Jun 19, 2013

Rain Rain go away - Monsoon Season

Monsoon season. It has arrived and what attire was I sporting this morning when I walked out the door ? A summer dress , boots and an umbrella. A most bizarre mix match of attire for someone who comes from Cape Town especially since  I am  used to warm dry summers where floral dresses , sunhats and gorgeous high heels are  the norm. That seems to be nothing but  a distant memory now . Weather forecast for the next month ?  Rain , rain  oh , and  more rain with a humidity index having the capability of  reaching 90 %. So amped  , said no one ever.

Korea is a land of extremes in that the summers are  hot and humid and the Korean winter is cold and dry. Summer is hot and humid with monsoon rains beginning near the end of June and lasting until mid to late July. Summer temperatures can go over 38°C loooooovely . Ice cream,  watermelon and frappacinos are going to become my staple diet this Summer. 


So here are  the facts on cray cray Korean climate
  • On average, the warmest month(s) are July and August.
  • Most rainfall (rainy season) is seen in June, July, August and September ( Help)
  • On average, the warmest month is August.
  • On average, the coolest month is January.
  • July is the wettest month.
  • December is the driest month.

    humidity over the year

Average relative humidity in Gyeongju, South Korea   Copyright © 2013 www.weather-and-climate.com

Everyone in Cape Town feel sorry for me.





For the last few months I have been enjoying my morning cycles to school .  However with the torrential down pours  for the next month cycling to school  is going to be rather challenging and  I don't think the school would appreciate me showing up looking like a drowned rat. Solution ,a  waterproof poncho. Yip , i'm talking about that ghastly looking thing that Ugly Betty wore. It seems that Koreans are quite the fans of their ponchos and  are nothing short of trendy , cute  and dare I even say sexy . But oh the stress of choosing one. Especially in Korea where you coolness level and popularity is determined by your fashion sense. Ive been doing some online browsing searching for the perfect poncho and my goodness I have never come across so many different designs and brands in my life.
Women's Patterned Rain Waterproof Hooded Pack Away Foldable Portable Poncho
From polka dots , to floral , to animal print to hello kitty and even Disney . I kid you not they have it all. How much do one of these sexy items go for ?  I guessed maybe 20 000 won , equivalent to about R200. But oh how off my estimate was .Perhaps if you add an extra 0 you may get a more accurate  number  .True story. Ponchos in Korea can cost as much as 200 000 won equivalent to about R2000. Who on earth would spend that much on an item that is regarded as  socially unacceptable?  Koreans,  and perhaps even me.
Bring on the panchos , wellington boots and air conditioning.





Jun 12, 2013

Its a hard knock life - Ulsan Orphanage

I have always been one who  likes to get involved in volunteer work  especially  since moving  to Korea  I feel it is my duty to try and give back in some way.   For the last few months I have been doing volunteer teaching on Thursday evenings with some elementary students and I absolute love working with them. However ,  I felt like I needed to do something outside the realms of teaching . So on sunday I decided to join some friends at an orphanage in Ulsan. Now coming from South Africa and having been to plenty of orphanages in Cape Town I predicted that the orphanage in Ulsan would  be far less traumatic . Unlike the ones in Cape town  which are usually poorly managed , run down and where children rarely receive the care that they need. I arrived feeling very optimistic and excited to spend time with the age group  that I love so dearly . Anything from nappy age  to age 5 .

When we arrived , the orphanage was anything but run down , just as I had predicted.  A Big spacious building , entertainment room for the children , eating room and bedrooms. Clean , beautiful and full of  books and toys.
                                                                                                 




I was in awe. An orphanage like this was  just such   a foreign concept to me. The irony , this is how an orphanage should be.  We waited in the play area for the children to come through . It wasnt too long before we heard screaming and shouting from down the passage and  little boys pretending to be aeroplanes  " flying in" to meet us.  30 little bodies all rushing to hug us . My heart lept with joy!  For the next two hours we had to entertain these little "angels" It was love at first sight. I whipped out my camera and started snapping away. The most beautiful little faces I have ever seen all smiling at me as if nothing was wrong in their lives. Not even 15 minutes in and I was already getting emotional . Little did I realise just how much more emotional things would get.



Unlike South Africa ,  where the high orphan rate is due to AIDS or financial challenges , Koreas high orphan rate is largely as a result of the high divorce rate. Yes . Divorce in Korea often results in children becoming orphans. Sometimes it is genuinley because the single parents cannnot afford to raise the child. Then I spoke to the owner of the orphanage and what she told me broke my heart.  She admitted that most of the time  the parents or single parents   just don't want the responsibility of having to look after another human being. Yes , this happens in South Africa too but did I expect this from a first world country , one that prides itself on " togetherness"  and family , absolutely not. The worst part of all of this ?  Parents are still given full birth rights to their children . Which means these children cannot be adopted by anyone else and the parents are allowed to take the children  for weekends whenever they feel like it . Basically when it suits them.




I couldn't believe what I had just heard . It very soon became a reality when one little darling came through the front door with tears flooding down her face. I asked the owner why she was crying . It turned out that she had just come back from a weekend with her parents . Let me emphasise that she had not seen them in over a YEAR . So after a lovely two days with her parents she was returned  to the orphanage just like you would return a broken toy to the shop. I dont think words can explain how angry  , frustrated and heart broken I felt for this child. As if seeing her crying was not enough I tried to hug her and comfort her and their in her hands were  pictures that she had drawn of her parents. How can parents be allowed to do this to something so innocent and pure ?  Why is this allowed?  The most heart breaking thing that a child has to face in their life time  , rejection.  " my parents don't want me " 


 I have  now been in Korea for almost 4 months , and in those short for months my perception  has changed drastically. "All that glitters is not gold " a saying that I feel illustrates  Korean society pretty accurately.  The soju flows , Noribangs are full  but the two most important things that this society seems to have lost  ,  commitment and responsibility to family.


So the next time you having a bad day  at work , feeling unloved or just  feeling " depressed "  may this be a reminder to you  that  things could be far worse.  Its a matter of perspective.
 Count your blessings . whether it is to God , Buddha  or  Allah .  Just be sure to count them.
 I know that I am.

Jun 5, 2013

We are the champions

The Catholic University of Daegu.  This is where I spent my Saturday. Yes , I was doubtful as to how eventful this day would be and I expected the entire event to be a bit of a bore but little did I realise the day would end   with our school winning  the event and my priniple forcing me to drink beer out of the winning trophy. Classy.


Every two years All the catholic high  schools and universities get together for an interschools sports day.
This year it was held at the Catholic University in Dageu. 7 am start to my Saturday. Not ayoba.
The day began with a  1 hour Korean mass service.  for the most part I was unable to understand the sermon and started to dose  but  over the mircophone I heard  ' NO PAIN , NO GAIN '  a 4 simple letter phrase that I happen to base my life on . This phrase hit home harder than usual .  I didn't need to  understand the rest of the sermon , because I was pretty certain that he had summed it up in those 4 words.

Feeling more optimistic after hearing my favourite quote  we proceeded to have a lecture by the Gyeongsangbuk minister of education. Another hour of Korean and not understanding a thing . However I sucked it up and remined myself that it was the minister of education standing infront of me which is  a pretty  big deal . It was only after the lecture when things really started looking up . All it took was a free slab of chocolate with the Ministers face on it to put a smile on my face. Little did we realise that more free food would be coming our way.

Cheering for our school !

The afternoon started off with the national warm up routine. Yes,  Korea has a warm up routine that every pupil and teacher needs to learn. In neat little rows like a group of school children we all did the warm up . Arms swinging and legs kicking and necks rolling. It really was quite a sight . I felt like I was taking partin s a very large aeorbics class. The afternoon consisited of a variety of games that our staff members particpated in . From volleyball , to table tennis and traditional korean games they had it all.



My claim to fame . Drinking out of the trophy.
After receiving our trophy the  high school and middle school staff  took over an entire restaurant and we indulged in bulgogi ,  beer and soju on tap! Now I've never really bonded with my principle as he cannot speak any english and I never know how to say to  him . However on Saturay this all changed very quickly  when he insisted that I drink beer out of the trophy.  First thought  " totally unacceptable for a teacher to behave like that " second thought " The principle will think I am very rude if I turn it down" Yes turning down alcohol in Korea is regarded as very impolite  Now dealing with some hectic inner conflict  " do I  look like a bad teacher and drink   or look very rude and turn down the offer from the principle"  , I decided to weigh up the pro's and conS . The verdict ? " ah la teacher you are first female foreign teacher to drink from trophy , well done "  Well thats just great I now not only looked like a bad teacher but no other foreign teacher had done it before either.  I very quickly started regretting what I had done and felt really guilty . Then I heard shouts and cheers . I looked up and there stood the  school priest and one of the nunss  drinking out of the trophy.  All guilt I had had  very quickly evaporated.
Convents in Korea are just something else.



Bonding with the principle and Lobyn