An American in Seoul

Being an American expat in Asia certainly has its challenges. The culture is nearly a complete flip in mindset and values. If you don't speak the language, it can be quite frustrating and lonely at times. But, of all the Asian cities I have visited I must say Seoul is by far my favorite and the easiest to acclimate. Last weekend, I found a balance of enjoying the country I now live in, and maintaining a connection to a bit of home. Unconventional therapies of Korean style pampering and socializing with the expats.

Last Saturday, I spent a full day in Seoul, starting with a visit to a spa for a facial at Dream Dermatology. Here in Korea, image takes priority over talent and skil, and in Apgujeong, a small area in Seoul, one can find it dominated with advertisements for cosmetic treatments and surgery. Many Koreans seek double eye lid surgery as that is the current trend, many thinking it will help them gain a partner or a position at the work place (and it does). Times Asia has a great article on this here. I personally opted for micro-dermabrasion and IPL, a laser treatment that induces collagen production.

Dr. Park, an American educated Korean, and his staff, were wonderful. Dr. Park is refreshingly attentive with a great bed-side manner, all the while maintaining his professionalism. Actually, I wish I could find a general doctor with Dr. Parks manners. The IPL is a little uncomfortable. It is a hot laser that is repeatedly shot into the first two layers of skin to shock it into producing more protective collagen. Dr. Park does this to the cheek area, each time, sending me near to the ceiling for refuge. Afterward, I was treated to a relaxing facial in a low light room with piped in classical music. Very relaxing.

Afterward, I stopped for coffee and shopping at the Hyundai Shopping Center. Hyundai is much too expensive for me as I can not afford Louis Vuitton or Prada on a teachers salary. However, I enjoyed people watching and reading a book over a frothy cup of coffee at one of the numerous coffee shops that lines the streets.

Later, I met friends for a birthday celebration in Gangnam, an area in southern Seoul, for Indian food and good wine. It was a crowd of expats from all over the States; a nice, temporary escape from Korean culture where everyone spoke English.

In Korea, drinking in public, i.e., walking down the street drinking, is not a crime, nor looked down upon (unless you're drunk), so we grabbed bottles of wine and beer for the long taxi ride to the follow up party at a friends house in Suji, a small town just outside of Yongin. It was a 40 minute drive as Saturday night traffic in Seoul is always congested. Nearly a dozen of us hailed a caravan of taxi's, wine in hand, with our mission of a roof top party.

Not everyone was able to make it to Gangnam for dinner, but at least 50 people showed for the party; people from the States as well as England. It was great having an opportunity to vent and hear others stories of similarity about their experiences in Korea as Native English speakers. I am the only foreigner at my school and have no one to exchange expat discourse, or even immediate concerns at work. I am mostly ignored at lunch as no one wants to be bothered with practicing their English with me, so it gets a little lonely at times. Meeting up with others from the States in particular, is its own form of therapy for culture shock and homesickness.

I'm not complaining. I love it here. I plan to stay for sometime. But, there are times when I just need a familiar place to find some comfort, to refuel per se, for the coming week ahead that is an immersion into another culture. Seoul has certainly captured my heart, but I will forever be an American, and my unconventional combination of therapies works beautifully to soothe the restless American inside me.

Egypt...a 33 year old dream come true.

When I was a young girl, I suppose you could consider me a Tomboy. Although I didn't care to play football with the neighborhood boys, or my brother, I did love to play outside, barefooted and hardly ever with the proper sweater or jacket. Often my mother would have to literally drag me inside for dinner. My love for the outdoors is partly responsible for my adhered love of archaeology. I remember a book about a boy who wanted to dig a hole to China and everyone told him he was crazy...until his digging opened a passage for a butterfly from China. That's when I started stealing spoons from my mothers kitchen.

I would spend hours digging in the backyard, finding bird bones, dog bones, coins and of course, senseless stones. I was excited each time I found something. In the sixth grade I remember reading a book about Ancient Egypt and I was hooked. I read everything I could get my hands on in Kansas that was about Ancient Egypt. It was then that I knew what I wanted to do when I grew up. Unfortunately, it didn't work out quite the way I had hoped. I am not an archaeologist although I do have my undergraduate degree in anthropology. However, I have since found an alternative as teaching English has allowed me to travel a bit.

I decided that it was past due time for me to visit the Middle East and its treasures. So, I booked a two week trip to Jordan and then Egypt; and it was a fabulous experience. Both as an educational trip and a cultural experience.

I arrived at the airport and was picked up by two of the owners of the hostel I was staying, the Paris Hotel in the middle of Cairo. Tamer and his cohort drove me through town as I gazed at the Mosques and minarets during afternoon prayers. It was a great entry into Cairo.

Cairo is crazy like HCMC. The traffic, the drivers, the energy is very similar, except that everyone has a car, rather than a motorbike. Being blonde and Western I stick out even in this city whose main industry is tourism and while I attract the same attention in SEA and East Asia, I never quite get comfortable with it. Only once did I feel unsafe.

I asked Sayyed, my driver, to pick me up at 7 and take me to an area with restaurants and shops that other expats might frequent. He dropped me off in front of a Lebanese restaurant at my asking, but I thought I would scout out other restaurants. Walking around the shops, I decided to take a left and all of a sudden found myself in an alley with nearly 300 men all smoking sheesha, drinking tea and watching soccer. They all turned to look at me, the only woman around, with no hijab, blonde and Western. It was the longest block I have ever walked. I went back to the Lebanese restaurant and had a wonderful meal and was completely alone as it was Ramadan and the locals hadn't come out to eat yet.

Being in the Middle East during Ramadan, and not being Muslim, makes for an interesting trip. I didn't drink in Jordan, so going without alcohol isn't an issue for me, until I know I can't have it. There was no alcohol to be found in Cairo, not at the restaurants or hostel. So, I asked the owner of the hostel, Walid, if he knew of a restaurant that served wine, he laughed and said I wouldn't find any in Cairo during Ramadan and then broke into his own stash and poured me a bottle of Egyptian wine. Nice. Egyptian wine isn't half bad and really quite wonderful under the circumstances.

Each day, Walid would arrange for my driver, Sayyed, to take me to what ever sites I wanted to see. I saw everything I could squeeze into six days and each evening I was exhausted. My first day of course, was the to see the Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx. The site is remarkable. Whitened stone pyramids on a whitened desert against a beautiful blue sky. It really is a stunning sight. However, the number of peddlers, inside and outside, can heighten an already weary and tired traveler. But, I suppose that is an added cost to having the privilege of being there.

Below are pictures of the Giza Pyramid, Sphinx, the Cairo Archaeological Museum and the pyramid at Darshur. At Darshur, visitors can enter the pyramid and climb down through a very narrow tunnel to visit three separate chambers. I climbed about half way down and started sweating and shaking from a phobia of enclosed places and crawled back to the top, incredibly disappointed in myself. That would not have happened in my twenties.

I also visited the camel market where they hold auctions every Friday. I went on a Wednesday and there were only a few sellers and their camels who had been driven from Sudan for Fridays auction. They charged me 20 Egyptian pounds to enter and have the "privilege" of taking pictures. It was quite stinky and flies ruled the camels. The trip there was past a garbage dump where there were many camel carcasses strewn all over. Its quite a site and I recommend that women not go alone or without a male companion as this is very much a mans world. Sayyed was a good man and he negotiated every time someone wanted money for entry or photo fees. I highly recommend Sayyed for a driver as he was also quite fair and very attentive to my needs. Each morning, despite that it was Ramadan for him, he made sure I had breakfast, coffee and bottled water for the trip. Sayyed was arranged by the owners of the Paris Hostel.

The staff of Paris Hotel were very helpful and the hostel itself, once you make it up the five flights of stairs (the elevator does not work), is a very nice, well maintained hostel. You can see pics here:

I loved Cairo and wish I had had more time to enjoy it. However, knowing this may be my only chance to see Egypt, I also spent time in Alexandria and Luxor. Those postings are to come soon. Enjoy the pics.

My new ride......Eco-Style

Walking up and down the Tancheon River is quite beautiful and good exercise. But I have envied those who ride their bikes as it looks so exhilarating. So, I sprung for a bike and ended up buying a MiniCooper....bike that is.

A friend and I went for drinks last weekend in a small, trendy area just over the bridge off of the Jukjeon Station area and wondered into a bike shop that was still open. They had bikes made by Chevy, SAAB and the Mini Cooper. I chose the Mini Cooper as I wanted something nice, well built and the name MiniCooper...in all honesty. Anyway, she is burgundy red (of course) with chrome accessories and a nifty little black bag on the back for shopping. The guys at the shop installed a free light set for my purchase so I can cruise down the Tancheon at night.

Here are some pics:




Truman likes and acts as though he hopes for a ride soon. I don't think so.

Under a Bedouin Sky: Jordan

Since I was a child I have had a fascination for archaeology, ancient history and pre-history, artifacts, and mysterious past civilizations. And one of those civilizations that had captured my imagination was Petra. Finally, a dream vacation come true. I spent a week in Jordan, exploring Roman ruins in Amman, desert castles in well, the desert, and a two day journey to Petra and the Wadi Rum. All of them extraordinary experiences. But it was Petra and the Wadi Rum that have me aching to return.

I stayed at the Firas Palace Hotel in Amman for the first few nights. It wasn't extroardinary by any means, but had the necessities of comfort like hot water and electricity. The staff was friendly enough, although the male clerk from Lebanon took to calling me "princess" or "your highness". It wasn't because I was demanding, he was just flirting which is the only way Arab men seem to be able to communicate with Western female travelers. As me and another co-female traveler were discussing at the Amman airport, if Arab men would learn to just talk to female travelers, we might actually learn something about each other or just make a meaningful human connection. I also found it frustrating that few women would speak to me, either from shyness or judgment. I don't travel to foreign lands just to see the sites, I also want an opportunity to sit and speak with the locals, and I did have had a few memorable ones in Jordan.


The hotel set up a driver for me at 70 dinar a day. I think that's a bit high and certainly cheaper if you have someone to share with. But ultimately, it was, in my opinion, worth it. Ali, or Abu Mohamed, my driver planned each day for me and the first day was a road trip to the three desert castles, built by the Umayyads: Qasr Amra, Qasr Al-Harraneh and Qasr Azraq. Each one different in architectural style and history.

The second day I visited an ancient Roman city, the Dead Sea and Mount Nebo.

The third day, we drove to Petra. My first impression, like most sites of his status, was a little cheesy. Souvenir shops and peddlers overwhelm you by sticking their products in your face in hopes of a quick sale. Seasoned travelers develop a strategy of never looking them in the face and focusing on the aim location...the ticket booth. The fee to enter was 20 dinar. You can choose to walk down to the site, or take a carriage, a camel or a horse for an additional fee. I chose to take a horse for 8 dinar. However, you are not allowed to guide the horse yoursel, you are assigned, in my case, a grumpy old Bedouin hoping for a tip. When my grumpy guide realized he wasn't getting any money out of me, we began to exchange words...neither understanding the other. As I was making a point, a handsome Bedouin on a horse pulled up beside me and proposed that he take me by horseback the back way to Petra for a fee. His fee was 70 dinar (100USD) for the afternoon and seemed a better deal than being guided by the grouchy, old Bedouin in front of me. I accepted.

We set out through the canyon's weaving in and out of the terrain, next to cliff drops of more than 200 feet. It was frightening, but an awesome view. My guide, Mohamed, a 32 year old Bedouin who lived in Petra, was quite skilled with English and a good conversationalist. One particular conversation was the following:

Mohamed: So, Indiana Jones (Stacy), do you have any children?

Stacy: Yes, I have two daughters.

Mohamed: And why your husband not come with you?

Stacy: [hesitation] He is spending all his time with his second wife these days.

Mohamed: [Laughing] And why don't your daughters come with you?

Stacy: They are busy working.

Mohamed: Are they married?

Stacy: No. Just busy working.

Mohamed: Maybe you will give me your daughter for marriage. A Bedouin can have as many as four wives.

Stacy: [thinking] Well, I will ask her if she is interested. That is how we do it in my country. It is ultimately up to her. Actually, I have two daughters, you can have them both if they say yes. OK?

Mohamed: Really? Do you think they will say 'yes'?

Stacy: Probably not.

Mohamed: [thinking: long silence] Well, here, take my number."

Actually, by the time I left Petra I had four phone numbers from different Bedouin men hoping for a connection. One was a man named Picasso with dreadlocks, a Bob Marley shirt and a dog named Rasta. These are the new Bedouins with technology and exposure to the outside world.




Mohamed was very much a gentleman as he would help me off the horse, help me down rough terrain and patient when I was nervous about heights. The trail ended abruptly as we came to a point where the horses could not go and Mohamed and I had to say adieu. As I was about to walk away he said he wanted to say goodbye "Bedouin style" and gave me a sweaty, stubbly kiss on each cheek. I am suspicious that Bedouin men actually say goodbye to women this way. I climbed down by myself for about 100 feet before I came upon a souvenir stand owned by a bedouin woman named, Hanhan.

Hanhan was quite spunky and wanting to talk to everyone that passed by. She offered me tea and I accepted. As I sat and spoke with Hanhan, she of course would bargain prices with me for bracelets, headcoverings and bottles of eyeliner...of which she demonstrated on me before bargaining. I'm not sure this was a smart move on my part, letting her apply homemade eyeliner on my inner eye as others had used it before me. But we connected and we talked for nearly an hour. I did buy a keifer, Jordanian head cover, which Hanhan wrapped Bedouin style on my head, removing the one that Mohamed had given me to use. After speaking for sometime and 4 cups of tea, Hanhan offered to take me down to Petra as she wanted to stop and meet a friend on the way.

Her friends were a Bedouin family having lunch on a cliff side. They offered for me to join them, and I accepted. Long ago, I vowed that while traveling, if it felt safe, I would not turn down an offer of food or drink as these always present an opportunity to get to know someone and about their culture. I still adhere to this philosophy, but after this incident development some intelligence about it. If you adopt this philosophy while traveling to foreign lands, be sure to carry Imodium with you. I developed food poisoning and by the time I left southern Jordan, was very sick and holed up in my hotel for two days.

Back to Petra. It was everything I expected. Hauntingly beautiful, sparking my imagination, wondering how the ancient Nabateans lived 2000 years ago and managed to stave off the Romans for quite some time. The scenery was incredible and there were camels, horses, donkeys and Bedouins everywhere adding to the scene. I lingered as long as I could before having to make my way back to the front to meet not only my driver, but to return the borrowed scarf to Mohamed. He was waiting for me just past the famous canyon that brings you in and out of Petra. He insisted on taking me the rest of the way on horse with him and I finally gave in. I said good bye and met Abu Mohamed and his son, Beischel, at the gate at 5:30 so that we could make our way to the Wadi Rum.







The drive was about and hour and a half and we made it just before sundown. There we met one of the owners of the camp, Madullah, who took us in his Toyota 4x4 to the camp site. There, we were greeted by Abdullah, Madullah's brother, who was also the evenings cook. After assigning us our rooms and a quick walk around, we settled by the campfire for a dinner of slow roasted bbq chicken and various vegetable and potato dishes. It was very good, even though I was beginning to feel the effects of my lunch. After, we had tea while listening to some traditional music.

I had mentioned to Abu Mohammed that I liked smoking sheesha and later, Abdullah invited me to smoke with him just outside the camp. We smoked sheesha while laying on a mattress, staring at the incredible star saturated sky above us. I have never seen so many stars in my life. After such an experience, I chose to sleep in an open room, rather than the tent they had prepared for us. I laid for hours staring at the sky before finally succumbing to much needed sleep. The next day I was scheduled for a two hour ride on a camel in the desert and then two hours guided tour by 4x4 with Abdullah in the Wadi Rum.

Everyone woke early to to go for a ride out in the desert to see the sunrise. Needless to say, the sun rising and casting its yellow glow on the red sands and red cliff walls, was something to remember. The Wadi Rum is unique in the flowing red sands and dunes contrasted with the dark brown and often red cliffs that jet out towards the sky. Behind this is a sky that is as blue as sapphire.

My ride on the camel was...an experience. while my guide and I made our way through the desert, other camels were running loose and many were very curious about us. One was so curious that he began to charge me and my camel. My guide turned around and began yelling at him, which worked. The temperature that day was 42 celsius and I was beginning to feel the discomforts of the food poisoning, full on. I could tell dehydration was setting in, but was too stubborn to let such a thing deter my morning schedule.




We returned to camp where Abdullah was waiting to take me out in a 4x4 to tour the Wadi Rum. My drives 7 year old son, Beischel, joined us as this was his first trip tot he Wadi Rum. The camel was a cultural experience, but the 4x4 is much more comfortable, particularly in my oncoming condition. Abdullah made sure we had plenty of ice cold water and kept offering me chocolate chip cookies as a snack. I had to decline. Abdullah could tell I wasn't feeling well and was patient with me. He also at one point, found me shade and fed me tiny figs from a tree while I rested and drank water at a canyon with ancient etchings. There were many tourists there, most from Spain and Italy and one asked to take their picture with Abdullah. At one point, she actually labeled me his wife. Not sure why...unless a keifer wrapped around my head makes me Bedouin.

Camping with the Bedouins in the Wadi Rum has to be top of the list for most memorable experiences. While sites like the Great Wall and Angkor Wat certainly play beautiful memories in my head, the cultural experience with Abdullah in the beautiful Wadi Rum, despite my oncoming illness, I suspect will hold number one for some time.

Vacation

I will be on a two week excursion in the Middle East. First, Amman, Jordan. A dream to see Petra and other beautiful sites in Jordan.

Then, onto Cairo, Egypt. Since I was a twelve year old girl, I have dreamt of seeing the Pyramids, Sphinx, and the Nile. I'm nervous and excited beyond words.

I am not taking my laptop, and I suspect internet use will be limited. But I will have some great pics and hopefully, great stories when I return. Its Ramadan in the Muslim world...perhaps, I will gain back my girlish figure. LOL!

Wonju beef and Che Aak Mountain

Our last day of school, the children left early and the teachers had a day out. The administration rented a tour bus to take us first to Wonju, a small city east of Seoul that is famous for their beef. I found it surprisingly very tasty. It is comparable to Kobe beef, which has a high content of fat. When I mentioned it had such a marbling of fat, I was told it wasn't fat, but another kind of meat. It was fat and tasty fat. It is definitely not healthy.

After a heavy lunch of a lot of Wonju beef and all the Korean side dishes of various kimchis, we took the bus to a museum that honored a famous Korean who wrote a serial novel (16) about the history of Korean, called "The Park". I can't remember her name. Everything was in Korean, so I wondered the grounds and up to her house which is part of the exhibit. An older man began a speech and out of respect I sat to listen. At one point he looks at me and sais something in Korean. I just shake my head no and "No Korean". He asked me, "American?" and I said, "Yes", which he followed with, "America number one!" I just shook my head and said, "Thank you".

After the speech I walked around the grounds before heading to the bus and when I arrived the gentlemen speaker was there waiting for me. He had gifts from the museum, Moon Pies, and brochures in English for me and thanked me for coming to the museum. I was touched and embarrassed. His love for Americans had nothing to do with me personally. From his age I guess that he is a veteran of the Korean War. I. have never received such kindness due to my nationality before.

Finally, we bussed to Che Aak Mountain for a hike up to the 9 Dragons Temple. It was a beautiful mountain with winding trails, blooming flowers, twisted Asian pines, and a rushing clear mountain stream. It was a relief from the heat of the city and the quiet, clean environment therapy from the rat race. On the way up, we were met by some of the wildlife, such as this snake and a bunny rabbit that came right up to us:











After a beautiful hike through the woods, we stopped for a traditional Korean dinner of Korean pancakes, kimchi, dried BBQ'd fish, soup and traditional rice wine. Someone apparently bought some for the two hour road home. I drank some for Karaoke courage. Yes, karaoke on the bus! Complete with a large tv monitor. Everyone got in on it, so I couldn't bow out. But,I bet they never ask me to do Karaoke ever again.

Legal Alien in South Korea

One of the reasons I have chosen to work and live abroad is to more closely understand the life of an immigrant in my own country. You can never fully understand until you have walked in someones shoes. My situation is different and the height of animosity compared to that in the U.S. is not the same. But there is fear and xenophobia in South Korea.

My personal experience is that of utter frustration in trying to communicate what I want or need. Last week I tried to obtain a mobile phone and failed, twice. Twice I was given the sign of No!(which is crossing the arms or fingers in a cross) when I asked to purchase a phone at two retail stores here in Bundang. I still do not have a phone because the retail sellers are afraid to even approach me. Some rumors are that stores don't want to sign expats unless they have been in the country for more than six months to assure that they will fulfill their contract. This makes zero sense to me.

This whole week I have spent attempting to purchase tickets for my vacation through Xanadu Travel who is located in Seoul and advertises to be foreigner friendly. Mind you, I sent in my first request on Monday, its Saturday and still no answer. I called on Wednesday and was told that the rate wasn't available for those dates. I said I'm flexible, she said she would check and email me some options that afternoon. Its Saturday, still no response even after sending an email asking for a response on Thursday. I also sent in another request on Friday...and of course, no answer. I'm so frustrated I could scream.

What this does to an expat/immigrant is causes paranoia and a mind set towards the society you are living in. This week I haven't felt like going out into the world of Korea because I am so frustrated.

Even at work my co-teacher will pretend to understand what I have said and a week later act as if she doesn't know what I am talking about when I bring it up. So, I'm frustrated, angry and suspicious of those I work with and with those I have to deal with in the retail sector.

So, in my frustration, I said forget it and booked my flight with an outside source, so not a cent will flow to a Korean travel agent. And as far as obtaining a phone, I will have to purchase my phone from a retailer in Itaewon and purchase prepaid cards...rather than sign a contract with SK Telecom or Show. They're missing business opportunities and fail to realize that expats are a huge source of profit. There is one Korean company that seems to understand this and that is Wooribank.

Wooribank has established a separate entity for expats and foreign investors complete with an English speaking customer service line and reduced fees for cash transfers. They're on it...they did their research. SK Telecom and other companies are losing potential business. And expats are having to go without the essentials for living when in Korea.