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