Muhak Massacre!

Masan is a small town with a big mountain called Muhaksan. Last week my friends and I decided (reluctantly, at least, on my part) to climb to the top for what we'd heard to be a magnificent view of 'Dream Bay', aka, 'Free Trade Zone'. Korean Tourism website developers have well solid photoshop skills. We met at the corner store and my friend told me exactly what we were in for:

Nevertheless, we tied out laces, filled our water bottles, packed our Gimbap (Korean picnic food) and set out on a marvellous, clear day.

We began positively, with Stephanie setting a cracking pace, Kristen in the middle, Shawn and I babbling away at the back, and Shawn loving the trees. It was hard work and, I cannot lie, I wasn't necessarily quiet about it. There was whinging and cursing and sweating and puffing, all the way to the top. And a contributing factor to the breathlessness was that I swore I could smell the pungent aroma of men's love juice! Every few metres I would get this 'whoof!' in my face and would run giggling like a teen; I didn't want to say anything because I thought my friends would think I was so sexually deprived I was inventing a SMELL in my imagination. Eventually though, I could stand it no longer, and asked quite casually, "Can anyone else smell cum?" to which they all burst out laughing, which is exactly what I was afraid of! Luckily though, Kristen is a hiker from way back and had experienced the same thing on other hikes; apparently its the perfume of a particular flower. So, we spent the next 100 metres sniffing out the source and Eureka! here's the little charmer:

Thank goodness it wasn't my imagination otherwise I'd be checking into therapy of some description.

We continued on our way and finally reached the peak, and it was really worth it...

Especially for the well-deserved Hite at the end!

Korean Killer

At dinner last night with Mrs Che, the discussion veered towards the food on the table and its individual health benefits. (Our conversations have to revolve around tangible subjects otherwise we get nowhere! For example, after dinner I was invited to join their family at the cinema for the Incredible Hulk (?) and was instead, quite surprisingly, dropped off in front of my building and bid adieu...no idea what happened there, I was looking forward to popcorn!) Her husband was telling me that we were seated in front of a myriad of cancer-fighting foods and spices: kimchi, garlic, pickled vegetables, green peppers, ginseng, dwen jan (soybean). He believes that if we eat these foods everyday we are making our bodies strong and we can beat disease, especially cancer. I believe that the foods have many health benefits but the fact that the incidence of stomach cancer is higher in Korea than any other developed nation makes me a little sceptical of the anticarcinogenic theory...

Ma shi tta (Delicious)

I'm beginning to feel terribly excited...only 18 more sleeps until I jet off to Osaka to meet Mum and Dad; I just can't wait to squeeze their cheeks and kiss them and look into someone's eyes who understands me! The people who I have met here are lovely *clenches teeth*, but there's no friends like old friends, and there's no friends like family. Its going to be some soul food for the next few months and I also get to plan some fun things for them to do while they're here in Masan.

Last night, I had dinner with my co-teacher and her husband and three daughters. They are a lovely family and every two weeks or so Mrs Che organises dinner for us because a) she is adamant I am lonely in this country and is kindly doing something about it, and b) her family want to practice their English. So really, it works out well for everyone. And last night she took me for my favourite Korean food (so far) - Samgyetang, which is the most delicious chicken and ginseng soup. The restaurant specialises in the dish and is very famous in Masan, and also Changwon, which is the next city. The setting is a traditional Korean house that had a small garden with shaped trees and a pond with Koi, which are so peaceful to watch. We were seated in a private room and they offered us some ginseng alcohol to begin with which, of course, is good for your health (even the alcohol content??). Very strong flavour. Our meals were served shortly (you never seem to wait longer than 5 minutes for meals in Korea) by women in summer Hanbok, the traditional Korean dress, who looked so adorable. The soup is served in a large stone bowl which is boiling away so as to finish cooking the whole baby chicken thats inside, along with slices of ginseng, chestnuts, pinenuts, spring onion, a non-edible date (Mrs Che seemed to indicate POISONING if eaten, and yet it was in the soup?) and a little rice. Yum-o. Thanks Mrs Che! I will definitely take Mum and Dad here.

Hard Crab Brains Good for Libido, Researchers Say

Well, thats fortunate seeing as it was on the lunch menu today. Or something not unlike I'd imagine hard crab brains to look. Though I'd always thought they'd be squishy...if they even had a brain. I have to say, it was remarkably large in comparison to their body. Maybe it wasn't even the brain! There was bodies and claws and clippers and jaws...oh my god, maybe it was the womb. Hard crab womb - I wonder what the researchers would have to say about that...

Sunday Sleep-in

When I first moved into this little room I loved waking up on a Sunday to the sounds of the 'ajumma's' selling their produce, the children playing in the streets and the monks chanting over the loudspeaker. Ha! That was before I started going out on the weekends and Sunday morning became what it used to be at home - a day to sleep in. A lazy Sunday morning in bed, reading, sipping teas, massaging temples, has come to a tragic demise. So now, I spend a large part of early Sunday morning hanging out my window, still slightly inebriated and only half-dressed, screaming at the insanity of it all. In every other bloody country I've spent a weekend, market day is Saturday; it makes sense for it to be on Saturday! But, given the fact that Koreans perhaps actually DON'T sleep, it seems unnecessary to dedicate a perfectly logical morning to snoring.

One more thing

I'd never think of listening to jazz either, but here in Korea I'm finding I do many a thing I'd never normally do, and right now, JazzUpLate is playing on my computer. I've never really been fond of jazz, too blipsy and blopsy and all over the shop. Does my head in like. But, eh. Its not like that's a new experience lately.

xx

Pedicures to pass the time...

I'd never really think of doing something like this...a blog, i mean, because

a) I'm not technologically inclined
b) I'm too lazy to change such inclinations (or lack thereof), and
c) Who is really bothered by what I have to say?

However, time is plentiful here in this hermit kingdom and rather than drinking away my thoughts and memories I feel this is more fruitful. This, and pedicures, my third of which I had tonight. My favourite part of going to the salon is seeing which colour the nail therapist's dog's toes are! Tonight they were an alarming orange, but so cute. I'll try and photograph next time...for your viewing pleasure.

An enlightening weekend

Annyeong! How keeps you? Well, I imagine, no? If not come to Korea, it won't be long before you get that way because EVERYTHING is good for your health....Eunji, why do you painfully eat whole raw garlic? Good for your health, Gemma. Why would you eat fermented food? Why do you eat live octopus? Why do you drink ginseng? Why, why why??? She says, Gemma, why you ask so much! Why you want to know so much? I say....okay. And smile. Poor Eunji, I say: Eunji, I'm sorry you had to get me for a co-teacher....your life is hard now! She says, no no no, but I dunno..

So life has been moving here, thats all really, just moving. I've met my share of inneresting peeps....spent the weekend in Seoul with a couple of them. My friend Kristen and I left Masan on Thursday to stay overnight in a Buddhist temple. We chose 'Golgulsa', which is the oldest temple in Korea and it is a Zen Buddhist temple that focuses on a martial art called 'Sunmudo' to assist meditation. It was AMAZING. We took a bus into the mountains and hidden amongst the trees is a small, beautiful temple and some sleep houses. We had some free time at first and watched some monks splitting tiles with their hands and chatted to some korean men, gawd only knows what they were saying but we all laughed alot! Then it was time for dinner and you have to eat everything on your plate; nothing goes to waste out of respect for the person who prepared it for you. A man from London didn't read the sign and tried to take his plate to the kitchen with food still left, uh-oh, bad idea! He said, "isn't it funny yesterday I was giving a speech on neuroscience to 5,000 people and having dinner with the president and now I am being yelled at by a Korean nun for not finishing my greens", i guess you could hardly call buddhism discriminatory. hahaha :)

After dinner we had such a great time; learnt sunmudo, it was so funny seeing us kicking our legs every which way, balancing with our arms and trying to breath properly and meditate all at once! And it didn't help our concentration levels that an Israeli television crew were there filming us! They were making a documentary about templestays in Korea for an Israeli t.v. station, so somewhere, someday I (or my red panties that kept sneaking out the top my pants) will be broadcast throughout Israel......

Since the intended outcome of Sunmudo was not quite achieved, we were instructed to spend 30mins, 'sitting zen'. Wow, that was tough. Its amazing how quickly your legs go to sleep! After this we watched the students perform sunmudo the proper way, it was so peaceful. One of the boys was only 12 years old and he had chosen temple life - been there for almost 2 yrs and the monks take care of him. His parents visit him every now and then; he seemed really happy. But I'm not sure how much it was 'his choice'.....

Early to bed and early to rise - thats life in the temple, and sure enough, 4am, BANG! BANG! BANG! on our door and various bells and drums start ringing through the trees...we were taken up to a deck in front of the temple and had 30mins 'sitting zen' whilst watching the sun come up over the mountains. I have never been anywhere so beautiful, natural and peaceful. I cannot even tell you what it was like. We then took a walk in silence through the mountain and then came for breakfast. Fermented cabbage is not my idea of 'delicious' at 6pm let alone 6am so i stuck to the rice. Finished every grain; nuns are a little scary you see, I think its the shaved heads. (Gawd, I'm going to turn into a grain fairly soon.)

So that was the cathartic part of the spring break......and WOW. But then we jumped back to reality - on the train to s.e.o.u.l. to ruin all our good work! Yay!

Seoul is cool; all young Koreans want to go to Seoul to university - I guess that explains why they have........44, oh lala. And also why they have some great markets with handmade jewellery, art, clothes, lots of fun bars and book cafes and a wicked buzz about the city. It was Buddha's birthday celebrations so everyone was out being zen and making lanterns, especially all the monks. I swear I've spent the last 4 days in half-bow. Need massage so-o bad. Doesn't help sleeping on the floor at temple too - aya!

Have made it home (sorry mama, I mean 'back') to Masan, the spring rains have begun to fall and I cannot wait to crawl into bed....if only I could have a frikin shower! Alas, the gym is closed....so will have to wait til morning.....

Long email, I know, but it was just such a great weekend and I wanted to tell you about it.....miss everyone lots, take care of yourselves....much love, gem. xxooxx

ps. did you know that the first sentence ever written in english was "this shewolf is a reward to my kinsman". in 450 CE.

When three weeks start to feel like forever...

It seems reality has begun to set in; I'm in it for the long haul. My space is small. But I was thinking last night, if it were any larger, I'd feel wasteful. If it were any smaller, I'd feel condescended. So, I like it. Plus its easy to clean. Plus its warm. Minus.......as I think I mentioned in the last email, along with a small apartment comes a small hot water tank (box). Of which the water coming out stays hot for approximately 5.5minutes. NOT enough time for washing both hair and body. So I've joined the gym. I've never joined a gym in my life and its not taken an interest in health and fitness to get me there but the fact that I can shower endlessly in steaming hot water! I love it :).

Regarding my work, I feel I am officially an English machine; a cog in the Korean wheel riding the tracks of globalisation. Fortunately, it is a really interesting time to be in Korea, there is such a vast difference between the old and the new and the government is trying to bridge this gap. (Quite literally actually; its amazing just how many enormous bridges are being constructed in the countryside!)

I teach at 3 schools - 1 in Masan City and 2 in the countryside about half and hour outside of Masan. The school lunches are amazing! Tasty soups and seafood, lots of seafood in Masan, and kimchi, I am addicted to kimchi. Its so good for you. There was a Korean astronaut sent into space recently (a woman actually) with only kimchi to eat for 10 days. Its like pickled spicy cabbage. Francis, I know the marriage proposal was there should I learn the secrets but darling, I don't think its ever going to happen! (As you probably well knew.) I asked my co-teacher for the recipe and she said only grandmas know how to make it. I was like "so why don't you get your grandma to organise a kimchi day?" and I got the blank look. We have alot of them. Then we move on.

My co-teachers are such lovely people. They look after me endlessly and we work really well together. They are young and fun and creative so lessons are enjoyable and we have lots of laughs. I find it frustrating that we can't communicate on a deeper level as I'd like to get to know them better, but I guess that will take time. We are becoming stellar at charades :).

On Wednesday afternoons, it is 'friendship gathering' at Masan City School. The teachers get together for volleyball (they love it here) and, after, some snacks and beer and soju. I must say, I am determined to excel at this sport. The friggin principal is ALWAYS spiking the ball at me so hard - hahahaha look at the foreigner who can't play hahahaha (admittedly, I'm all arms and legs flailing, not unlike giant orangutang) - and I cannot wait to get that ball back in his face!

Its Sunday today, and its shining with Spring rain. I love waking up on Sundays here...the monks broadcast their chanting over a loud speaker (quite random) and its so peaceful to lie in bed and listen. And the women bring their vegetables and seafood to the street and set-up a bustling fresh food market out the front of my apartment building: fresh fish swimming in big buckets, dried squid, eels, buckets of mussels and oysters and fresh tofu and vegetables....its lovely.

Ok, love and light to you all.

Hope its cooled down a little and Adelaide's ageing population hasn't dropped too much with the effects of heatstroke....

사랑

짐. xxxoo.

Oh dear, I've done it now

I've decided to begin this blog with a couple of emails that I sent home when I first moved here to Masan, South Korea...given the extraodinarily small memory capacity I have its probably the only way I can reminicse in times to come...

Finally, off on another adventure, and in typical emotionally unstable Gemma style, I managed to cry the whole way from Adelaide to Sydney...and hiccup my way through a few glasses of red...The only thing to distract me was the man sleeping next to me with a Tiffany's bracelet on... I'd been kinda staring at him because he was wearing a Tiffany's bracelet and I thought it odd and figured he was gay, quite rightly it turns out. I also noticed he had this mad stud in his ear, kinda like a silver button and I thought it was bvlgari so when he awoke I asked him about it. It was Tiffany's too! Ltd edition, and we were chatting and he was going to visit his b/friend for the weekend as it was mardi gras...so he cheered me up and distracted me and then I was ok...

Upon embarking the flight to Seoul I felt much more confident and excited. Went quite quickly and flew into Seoul as the sun was setting and what an amazing sight - the silhouette of the archipelago was otherworldly, so peaceful, perfect for me to keep the nerves restful for a little longer.

After commuting to Busan on the shortest, most guilty flight I've ever flown (I intend to plant 17 trees thus far) I was met by the charming Jae who insisted I was the most beautiful English teacher he'd ever met. No doubt this is because he's only met six people crazy enough to come to this hermit kingdom of spices and salt and seafood.

He and his wife drove me to my apartment in the Seoulian-proclaimed hillbilly town of Masan. We wound our way down the mountain to a sea of churches (the Irish never miss the advantage of a war-torn country ;)) lit by red-neon (of course) crosses, high/med-(we are in Masan)rise buildings and loads of advertising all in frikin Hangul. Nothing meant anything! Its quite surreal to look at something you know to be words and to have NOTHING pass through your mind. I am completely illiterate.

My dear co-teacher (not the Dear Kim Jong-il - what is with that title??) had been in to freshen and prepare my "apartment". I live in a 80sqm room - bed, dinner table, fridge, wardrobes, kitchen, tv, microwave all squeezed in around the edges. The separate "bathroom" consists of a toilet, sink, washing machine, clothes line and towel rack all in a 2x3m space. My shower is on the wall in this room and I'm yet to figure out how to wash without saturating everything! (I'm beginning to follow Dr Karl's philosophy that humans wash way too much whilst inadvertently building my immunity.)

Apart from the size its actually quite a warm, safe room. The building is full of students (the University is 5mins away) and apparently there is another foreigner somewhere...I'm thinking about leaving a note in the elevators to meet up with them...I'm dying for some English! I have a permanent headache from communicating in such broken speech. Every conversation is such hard work...its interesting to experience what some people go through when they are forced to move to new countries.

Some information for you:

1. i basically live in a ship yard.

2. 10mins from my house is masan's free trade zone.

These first 2 points equate to hazy sunrises and sunsets and people wearing masks...also blocked nose and puffy eyes...i look a sight

3.my apartment is small and clean and warm.

4. i shower over the toilet

5. its FREEZING - too cold to be showering over a toilet.

6. i haven't yet worked out the korean word for 'bar'. its too cold to not know the word for 'bar'.

7. they have american movies on tv.

8. hardly anyone eats dog.

9. koreans love their dogs. they colour their ears and tails in lovely bright colours and do their hair. (and PAINT THEIR TOENAILS!)

10. it is EXHAUSTING trying to communicate with non-english speaking people.

11. i think i'm going to like it here :).

Teaching will start next Monday...at the moment I am spending time at school with colleagues, learning some Hangul, interacting with children and conversing with the Principal who is desperate to learn more English. The Koreans seem a friendly, welcoming and kind people, I feel very safe here. And Mary, you need not worry - should any problem arise there are three churches a stone's throw from my place.

So much love peoples...my frikin Japanese Toshiba had to break in Samsung Korea so it is proving a pain to repair, which means photographs will be a while, as will a phonecall.

Keep in touch, send me any gossip, deaths, births and marriages.

로비 ㅠ (Love you) (I think)

Gem. xx and hug :).