home, and during this part of the journey I didn't pay very close attention to where we were headed because of a number of factors, and then, when we had been driving for longer than I thought we should have been, I looked more closely outside and found that nothing looked familiar. haha. And then I noticed some signs with places I knew, and I deduced that -- ta da -- we were headed to somewhere other than the comfort and warmth of my home. At the same time, however, there was that ever-present doubt in the back of my mind that maybe we were still headed to the right place because really, how much of Gwangju do I actually recognize? Not that much. Fortunately, though, soon thereafter we began to slow down close to where the driver was taking me, and he quickly realized that this wasn't my home. haha. I repeated my destination for him again, and with a big "Ahhhhhhhhh" of understanding and a chuckle of amusement, he then turned around, and we began again on our merry way. So after a very long taxi ride, I finally returned home. I'm very fortunate to have had a great driver who wasn't annoyed with my poor directions, since the burden for the mistake does rest on my shoulders, and from that adventure a new lesson has been learned: always repeat and repeat and repeat -- just to make sure (because probably my pronunciation isn't so great).
I think that's enough for now. Next time, look forward to reflections on my Korean dental appointments, a language update and "a day in the life" … and whatever else I can come up with between now and then :). I truly hope that all of you are well and happy as this year is kicking into gear, and if I haven't heard from you in a while, drop me a line and let me know what's going on. I do love hearing from others and knowing a little more about happenings in the States.
Much love to you all.
pfn,
bg
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