The Aftermath, Straight Hair and The DMZ

This is going to be a long update, so hold tight ( : A lot has happened in a week! And by the way, A LOT of people read my last blog update! I was shocked! Over 100 people came to the entry the first day, alone! Apparently quitting in Korea interests a lot of people! Thanks for reading ( :

Let’s start with the Aftermath that was quitting my job.

I told you all that I expected the absolute worst to happen considering how the past months have been with my co-teacher; I was so worried I might be fired that I actually had packed some stuff over the weekend! I went and first had a meeting with the coordinator for our area (a young female, who speaks great English) and she told me she couldn’t really do anything, but that she understood and wasn’t upset. Armed with this information, I went back to school, dreading the minutes as they counted down to when I would have to tell the Jang.

I planned to tell him after he was done teaching classes, but then all of a sudden after he was done he is like, “we have English teachers meeting, come.” I was like shitttttttttt, I can’t go to a meeting and pretend I am NOT quitting! So, I said, “Mr. Jang, I really need to talk to you, it is very important.” He ignored me (of course) and just said come again. He walked away…so I followed him down the hall and in the middle of the hall handed him my letter (lol! I had no other choice) and said, “Mr. Jang, I am quitting.” He just kind of looked at it and read it again and again and didn’t say much. His first words out of his mouth were, “When will you return to Korea?” For fucks sake! I just QUIT! I of course didn’t say that, instead I used language he understands, one of his favorite phrases, “No, it is impossible.” He then seemed to understand and as he did we walked right into a meeting with all 7 other English teachers. Awkward!!! Well, at least it killed 8 birds with one stone. I had letters in envelopes all ready to go…but whatever, TIK. He announced in Korean (I assume this is what he said), “She is quitting” and there was a collective gasp. I apologized and said I had a personal family issue to attend to back home and I must go home. Turns out that the entire meeting was about an English camp that they decided to have that I would be running…well the meeting was quickly dismissed as I won’t even be here when it happens…LOL. They all wanted to know why, specifically, but I said it is personal. Everyone understood and respected this except…guess who?

After the circle of truth, we went up to the principal. Again, I was expecting the worst. Instead, the principal gave me a 10,000 won (about $10) gift certificate. Ok?!?! Wasn’t expecting that, but whatever. At this point the Jang started in on his three day tirade of continually asking me if I will stay, or if I can come back next semester. Here are some samples of things he has said to me and our conversations:

Jang: “"I have heard, it is difficult to get a job in America, it is my opinion you should consider your resignation because it is so hard to find a job. The principal and me and the vice-principal think it is better for you if you stay.” (I didn’t tell him I had a job)

Me: Sigh.

Jang: “It is my opinion that if you find no job, you come back here to Jochiwon Girls Middle School.”

Me: “It is impossible.”

Jang: “What is the problem? Tell me.” (As he popped his face literally into mine)

Me: “No, I told you, it is personal.”

Jang: “Tell me. Is it money problem with your family?”

Me: (very irritated and angry at this point) “I TOLD YOU, IT IS PERSONAL AND I AM NOT GOING TO TELL YOU SO YOU CAN STOP ASKING.”

Jang: “Drink green tea.”

Jang: “Next month, you come back and teach here.”

Me: “No, it is impossible.”

Jang: "Mr. Sok and I (another male English teacher, also a dick) loved you like a daughter." (Then, he laughs.)

Me: I say nothing, don’t even look at him.

Jang: “Kimberly, stay a little longer.”

Me: “No, I bought my plane ticket.”

Jang: “Oh you have very serious family trouble.”

Me: Sigh.

He has tried to bribe me with ice cream, going out of his way to be nice to me, offering rides home and other random stuff. No amount of ANYTHING could get me to stay with him longer than I have to. I am so happy I now have 10 working days (not counting this one) left with him!!! The final full week of work for me I will be at an English camp, away at a university, with the Jang NO WHERE in sight!!!!

In none Jang related news. I got my hair chemically straightened last week! I’ve had a few friends here do it, and I thought what the hell! It was less then $150 USD, so why not?!? I have pretty straight hair, but it does require a straightener to make it pretty and straight and get rid of the poof. So, I headed to Cheonan where Lindi and Molly live (both have had this done) and together we were able to mime and string together words for them to understand us! They both had gone with our friend Sarah who speaks Korean…so it was a bit easier for them, lol! The initial price was going to be around $180 USD because of my length, but then I asked what if I get a haircut? She said the haircut was “service” aka free, and she would knock off 20,000 won! It brought the price down to 160,000 won, which is less than $150 USD! Sweet! During the straightening process (which took about three hours) I got a FREE hand massage for about 10 minutes on each hand and a short shoulder massage. Gotta love Korea and their free services! It was a good day. I didn’t even care that I had to wait 40 minutes for the next train or got home super late, because I had STRAIGHT ASS HAIR!!!! The straightening is supposed to last for the life of the hair that had the chemical on it. So, as it grows out, that hair won’t be straight, but I should have pretty straight hair for about 8 months or so! I probably also will have brain cancer, but oh well. Yay for straight hair!

On Friday, I headed up to Seoul by myself to spend the night so I could be in Seoul for a 7 am departure for the USO DMZ tour!!! DMZ stands for “de-militarized zone”, which is along the border between North and South Korea. Each country has 2 km on either side of the border in their possession. Most tours just take you to this tunnel that was discovered years ago by the South Koreans that the North Koreans had dug to South Korea and the northern most train station in South Korea, that is supposed to (someday with re-unification) unite with the Northern Korean railways. These tours are cheaper and easier to make reservations for, but I had heard from many people that the only tour worth spending any money on is the USO tour through the US Army because you get to go to the JSA (Joint Security Area) along the border and inside the “Blue Room” the room that the two countries have joint possession over. One door leads to the South, the other to the North. So, I opted for the much more expensive USO tour, and I am SO glad I did!

I stayed the night in an area of Korea known as Itaewon because it was very close to the departure place. Itaewon is known (or infamous) for Americans in Seoul and all of Korea. Why? There is a US Army base there. Because of the base, Itaewon is the place to go for all things American. It has a foreign food mart, most any major fast food places you can think of (including ones that are hard to find in other areas of Seoul) and tons of international food (Mexican, Indian, sushi, Greek etc…). Most people either love or hate this place, or have both feelings simultaneously. I only have been to Itaewon during the day for a visit to the foreign food mart, English book store and to eat Mexican food. I have been warned that Itaewon is in fine form at night though, when all the American GI’s come out. I am sorry to say everyone was right. Pretty much every negative stereotype foreigners have about Americans are all over Itaewon. “Ugly Americans” are about in full effect. It is unfortunate, but true. But, what can you do? Pretend you are Canadian.

I got Coldstone Cake Batter ice cream mixed with yellow cake for dinner (lol) and got a Quiznos veggie sandwich to eat for breakfast and lunch tomorrow on the tour. I also found Diet Coke in a convenience store (very hard to find here) and American gummy bears! Yummy! I was a happy camper. I went back to my hostel and proceeded to talk with other travelers.

I want to talk a moment about traveling alone. My traveling alone elicits varying responses from people. I went on the DMZ tour alone because I couldn’t find anyone that 1) could go 2) hadn’t been or 3) wanted to shell out the money. So, I went alone. It is something I really wanted to do before I left, and I don’t let something little like being alone stop me! I was really surprised at how many people (people who moved across oceans to live alone, in another country lol) were completely shocked that I was going alone. Wasn’t I going to be lonely? Who was I going to talk to? Who was going to take my pictures? Who would I eat lunch with? These are all actual questions I was asked, lol! They amuse me a bit, because I am very used to them by now. The first time I traveled alone was on a trip to Disneyland during December of 2007. People just couldn’t fathom that I would go alone. Why?!? Since then, I have come to expect these types of questions and know how to answer them. Don’t get me wrong, I would prefer to have a traveling partner, but I refuse to let it stop me from experiencing what it is I want to experience. I also understand people’s hesitations to go alone. I used to be freaked out to go eat dinner at a restaurant alone, now I have no problem. I don’t even need a book or whatever to pretend I am busy, lol. Some people don’t have personalities that can just jump out and be like, “Hi, I am alone, be my friend.” Which is exactly how I work. I have many friends from countries all over the world, met in various countries, precisely because I was alone. It is not that you can’t make new friends when you aren’t alone, but you don’t seek it out as much because, well, you don’t have to. I just straight up walk up to people and ask their name, where they are from, why they are here etc… It is definitely a skill I have honed over the years, but there is really no where I wouldn’t go alone. If you wanna do something, but don’t have a buddy, just go. What is stopping you? I am about to embark on my Australian Adventure largely alone. Colin will be with me part of the time in Sydney, but the rest? All on my own. Sometimes it is the best way to go!

Case in point: In the hostel, I met two very interesting guys from Hong Kong and Singapore. They spoke great English and were very young, 18 and 19. The guy from Hong Kong happened to be Gay, and we talked for over an hour about his coming out to his family, and his Christian family rejecting him and the aftermath of that. It was like he just opened up and spilled to me. It was amazing. We talked about the Bible and God and our thoughts on both and what being Gay means in Hong Kong, America and our perceptions of what Koreans think of it. Such a fascinating conversation. Never would have happened had I been traveling with someone else. I also had a great conversation with the guy from Singapore; he is currently studying in Australia so we talked at length about that. We also talked about our experiences being a foreigner in Korea and how people have treated us. Again, just great conversations. It is moments like these where I love traveling alone.

I ended up only getting 5 hours of sleep due to my conversations with the hostel-mates, and at 6 am when my alarm clock rang, I wanted to die. LOL. I got out of bed knowing Quiznos (one of my favorite things) was waiting for me to be washed down by Diet Coke!! (another favorite thing of mine). I went into the bathroom as people were coming in from a night of partying (LOL) and another girl was getting ready in the bathroom. I asked if she was going on the DMZ tour as well (because why else would you be up at that Un-Godly hour in Itaewon on a Saturday?). She was, with her brother. They were Australian, she is working here in a shipyard as safety inspector for an Australian company that is building an oil-rig for Australia, and her brother is just visiting. Again, we talked about Australia, they talked about the deeply spiritual moments they had at Uluru (Ayers Rock) in Australia (where I am going) and we bitched back and forth about all things that living in Korea entails. Great conversations again!

We arrived and we were split up onto different buses. I was the last to board the bus and there was only one seat left, next to an older man, so I plunked myself down and immediately asked him where he was from, his name etc…Turns out he was from Norway!! My uncle (Aunt’s husband) is from Norway, so I just happen to know way more about Norway than the average person, lol! He was fascinated that not only did I know so much about Norway, but I had eaten so many Norwegian foods! He was surprised because he said, “Us Norwegians, we are not known for our kitchens.” LOL. If you have ever met a Scandinavian abroad they all have one major thing in common: They speak PERFECT English. It turned out his daughter and niece were on the other side of the aisle, and his daughter has studied in the states, Ireland and a year at an international school in Korea, so speaks English as if she is a native speaker. I never would have guessed she was Norwegian, she had a slight Irish accent, it was cute! The girls were both 19. He works in Korea, again on an oil-rig being built in Korea for Norway (apparently it was the day to meet foreigners working on oil rigs for their respective countries, lol) as an engineer.

We traveled by bus for about 90 minutes to the border, and went through a zig-zag maze along the highway through cement barriers where we were met by an Army guy on base. He de-briefed us on what we were and were not allowed to do, take pictures of etc… The dress code for this tour was very strict: No shorts, no capris, no writing on shirts, no tank tops, no dresses, no open toed shoes. Don’t want to give the North Koreans a reason to strike apparently, LOL!

We drove up to the JSA (Joint Security Area) and were able to see North Korea! I could have literally thrown a rock into the country; of course I wasn’t allowed to, I wasn’t even allowed to point, motion or wave at the North Koreans. We could see North Korean guards! However, we were allowed to take pictures…weird, but ok. After snapping some photos outside, we were allowed into the Panmunjom aka “The Blue Room”. This is a building (which happens to be completely blue inside and out) that both the Americans/South Koreans and North Koreans have possession of. It straddles the line of Demarcation along the DMZ. It literally is in two countries. The room had ROK (Republic of Korea) soldiers inside, protecting the door to North Korea. We were allowed to pose with them, but our Army guide warned us not to get too close. If we got too close for comfort they would grunt and throw their arm up as a way of saying, back off, or else. If you didn’t back up, they stomp their feet and grunt more. He said we didn’t want to know what happens next. So, I kept a distance, and my friendly Norwegian friends took a picture!

I have officially stood on North Korean soil! Pretty exciting if you ask me. The logical question is: Do I get to count this as a country I’ve been to?!? LOL. The wood tables in the room have obvious foot prints all over them. Apparently, though cleaned daily, the Americans/South Koreans can’t get the footprints off. The North Koreans (when in possession of the building) take off their shoes and socks and stand on the tables, with backs to the South, as a sign of disrespect. Apparently, they put something on their feet to make a permanent mark on the tables. Strange, but whatever floats your boat!

After the Blue Room, we headed out to various look-out points, one of which we were surrounded on three sides by the North Korean border. Again, could have thrown a rock into North Korea. We also made stops (but weren’t allowed to get out) at the Bridge of No Return and in front of “Propoganda Village.” Both Koreas were given the opportunity to have a village on either side of the border within the DMZ. The South Korean village is a fully functioning village, with schools, farms etc…people actually live there. Apparently, no one lives in the North Korean village (you can see the village) and the Army guy said the buildings have no floors; there are lights at the top, and they become dimmer and dimmer as the “floors” go down, meaning no floors, just walls. Very, very strange and so secretive. I thought this whole experience was just so fascinating. Who knows when the countries will be reunited, maybe sooner rather than later? Who knows when there may be no more DMZ?

After the first part of the tour, we moved on to the areas all other tours take you on (only the USO tour gets to see the aforementioned sights). We stopped at the DMZ tourist center and got to walk down one of four tunnels that have been discovered by the South Koreans. They are/were infiltration tunnels dug by the North Koreans, into the South. We went 450 meters down, it was pretty cool!!! At the end of the tunnel we got to see directly into the North Korean side of the tunnel (which was blocked off except for a very small window)…creepy. It was all very eerie and strange feeling.

After the tunnel, we headed to Dorasan station. AKA the last station (furthest north) in South Korea. It was constructed in 2004 as a symbolic gesture for re-unification of the two countries. The hope is that someday the peninsula will be re-united, and with reunification, the tracks will also be brought together. The station is fully functional and has two trains daily that go to and from Seoul, but not North. There is even an unused customs area. Very, very strange and quite amazing to see. I even got to stand on train tracks! I have always had a weird fascination with being able to stand on tracks, but clearly haven’t ever been able to because…well you know, TRAINS.

I left with more respect for Korea. I have at times been very critical of this country and culture. The DMZ was one of the coolest experiences I have ever had traveling, it was really amazing. If anyone comes to Korea, or is living here, I highly recommend spending the money to go on the DMZ tour. It is just such a unique opportunity that most people just don’t ever have. I have decided that although Korea isn’t my favorite place on the planet (by a long stretch) it definitely has its good points. I love Seoul. I feel alive in Seoul. Most foreigners that go to live in say, Arkansas, probably don’t much like their experience, but I am sure they enjoy NYC. I just have to keep that in mind, where I live is not the entirety of Korea nor my Korean experience. I am so glad to have done something that I enjoyed so much to tip the balance of my feelings towards this place. I highly, highly recommend doing this!

I think that is about it for now; I told you this would be long! I have been slowly packing and coming to terms with the fact that I soon, (NEXT MONTH!!) will be HOME. I can honestly say, I have never been so excited to go home, from anywhere, ever. I just am ready. In the meantime, I am trying to enjoy my remaining days (20!) left in this country.

Today (and in the states now, too) marks the 4^th of July. I realized the other day that this is the first 4^th of July that I have been out of the country. I have been out before, and shortly after, but never during. I am not an overly patriotic person (or at all, lol), I have even been called Un-Patriotic and Un-American at times, but this holiday gets to even the biggest skeptics of us (me). I just feel the need to hold a sparkler in my hand while smelling a BBQ and eating a red, white and blue cupcake. There is always next year. I will be thinking of you all, when in about 18 hours you start lighting off fireworks and partaking in good old American BBQ and watching the fireworks from the Space Needle go off (for the Seattleites reading). Someone should save me a sparkler! Lol.

Have an amazing (and safe and hopefully not too wet) 4^th, everyone.

See you all soon!

Love, Kimberly