We are very damn lucky

Sometimes, as English speakers, we take our ability to read and speak English completely for granted. We make fun of people for spelling it "alot" and people who type "should of." But after spending time in a country where the English proficiency level seems to be quite low, you start to realize that there are really times when we don't appreciate English's importance in the world.

When I was flying over to Seoul from Vancouver, I did a layover at Shanghai's Pudong International Airport. One of the main concerns prior to leaving was whether I'd be able to find my way around to ge to my connecting flight -- will my lack of (written) Chinese knowledge and Mandarin skills come to bite me in the ass? Will I miss my flight because I saw a sign that I thought said "International departures" but actually said "Turnips for sale"? Will I even understand any of the stuff coming from the plane's speakers during the flight?

Those fears turned out to be completely unfounded due to the intense power that English has.

At the airports, there were obviously signs written in the local language -- Chinese for Shanghai and Korean for Seoul. But those two places' signs also shared a common language. You guessed it, it was English. Not French. Not Spanish. Not Klingon. Not Newspeak. English.

On the flight from Shanghai to Seoul, I was wondering whether language was going to be a problem again. Again, those fears were unfounded -- the plane's announcements were in Mandarin Chinese, Korean and -- you guessed it -- English.

It was at that time (well, and after seeing that even North Korea's airport uses English despite being so outspoken against American "imperialists" in Korea) that I realized that if you have a working knowledge of English, you are more or less capable of navigating through almost every major airport in the world. That means your travel horizons have broadened a lot simply because you can read English.

Further evidence can be seen in Seoul. On the subways, the stop announcements will always be in Korean and English. Some stops also have Japanese and Mandarin Chinese announcements, but they will always have English.

Also, in the international district of Itaewon, guess what the common language is (besides Korean) for all the businesses, regardless of whether it's Turkish style, Indian style, or whatever nationality's style. That's right -- English. I got my cell phone set up at a Turkish dealer in Itaewon and the store had English and Korean signs, but no Turkish signs. In Itaewon, regardless of what nationality's flavors or stylings you're going for, Korean and English will always be spoken.

I think that speaks volumes about the power of English in a world where the United States is decreasing in importance and where China is stepping up. Despite this shift of power, even a place that's an hour out from China is still adopting English as the "international" language.

That leads me to my job as a native English teacher in Seoul. A lot of my students are very good at English and have an interest in studying it. There are also a lot who have no interest in English whatsoever and don't even try. I feel sorry for the latter because they're the ones who are going to be dazed and confused when they go traveling. They're the ones who will not get business opportunities abroad (regardless of whether the job is in an English-speaking country or not, especially for international firms). They're going to be more or less stuck in their little Korean cocoon and will not dare to venture outside the country even for a vacation, simply because the common international language out there is English. As far as I know, the only country where Korean is widely spoken across the people is, indeed, Korea.

Of course, part of that reason might be because there seems to be a mentality here that English is just a subject in school and nothing more. Let's compare Korea to a place like my birthplace, Hong Kong, where the English ability level is significantly higher. According to my dad, in the schools, they keep hammering home the idea that if you want to get any kind of decent job, English is a must. They tell you that if you don't know English, you're going to get a crappy job and won't get anywhere. Sure, they're a former British colony so this isn't all that surprising, but the fact is that English is also treated more than merely a letter grade or percentage on your report card.

In South Korea, this is definitely turning out to be a reality. The Chosun Ilbo is reporting what we all know -- in a country that handles international business like South Korea, knowing English will take you a long way. However, the general tone I got from that article is that the people surveyed weren't aware of this until they were out in the workforce and their lack of English ability bit them in the ass.

In a way, it isn't for lack of trying, because many places and chains here have English names and no Korean names. But simply naming places with English doesn't always result in language proficiency. Sure, many businesses (both Korean-owned and Western-owned) have English names, but once you see their marketing slogans -- when they're forced to string English words together rather than using them autonomously from one another -- you suddenly realize that South Korea has a long way to go because the slogan is often non-sensical or grammatically incorrect. You know your standards for Koreans using correct English have lowered when you don't wince at Lotteria's Borat-like "Happy Time!" slogan anymore.

It also doesn't help that English seems to be seen as a "foreigner's language" (rather than a business or world language), because of South Korea's anti-foreigner sentiment that seems to arise from time to time. There is a big "us vs. them" mentality in this country, so much so that Edward Said would go absolutely insane if he saw what was happening over here.

It's so often that we hear about people back home in Canada or the United States complaining about their local shopowner or neighbor not knowing how to speak perfect English. But after seeing a place like South Korea, I think we should really appreciate the fact that so many people back home can at least communicate in English, regardless of whether it's perfect English or not. We've taken English for granted for so long that we've forgotten just how much power English has, and how much power for a person can be limited if he or she does not speak English.

South Korea Sights: Cheonggyecheon

Above: Cheonggyecheon in its modern form, as seen from its starting point.

When South Korea began its rapid industrialization after the Korean War, there were some sacrifices that had to be made, especially in Seoul. One of them involved the environmental and aural aspects of the city itself. Cheonggyecheon was originally a natural stream that went through most of central Seoul, and emptied into the Han River (which then in turn emptied into the Yellow Sea).

During the Japanese occupation, the colonial government intended to cover up the stream numerous times. After the Korean War, the stream attracted people who eventually made the side of the stream their home. The living conditions around it soon went downhill, and this drastically affected Seoul's image in a negative way. Along with the demands of rapid industrialization and modernization, the South Korean government decided to go through with what the Japanese colonial government wanted to do, and covered it up to make way for a highway in 1976.

Above: The giant cone (and water source) marking the starting point of Cheonggyecheon.

This came at an environmental price though -- because of what was done, the stream completely dried up and ceased to resemble anything like its original form. In 2003, the Seoul mayor at the time (and current president of South Korea) Lee Myung-bak announced plans to restore the stream. The plan was ambitious from the start, because the stream would have to be artificially re-created and the water pumped in (rather than relying on natural water sources). It also promised to drastically change the transportation infrastructure of the city.

The stream re-opened in 2005 and proved to be a dramatic success. The stream, which stretches for about 6 kilometers, also provides a greenbelt for pedestrians and is currently a popular tourist attraction.

Earthquakes can never prepare you for thunder and lightning

These past couple of weeks have been full of unstable weather here in Seoul. Every day, I would look out the window and try to predict whether it will be raining or not. At least back in Vancouver, you could tell -- if it's cloudy there, it'll likely remain cloudy for much of the day (or the week, for that matter). Here, it can change in an instant.

So imagine how I felt when I went to bed and it was still relatively clear, only to be awakened at around 3am by lightning and thunder. I stirred, looked around and went like, "Oh. It's thundering and lightning(ing?). Great." And then I buried my head back in the pillow again.

And then...

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

I've been through earthquakes before, but nothing could have prepared me for what happened. The whole room shook and the boom was deafening. I nearly fell out of bed in surprise. "What the bloody hell?" I thought. I had a tough time sleeping after that.

This morning, as I was brushing my teeth, I wondered if that boom and the shaking came from a direct lightning strike. I wonder if my poor little apartment was struck by lightning. The power was fine but even if there was a surge, the lights were off (obviously, since I was sleeping) so I couldn't tell anyway. But either my apartment got a direct hit, or a neighboring unit or building did (since my windows are about a foot away from the neighboring buildings).

Scary.

What happens in Korea stays in Korea...

After being in Korea for a little over a month, there are certain things that are guaranteed to happen. Here are some things that become a way life after a while.

• from your obscured view of Seoul Tower on your way to work, you can differentiate between mist, fog, smog and just plain airborne crap.
• you hear "T-Money" and don't instinctively think it's a name of a rapper.
• motorcycles nearly running you down on the sidewalk no longer faze you.
• you learn to ignore the people selling their homemade CDs on the subways.
• your local supermarket chain (Lotte Mart, E-Mart, etc.) has some of their employees dressed either in traditional Korean hanbok (한복, dress) or dressed like female anime characters. And then you see one of them on break at the food court... so imagine a tired-looking Sailor Moon at a food court slurping back some noodles.
  
• the local supermarket chain has greeters like Wal-Mart, but not only do they "bow" welcome to you, they also wipe down the push handle of your shopping cart on your way in.
• your neighborhood has crappy sanitation and power lines tangled all over the place above you as you go down the street, yet you consider the international district of Itaewon (이태원) to be much seedier and more of a slum.
• you see South Korean soldiers out on the streets in full garb on a daily basis.
• you can differentiate between the "good" and "bad/hooligan" US soldiers.
• you see more Dunkin' Donuts locations in Seoul than any major city on the west coast of the United States.
• every car you see is either a Hyundai, Kia, Renault/Samsung, Daewoo or Ssangyong. The other day, I saw a Ford and a Honda next to each other near Seoul Station, and nearly had a heart attack due to the surprise.
• you find out about Dokdo (독도).
• you know how to avoid discussing Dokdo.
• you know not to call Dokdo "Takeshima."
• you know how not to display any affection for Japan, regardless of whether you have any or not.
• you start thinking that 20 MB per second is a "slow internet connection."
• on your way to work, there'd be at least one convenience store.
• on your way to work, there'd be at least one hagwon (학원, private education academy).
• on your way to work, there'd be at least one PC bang (PC방, internet cafe).
• on your way to work, there'd be at least one "budongsan" (부동산, real estate office).
• you avoid looking inside the wastebasket next to toilets in the public washrooms. (Those in South Korea will know exactly why.)
• an address means diddly squat when you're actually on the streets trying to look for it.
• seeing two men on the streets with their arms wrapped around each other's shoulders doesn't draw any assumptions of homosexuality.
• being drunk in public is acceptable (and sometimes encouraged).
• you see cabinets full of gas masks on the platforms of subway stations.
• avoiding flying blobs of spit and phlegm while on the street becomes a life skill.
• the word "dong" (동, neighborhood) stops having sexual connotations, once you realize that you live in one.
• the subway train losing power between Seoul Station and Namyeong Station no longer alarms you.
• a phrase like "I'm not going to drive... I'm in a hurry, so I'll take public transit" makes perfect logical sense.
• you know that "b" is actually pronounced like "p," and "j" is actually pronounced like "ch," and "g" is actually pronounced like "k," and so on.
• when you order something from a Korean restaurant, you'll get more than what you order; in particular, you'll probably get kimchi and salad.
• being a millionaire is nothing to brag about, since 1 million KRW is only something like $940 CAD.
• you find out why there's a "Don't throw your key away" sign at the "love lock fence" at the foot of Seoul Tower.
• you know that takeout delivery will likely provide you with real (non-paper) plates and utensils, and you know what to do with them afterwards.

What is that in your mouth?

Sometimes after work, I get the munchies. I'm lucky that it happens here because South Korea has street food everywhere you look. So sometimes I go to a vendor across the street from the school to buy a bite to eat. I have a favorite, and it costs me 500 won (which is about 45 cents Canadian).

Basically, most of the deep fried stuff you see from street food vendors need to be re-fried when you want it. So you pick one, give it to the vendor and he/she will deep fry it for you and put either sweet sauce or hot sauce on top after it's re-fried. My favorite snack has sweet sauce.

Since it's across from the school after classes have ended, some students have inevitably spotted me buying a snack once in a while. A few of them were amazed. "Teacher, do you know what's in that?" (quotes have been edited for grammar and clarity ;) )

I shrugged. "I don't know. But it's yummy, and that's all that matters."

The students then informed me that it was sticky rice mixed with pig's blood and cow lungs and intestines, all deep fried and put on a stick.

I shrugged again. "Oh well."

The students gaped at me. "I just told you what it's made of. Aren't you afraid?"

I looked at the students for the longest time. "Well... no."

"Why?"

I paused. "Well, first of all, I'm Chinese..."

I'm wired again

It sounds so weird, but I was without internet for about 4 days.

Yes. No internet. In South Korea. Holy crappola! Arrest that man -- he has no internet in the most wired country in the world!

But now I'm back with my new (non-free) internet connection, which gives me speeds of about 20 MB per second for about $17 per month. Well, technically it's $30 but they have a weird rebate system over here. Instead of rebating money, they give you money when you sign a contract with them. Once you factor that in and subtract that from the actual monthly fee, it's closer to $17 per month. Bless you, South Korea!

I also got a wifi router so that I can finally use my iPod Touch at home again, and also for use when/if someone (like family members) visit. That way, they won't have to share my computer to get online and have to dig through all my crap just to launch Firefox. But the damned wifi router's instructions and setup program are in Korean. Like, 99% is in Korean, except for random abbreviations like "ADSL" and stuff. So I'd like to password-protect my wifi but can't figure it out because, well, I don't understand Korean besides basic place names and "hello" and "thank you."

In a weird twist, my old internet connection got cut on the same night that I finally got a phone number. It was like sacrificing one form of communication for another. The best thing about South Korean cellphone service compared to Canadian service is that incoming calls are free. That suits me perfectly, because I tend to have a lot more incoming calls that outgoing calls. The only bad part is that my cellphone gets really hot when I use it for more than 15 minutes. Hopefully I won't have a big burn on my face after talking for a long time.

When the new internet was installed, the installation guy had to come into the apartment and poke his head out the window to check for something. I never had reason to do so, so I had no idea what it looked like outside. So after he went back to his truck to get something, I did the same thing... and apparently the network wire that connects into my apartment through a drilled hole near the windowsill leads directly to a power line. I was like, "Holy shit." I mean, it's not unusual to see a huge mess/tangle of wires above the side streets of Seoul, but now I realize that a huge fraction of those lines leads directly into apartments through windows and stuff. This city would be so screwed if it was in an earthquake zone, because the wires would come tumbling down together and the whole city would be electrocuted. Man.

Work is going a lot smoother now... I'm starting to figure out what works and what doesn't, and the students are getting more accustomed to me. At first they were a bit terrified. They still are terrified but at least they feel more comfortable with me now. There's a funny story with that, involving street food and the students, which I'll post later this week.

Oh, and I've fallen in love with Ellie Nash again. More on that later.

It's been one month

Well, it's been exactly one month since I landed here in South Korea. In some ways, the month flew by quite quickly, but in other ways, it seemed like a slow crawl.

It feels like a long time since I stepped off the plane at Incheon International Airport, but it's been only about four weeks. In those four weeks, I've spent time in orientation and training, moved from a hotel to the orientation venue to an apartment, went through the motions of worrying about whether I will get a shoebox or a love motel or a proper apartment, figured out how much things cost around here, and so on. It felt like a Jack Bauer day in 24.

There are some aspects of the culture that I'm getting used to, but there are still some days when the smallest tendencies annoy me. For example, a lot of people here seem to have no sense of direction. Yesterday, I was standing at the edge of an aisle at the supermarket. Nobody was around me except for a woman pushing a shopping cart. She is looking right in my direction and rams the cart into me. Then she looked all confused and surprised, as if to say, "Holy crap, where did YOU come from? I never saw you coming." I was looking at her, like, "Dude... I've been standing here for well over a minute. I'm wearing a bright orange shirt. How can you not see me?" But anyways...

My internet at the apartment has finally been cut off (as I was using a rather, ahem, free way of surfing the web until now, using a combination of VPN and a password-protected connection), so I'll be offline from home for a while. But I should be back up in a few days.

I also have a cell phone (finally). Those who want the number can send me a message and I'll give it to you. (If you are phoning from North America, you must pay for long distance charges, obviously.)

But there are good aspects too. My school has been spoiling me for the most part, and treating me like a king. I've heard some nightmare stories from Dave's ESL. I'm aware that negativity reigns supreme there, but I wanted to be cautious. My experience has been almost the opposite of every negative thing posted there. Case in point: Instead of trying to eek their way out of my contract's terms (as some schools try to do), my school actually looked over the contract a week in and realized that they neglected to provide me with some of the apartment furnishings mentioned in it. So with that, I got a microwave and TV for my place. As Borat would say: "Very niiiice."

And finally, the KFC here in Seoul tastes a lot better than the KFC in Canada, despite being around the same price. KFC in Canada sucks.