Summertime… and the livin’ is easy…

Today, I write to you from a cute, modern, shabby chic cafe. I am sitting outside, enjoying one of the few cool evenings we have had this summer. There is very little humidity in the air, and I can hear the sounds of nature (mixed with those of humans laughing).

The cafe has an outdoor patio, roof seating, and a very large indoor seat area. The decor is reminiscent of a modern day farm house.

I first came to this cafe only 3 weeks ago, with a colleague from my middle school. She had asked me to help her learn English. On Mondays and Wednesdays, after school ends, we will go to a different cafe or restaurant to have a relaxing conversation. It has been a lovely way to get to know a colleague, and build a friendship. She even invited me to her home, where she introduced me to a friend of hers, and we ate fried chicken and drank beer and soju.

Summer Vacations

Summer vacations have finally hit South Korea…. Friday was day 1 of summer vacation for my elementary school. The middle school will start vacation on August 12th.

As South Korea is a small country, it is broken into 9 provinces (think of a province like a state). The education system in Korea works very differently from the US system. Every individual school has its own school calendar. The school determines when summer and winter vacations will begin and end. Generally, summer vacation is approximately 1 month long, while winter vacation lasts approximately 1.5-1.75 months. This year, due to our lovely friend Coronavirus, my schools’ vacation periods are just shy of 2.5 weeks long. My two schools have different vacations, and only overlap for 4 days.

As an EPIK teacher, I can request vacation days during the breaks, but also must go to the school and work on lesson plans and such while the schools are closed. This is called “desk warming”, and all EPIK teachers are expected to do this. Friday was my first desk warming day, and it was boring, to say the least. I will have plenty of time to watch some K-Dramas and learn some Korean (hopefully) while also working on those lesson plans.

I will officially take my vacation days in August, during the overlapping days. I will go to a beach in northern South Korea called 계웅포 (Gyeungpo). My coteacher and a colleague recommended this place to me. It will take me about 6 hours to arrive there… I must take the bus to the train station (approximately 1 hour), train to Seoul (approximately 2.5 hours), metro to a different train station within Seoul (approximately 15 minutes), and then another train to Gyeungpo (about 1.5 hours).

Off the coast of the beach are some islands. Depending upon the weather, I hope to take a ferry to one of them. **Cross your fingers for me!**

On my return trip, I will stay a few days with my friend Hyunha and her family. I have not had a chance to see them since February, because of (you guessed it)Coronavirus.

I am looking forward to exploring a new area of Korea!

Monsoon Season

Between late June to mid-July, South Korea usually experiences a monsoon season. This summer, however, the season has continued through the end of July. In a previous post, I mentioned that I loved rain, and never carry an umbrella. I still love rain… but have decided I must always carry an umbrella with me, to keep my books safe, and avoid the stares of my students, their parents, and other neighbors. It tends to rain every few days, and can last an entire day. The weather can be extremely humid when it does not rain.

The river near my apartment will swell to the point that we cannot cross along the stepping stones. It is a welcome sight, as for the previous 5 months the river was very low.

My apartment does not have a dryer, which, usually is not an issue. However, during these humid months, it takes twice as long for my clothing to dry on the rack. The rooms also have a constant humid feel to them, and I must keep an eye out for any possible mildew or mold growing on walls and the ceiling.

I think I need to invest in a dehumidifier.

Daegu Arboretum

2 weekends ago, I visited the Daegu Arboretum. The air was not as humid as the previous week, and the rain had finally stopped. Since coronavirus remains a threat, all indoor exhibits and greenhouses were closed off. I still had a lovely time walking around, observing plants, trees, and people. Here are some views for you to enjoy

Ice Cream Floats

On Thursday, I made ice cream floats and served them to all the staff at my elementary school. I had 3 reasons for doing this:

1. I was craving ice cream floats, and wanted a taste of home.
2. Summer Vacation started the next day, and it’s an easy way to introduce them to a US treat (not to mention, they will love me)
3. I wanted to follow a Korean funeral custom of thanking the people for their condolences.

Reasons 1 and 2 are self-explanatory. Reason 3, however, requires further explanation.

The funeral customs in Korea are very complex. I want to do further research on this, so I can provide a better explanation. I will most likely write a separate blog about this topic at a later time.

For now, I will provide you the cliffnotes version of what I have learned thus far:

Funerals tend to be within 3 days of the person passing away. They may occur in a funeral home, a private residence, or within a hospital. The official funeral will be open to friends and family, and food will be provided. Instead of flowers, people tend to give their condolences with money, to assist with funeral and food costs. The amount is notated, and is expected to be returned, in kind, when the respective person is celebrating a wedding or mourning the loss of a family member, at a later date. The amount is generally between ₩50,000-₩100,000 (approximately $50-$100).

At the elementary school, a teacher had a death in their family, and gave out rice cakes to all the staff at the school, after the funeral had ended. My co-teacher then explained this custom to me:
After the funeral has ended, the family of the deceased will share food with those who gave their condolences.

After the passing of my grandma, I had told my co-teacher of the situation, since she had been aware of my grandmother being sick. My co-teacher informed the school staff, and over the next few days, many people would come to me wishing my family and I peace and comfort. I was very touched by their kind words, especially since many had to practice saying this in English before they were able to come to me. I decided that I could honor Grandma, as well as show the staff my appreciation for their thoughtfulness, by giving them a taste of home.

Thus, the ice cream float.

I believe it was a big success.. many teachers watched -with interest- as I poured the Coca-Cola into the cups, and a colleague kindly scooped the ice cream.

Sunset

I shall end today’s post with some city sunset views. I appreciate you always taking the time to read and journey along with me!