Winter by the Numbers.

Korean winters are harsh and merciless (just like the old ladies, aka "ajuma").  Koreans tell me that this winter has been colder than usual, possibly even the coldest in some time.  My Korean co-teacher had planned to take me and the other American at my school to the west coast of our chilly peninsula today to watch the sun set.  She changed the plans last minute, however, after going to the west coast yesterday and seeing that the ocean was frozen at the shore and out a little ways.  Can you believe that?!  The Yellow Sea (West Sea) was turning to ice!  My co-teacher, who has spent over a half-century living here, said she has never seen that before.  I wanted to go the west coast more than ever after hearing her describe why we would not be, but I kept my mouth shut.

Following the weather is one of my preferred ways of wasting time.  I've been watching our remarkable winter unfold on weather.com--not the best for predicting Korean weather, but I think they record what's happened accurately.  According to their numbers, Seoul has not been above freezing since December 23rd.  There was one day in January that reached 32 F, so maybe on that day in someone's armpit it got above freezing, but that's it.  I've been crossing my fingers for the past few days in hopes that we would make it all of January without topping 32 F (not because I like cold, but because that's awesome), and as it's now after midnight here on February 1, it's official.  We've spent a complete calendar month, and a few days leading up to it, at or below freezing.  And things are working out perfectly, because, that done, it's supposed to get up close to 40 F this afternoon.

Just how does winter in Korea compare to winter elsewhere?  Grading is something I never have to do as a teacher here, so I decided to sharpen my math skills and practice using Excel by crunching the numbers weather.com gives for several locations.  I chose to include Chicago because it's a reference for a cold place to many Americans, and San Francisco because it's at the same latitude as Seoul.  Gainesville, FL, and Colorado Springs feature because those are the two places I lived most recently before coming to Korea.  The remaining two are just for added interest and to prove a point.

Because January is still finishing up in the West, I am using the data for December 24 through January 30 (38 days total).  Abandoning the paragraph format, here's what I found:

Seoul

• Average high:  24.5 F
• Average low:  13.9 F
• Maximum:       32 F
• Minimum:       1 F
• Days with high above freezing:  0
• Days with low at or below freezing:  38

Chicago

• Average high:  30 F
• Average low:  17.9 F
• Maximum:       56 F
• Minimum:       -1 F
• Days with high above freezing: 9
• Days with low at or below freezing:  36

San Francisco

• Average high:  55.7 F
• Average low:  44.7 F
• Maximum:       64 F
• Minimum:       36 F
• Days with high above freezing: 38
• Days with low at or below freezing: 0

Gainesville

• Average high:  64.2 F
• Average low:  37.3 F
• Maximum:       79 F
• Minimum:       22 F
• Days with high above freezing: 38
• Days with low at or below freezing: 11

Colorado Springs

• Average high:  42.7 F
• Average low:  16.6 F
• Maximum:       65 F
• Minimum:       -8 F
• Days with high above freezing: 33
• Days with low at or below freezing: 37

Chicken, AK

• Average high:  -.4 F
• Average low:  -15.8 F
• Maximum:       36 F
• Minimum:       -48 F
• Days with high above freezing: 1
• Days with low at or below freezing: 38

Base Bernardo O'Higgins, Antarctica

• Average high:  38 F
• Average low:  31.2 F
• Maximum:       49 F
• Minimum:       27 F
• Days with high above freezing: 37
• Days with low at or below freezing: 28

Conclusion

South Korea is the coldest place ever!  While Chicago, Colorado Springs, and Chicken have all experienced extremes cooler than Seoul, only Seoul has remained below freezing for that entire span of time.  Also, Seoul's high and low averages are cooler than those for Chicago and Colorado Springs (both continental and further north), and 30 degrees cooler than its counterpart's in latitude, San Fran.  Even Antarctica can't compete.  Whenever I would think about it, I used to feel sorry for all the scientists who have to live down there, but apparently they got it good.  I know it's their summer, and the base I used is on Antarctica's arm, but I don't care.  I'd be better off going there for my vacation next winter, if I'm still here.

Why is it so cold here?  Because Siberia had to go and put itself upwind of the winter jet stream that blows over us, or something.

I've read that winter in Seoul is comparable to that of New York City.  Definitely not this year.  Be ye warned, if you're thinking about moving here.

-Koryan

Some infromagtion.

The origins of the word "infromagtion" are unclear, but scholars offer several possible explanations:

1)  It comes from the French word fromage, meaning 'cheese,' and the English word information, meaning 'the obvious.'

2)  At some point in the blogger's life he read a word in some other language--probably latinate--that was something close to infromagtion, and ever since he has felt like using infromagtion in the place of information.

3)  The blogger has the vague idea that some word similar to infromagtion means something like 'minute bit of information,' and he may have read it in a boring academic research article during his formal education.  If so, he wishes to point out that it is very pretentious to use the word infromagtion, but only if you actually know what it means and its origins.

4)  The blogger read someone's typo and didn't know it.


I received an e-mail today from a stranger who is coming to Korea to teach English in a few months, and she posed a few of the questions people might usually have before arriving.  I'm not sure why, but I actually replied.  I think it was to trick myself into feeling like I'm a good person, or because I figured I could use what I wrote her as a blog post to inform other wonderers.  Below are her questions, followed by my answers.


Hi, my name is *Name*, and I am going to start teaching in Namyangju through GEPIK in *month of the year*. I was wondering if any of you could answer some of my questions to help me prepare? These are my questions:

1) Do teachers dress very formally? What type of clothing will I need to bring for teaching?

2) Does Namyangju have all four seasons? Should I be prepared for extremely hot and cold weather?

3) What is the city of Namyangju like? Is it more like an extension of Seoul or is it more self-contained?

4) How much money should I bring for my first month in Korea?

5) Can I buy English books in South Korea? (I imagine Seoul might have some bookstores.)

6) Have your experiences teaching through GEPIK been good?

7) I don't speak any Korean. Do enough people speak English so that I'd be able to get by?

8) Are there many Korean language schools I could go to?

9) I need to get a new camera. Should I buy one in the United States or should I wait until I get to South Korea? Are they cheaper? 

10) Do you think there is anything else I need to know?

Hi *Name*, I bet you've already had a lot of your questions answered, but it can't hurt to hear from multiple sources.  Here are my answers:

1)  I'm a guy, and you seem like a girl, so I probably don't have much to tell you about clothes.  I wore a tie my first day, but since then I've transitioned to khakis and shirts with collars.  There is a girl native English teacher at my school too, and she wore dresses sometimes until it got too cold, dress pants sometimes, and jeans sometimes.  In the winter you'll have so many jackets on that it won't matter what happens underneath.  I'm at an elementary school and my race is white, so it's easy to tell I'm not a student.  If you could be confused with the students at your school, you might want to dress a little older or more formally.  Middle School and High School students wear uniforms, though, so it's easy to not look like them.  Your school might suggest that you wear certain kinds of clothes, but it'll most likely be up to you and your tastes.  I know my school likes it when I dress up, but it's only because they want me to look like the foreign models they see on advertisements, and it really doesn't matter.  I guess I did have much to tell you about clothes.

2)  I've only been here 3 months, but yeah, Koreans are very proud of the fact that they experience four seasons.  Winter is bitter cold (I don't think it's been above the freezing point since before Christmas), but bearable if you're prepared.  I'm from Florida and I'm surviving.

3)  Namyangju is more of an area than a city (though there is a city bearing the name I think).  There are rural areas, but you're never far from public transportation that'll take you to Seoul or a nearby city.  It's almost 100% certain that you'll live in one of the countless mini cities dotting the landscape, even if your school is considered "rural."  These cities are both self-contained (you really have everything you need in them) and extensions of Seoul (people commute to Seoul for work, and people commute from Seoul to work in the little cities).  I happily spend all the work week in my little city, and head into Seoul on the weekends for fun, church, etc...

4)  I brought $600 and scraped by using only $300 worth in Korean money.  See #1 again though, where I explain that I'm a guy.  If you think you'll find yourself wanting to splurge on decorations or nice things, you'll want to bring no less than $600.

5)  I've yet to buy an English book because I haven't been here long enough to finish what I brought.  I heard there's a bookstore in Seoul that's popular with the foreigners.

6)  Yeah, my experiences have been good.  The vast majority of people in GEPIK would say the same I think.  Most people who complain do so because they've gotten used to how good they have it here, and they miss having things to complain about, so they can't pass up any opportunity they're given.  Every once in a while you'll talk to someone who has to write extensive lesson plans for everything they teach, and that can get pretty time consuming, but that's about the worst of it.  (There are many of us who just about never have to write up lesson plans, so that makes it seem like a horror story when someone does.)  It's not uncommon to be slightly unhappy with one's apartment, but mine's nice and cushy; it's a crapshoot.  I'm sure real horror stories exist, but they are rare.  Oh, also, I should mention that some people are entirely on their own for planning lessons, and some are told to just follow the textbook.  If you know what you're doing teaching ESL already, that will eliminate a lot of possible horror scenarios.

7)  I knew zero words in Korean when I landed here.  Unless you fall in love with Korean pop culture or something, it'll probably take you a while to learn the language.  If you understand the basic concept of going to the grocery store and choosing food and exchanging money for it, you'll be fine (so, you'll be fine).  Most likely one of the Korean English teachers at your school will help you get settled the first few days and teach you what you need to know.  It'll help you out a lot if you learn how to read (decode) the Korean writing system, which isn't that hard.

8)  There are Korean language schools to be found.  They aren't everywhere, so the convenience of attending one of these kind of depends on where you live.

9)  I have no clue.  I'm sure someone else will tell you all about cameras, but I think electronics are pretty similar in price here compared to the US.  Koreans are into their gadgets even more than Americans are I'd say.

10)  If you're desperate for the company of foreigners when you get here, I know a handful in my little area and I'm sure we could visit and help you figure out how to navigate the buses and subway lines and do other things you might need help with too.

Bienvenidos en Korea, when you get here.


-Koryan

Sheepish.

So it's been a while.  I don't apologize, though, because nothing's more boring to read than bloggers apologizing for not blogging more.  But it's been so long that I couldn't remember how to log in to make new posts.  Turns out that I'm automatically logged in if I've already logged on (sorry if switching from "in" to "on" gives any ESL people a fit) to my g-mail account.

Anyways, as promised, let me tell you about my arrival in Korea.  My arrival story is not necessarily typical, because arrangements were more convenient for me than for other people from some stories I've heard.  Still, I think anyone who will go through the kind of arrival I went through should be forewarned.

All I knew when I left my home in Orlando was that I would be met by a Mr. Kim (OK, that part of the story is probably typical) at the terminal after I landed, and that he would direct me to my "coach" to take me to my apartment.  But, after a sleepless day-and-a-half of travel, "terminal" came to mean "gate" in my mind.  So, I was expecting helpful Mr. Kim to rescue the confused American as soon as I stepped off the plane.  Unfortunately, by that time it had been a while since I last used a bathroom, so I beelined it first thing in the airport and hoped Mr. Kim would be able to track me down.  Shouldn't be too hard to spot the white guy, right?  Priorities taken care of, I returned to the gate only to find it empty except for the flight crew exiting the plane (No, I was not that long in the bathroom; the crew just must have been eager to get home, let's say.).  Hmm, what to do next.

So I headed in the direction I had seen everyone else go, until I found a help desk guy.  He couldn't really help me much when I asked if he knew about a Mr. Kim.  He did have a phone, though, and was able to put me through to the Korean agent (props Jane) who had helped me through the hiring and paperwork process and was there to coordinate things between me, my school, and Mr. Kim.  She let me know that I needed to first pass through customs, and that I would then see Mr. Kim holding a sign with my name.  So I followed her directions, and got in the line for non-Koreans (though everyone else in that line could have fooled me), and then proceeded to baggage claim.

It would be about another 20 minutes before I finally found my luggage, because by the time I made it through customs everyone else on my flight was long gone and I couldn't just follow them to the right place.  I did find my bags, though, right as airport workers were piling them with the other unclaimed items.  Still no Mr. Kim, but I was getting close.  There was one last security check before I was free to enter the country, and a quick money exchange, and after that I finally found my way to what must have been the terminal.  And sure enough, there was my man, holding a "Ryan" sign.

OK, so far in the story, any forewarning a future arrivee (-er?) in Korea could use is to not be a klutzy foreigner.   But what happened next, though very convenient for me and perfectly OK, could be a little uncomfortable for some people, especially girls.  Mr. Kim, who didn't speak a lick of English and had no way of explaining to me exactly what his role was in all this, took my bags from me (nice of him) and threw them in a minivan.  He then motioned for me to get in the van as he got in the driver's seat.  He was an older man and pretty slight, and I had no reason not to trust him.  But you can imagine how it feels to be on your own in a strange place with no idea what's happening next and no idea who it is you're getting in a vehicle with, so be forewarned.

That really concludes the story as it could be of help to anyone else.  As you can see, Koreans did everything they could to make my arrival easy, but they hadn't accounted for my ability to make it difficult.  Meanwhile I've heard of other teachers who were on their own to figure out how to use public transit to get from the airport to their apartments.  I don't know how I could have pulled that off.  Instead, poor helpful Mr. Kim--who in the end was just a driver and not a worker for the school or the recruiting agency or anything--must have waited over an hour for me to finally show my small face (I'll get to that expression in a later post).

The rest of my story has me riding in the van through Seoul traffic for a couple hours; falling asleep after Mr. Kim had me talk on his phone with agent Jane who wanted to know how things were going; finally getting to my apartment building, to be greeted (with a nice "Hello!") by one of my Korean co-teachers (Sunny Teacher!), who told me the cab ride was "service" (Kenglish for "free")  and then showed me in to my apartment and left me with some things to munch and directions for the following day, a school day.  I discovered that I was to live in an apartment large enough for a medium-sized family (not typical, but in a welcomed way, again), and that it was decently furnished, most importantly with a large bed and warm comforter (it was already cold here in mid-October).  My co-teacher then left me alone to enjoy that bed, and I did until about 3:30 a.m. thanks to jet-lag (a trend for a few days).  The next morning, she picked me up to head to school, meet the principal, introduce myself to some of my classes, and begin my new job.  The new job is further material for another post.  Hopefully I'll write that up before too long, there really is a lot to write about!

Until that happens, anyeongi kaseyo!

Anyong haseyo, and welcome to Beauvaisia!

I have been in Korea almost a week now, and it’s about time I blog for the folks back home.  As an English teacher (in the making), I’m trained to teach students to always keep in mind their purpose and audience when writing.  Well, my purposes—closely linked to intended audiences—are to keep a record of my time here for myself, to demystify what I’m up to for those I’ve left behind, and to help any prospective English teachers in Korea get a feel for what they could be in for.  If I’m in the mood, I reserve the right to get a little personal, pedagogical, or philosophical as well.

So, since this is my first post and I’ve already been here 6 full days, let me catch you up to speed.  From what I can tell, there are several avenues by which you can find yourself teaching English in Korea, with two of the more common being teaching in a public school (with EPIK, GEPIK, or SMOE) and teaching at a hagwon (a private, for-profit English institution).  If you get a job in a public school, your circumstances are relatively predictable and standardized across the board.  The hagwons, which many students attend in the afternoon in addition to their public schooling, can be legitimate and good situations too, but it’s a crap-shoot.  So says my research.

Personally, I am teaching at a GEPIK elementary school in Maseok, part of the Namyangju area of the Gyeounggi province (don’t hold me to correct spelling of anything Korean).  I’m about 40 minutes outside of Seoul, but civilization is basically continuous (mountains aside) from central Seoul to where I am, so it’s hard to tell where Seoul starts and where it stops.  Props to Dan Henrickson and the crew at www.teacheslkorea.com for guiding me through to process of getting a job in Korea (once I had my paperwork in order, it took shockingly little time—about 4 weeks total—before I was hired and boarding the plane to cross the Pacific), and for hooking me up with my specific job.  So far, I have felt nothing but pampered and spoiled by the school staff (after 4 days here, the only food I had eaten that I had paid for was a bowl of cereal…and the milk was given to me) and students, and I’m not cynical enough about Koreans yet to believe that it’s because they hope to gain anything by me.  Anything other than my English, that is, which nobody in America ever gave a hoot about.

Well, lingering jetlag requires that I wrap this up, so I will get into more about my arrival and first few days in Korea at a later date.  Until then, remember me when you wear shoes inside your house and when you jab at a piece of steak with your fork.  Things certainly are different over here.

-Koryan Beauvaisia (it was meant to be)