The January Ahead

It's a freezing start to January and still lots of winter weeks ahead before things could potentially warm up. But I seem to be doing well staying warm this winter with my fantastic Marmot down coat I bought a few years ago. It helps to have a reliable coat, hat, scarf, boots and mittens to last through this season. I can't help but say I'm looking forward to the endless rain in Seattle, because at least it doesn't get too cold there!

January is going to be a month with Winter Camp, a week off and then back to regular work. I'm looking forward to camp, that starts next week. For one I miss the kiddos and also it's my last camp. I have the high levels this time with a few spunky kids in it that are really fun to be around. So I can't wait to get all goofy and giggly with these kids. I know that teaching and being in the classroom is going to be what I will miss the most when I leave.

I have a few projects I'm working on for the students. These are a few things I've planned to give and show them as a way of saying "thank you" to them, and so that they won't forget me. You'll see later on what I've been working on.

This month also means continuing to square away my plans for moving to Seattle. I have a lot for sale that you can check out at waygook.org. If you want anything please let me know. Other than that I already found a place to rent in Seattle and am super excited about it. I know it will be a cozy place for me and Tom. I'll consider posting more about it later.

Otherwise just hope to get to the pension office later this month to file for that....

And generally trying to enjoy my last two months here in Korea. Hopefully the weather will warm up a bit and I can take on more expeditions around town.

Hope your new year is shaping up nicely!

Anish Kapoor: Leeum Samsung Museum of Art

A mirror only reflects, it doesn't retain the image forever. However, Anish Kapoor's "Vertigo V & VII" made of stainless steel, do more than just reflect. They shift, morph and construe the simple view of yourself and surroundings into mind-boggling size and shape.

This work of art succeeds so well because it brought me into it by the way my reflection moved about it's shiny surface. You have to watch yourself grow and shrink, enter and exit as you circumambulate this larger than life sculpture.

But that's just the beginning of Anish Kapoor's current exhibit at the Leeum Samsung Museum of Art in Hangangjin. The work, "Tall Tree and the Eye" is so tall and bulbous you can't help but feel slightly miniature.

The spheres, seen above, seem to be a main theme of Anish Kapoor's work.  Not really mentioned in the brochure, but the shape of most of his works were in a sphere shape, if not close to it. What is so special about the sphere? Does it resemble the feeling of a womb? "Inside and outside" is a theme mentioned and indeed, the reflective mirrors, orbs all protrude and recess in such a way that is eerily encompassing.

One monumental example of this concept is the work, "Cave" made of Cor Ten steel. As you approach this work you do so cautiously because you notice it is balanced upright in a tilting manner and laying to rest on a horizontally-rectangular rod. Is this safe?

Curiosity takes you close to the work, just enough so you don't cross the "line" put down by the museum. And the work succeeds in drawing you in under the canopy of the deep steel opening. "How was this made?" You stare up in to the darkness looking at the differing shades as you notice the rivets and corners inside the piece.

Color introduces itself beyond the rust on "The Cave" on some of Kapoor's early works. Here you can tell he was fascinated with objects and their placement on surfaces, as seen in how these pieces seem to melt into the platform. "To Reflect and Intimate Part of the Red" mixed media and pigment.

That melting or dissolving into the ground transformed itself into other works on the walls. Looming large is a perfect yellow square, yet with a sphere punched into it's center. This concave beast, although smooth and in a "friendly" shade of yellow, seems to scream out into the gallery. You want to get up and climb into it or at least touch the smooth entrance of where the wall turns into itself. Titled, "Yellow" and made of fiberglass this was definitely a fun one to look at.

In the following work, "Untitled" of blue spheres attached to three walls, you definitely feel a trick of the eye as you get closer.

At first you think they are solid forms, but as you peer in closer they become shells of velvety blue. A color so dense it was as if looking up at the night sky.

Other works played more on these concave and obtuse forms, but the one cube above with the shattering splotch in the center, I felt, played tribute to the practice of casting objects.

Heading up the escalator to the 2nd floor you are greeted by the presence of a large wax circle that still has that smell of melting candles.

The work, "My Read Homeland" could look like many things to different viewers. It could look like a gigantic record player that is having a really bad day on Mars. It could look like what would happen if a teenager got a hold of too many red candles.

After reading the description the work makes itself more clear, of course.

Like the hand of a giant clock, a massive hammer makes one rotation per hour around a circular vat of red-pigmented wax, scraping and reshaping its surface in the hammer’s path to produce a vast, continually changing sculpture in red wax. ...As its title suggests, the work is a metaphor for the universal homeland, an organic place of creation and birth, rather than simply referring to the artist’s own homeland, India. 

I don't think it was rotating at the time I saw it, as I am sure that is something I would have noticed. I'm not sure if his wax pieces are a success, as the texture and material seem to detract from his other works that seem a lot about precision. This work hails from 2003, so perhaps it was during a time he was reaching out.

Overall, I enjoyed this exhibit but not as much as the Do Ho Suh one I saw last year. However, Anish Kapoor is one of the artists I studied in college, and it felt good to see a plethora of his works.

The show is running till February 4th, so why not head down to Hangangjin (Itaewon's neighbor) see the show and then grab a tasty bite to eat down the road. (That's what I did!)

Looking Back on 2012 Through The Seasons

This last year has been filled with ups and downs, adventures and good times with friends. When 2012 started I was mostly focused on the upcoming school year moving to 2nd grade. I was busy with planning lessons and considering the school year ahead as a team leader. At the same time I was single and getting accustomed to this new life style. As 2012 grew on I learned some important lessons and some good times.

I am going to take you through the last full year I experienced here in Korea, and I will do this by showcasing it through the seasons.


Spring:
In February I went back home to Florida and visited family. I was able to get away from the cold of Seoul and enter the warmth and sunny skies of South Florida.

I think that visit helped me understand how really far away I am from them by living here in Korea. I never had a family member visit me here and so I think I started to wonder if it was worth living so far away. The almost two weeks I had was a good time spent with my folks, but mostly I felt disconnected from everyone.

I didn't decide at that time to leave Korea, but I can see now that a "seed" was planted. As you can see I got to visit Washington D.C. and I have to say it was a lifetime experience. In fact my absence from America has made me become more fond of my country. I'm looking forward to heading back and being involved in the community, culture and history of where I live. I'm also looking forward to "reverse culture shock". But, let's move on.

When I got back to Korea it felt like I needed to continue to try and discover what this place has to offer. As spring unfolded I enjoyed the cherry blossoms and other blooms around town.

Springtime for me was when I realized it's okay to be a single gal. I picked myself up and headed out to explore areas by myself.  I also enjoyed the spectacular exhibit of Do Ho Suh's work at the Leeum Samsung Museum.

Not to mention the fantastic little Design museum I found in Hongdae, which gave me inspiration for my own artwork.

Spring, it seemed was a time for me to get out and explore and really spread my wings here in Korea. I went to Yeoju and Silleuksa for a ceramics festival, and found myself sitting atop a rock near a river reflecting on all that has transpired. Perhaps, this is where the "seed" for leaving Korea started to sprout. As I felt inside a growing sense that it was time to move on from Korea.

Summer:
A lot of people complain it gets too hot and muggy here in the summer. I for one don't mind it and love the summer season here. The bugs buzzz and the smells of green leaves pass throughout the air. It also means I can explore further out in Korea without thinking about freezing my butt off.

Summer started with finishing up a tumultuous first semester at my school. Let's just say I've come to appreciate those in managerial postions after being a team leader. Despite that I still love teaching and enriching my student's lives.

It was around the end of July when I made my final decision to leave Korea. As I ventured to Damyang for a taste of a bamboo forest, I brought with me the thoughts that this could possibly be my last adventure in Korea. All by myself out there in small-town Korea I was able to absorb this country's culture and people. I've always felt I was fortunate to visit the countryside as much as I did when I was with my ex, and so once again felt glad to be there.

Fall:
I would say fall started on Chuseok, which coincided with my birthday. When you think about it, that makes for a really magical year. I got out and ventured into the crowds at the Namsangol Hanok Village. I didn't mind the crowds and found everyone to be in a festive mood.

This is also when I enjoyed the company of others and shared memories in Korea. Friends come and go in Korea, but you learn to make ones that you feel will stick around. Unfortunately, I'm now becoming that friend who leaves. Sorry, everyone!

Once the end of October comes around the air starts to get cooler and you know winter is heading your way. I took to Hongdae and ventured into a newer part (Hapjeong). Here I was reminded of Korea's hip culture that never ceases to be edgy and fun.

I'll miss not walking through these sorts of neighborhoods again, and noting what changes have incurred.

But October also brought upon the KOTESOL Conference, where I discovered that the TESOL profession is certainly for me. It was here that I hoped to end up a lecturer someday sharing my expertise advice on teaching language students. Someday...

Let's see...in November I announced that I was leaving Korea and it meant that I was serious. I bought my plane ticket and started making all my plans to exit this country. It was also a busy time at work and with more team leader snafu's, but I made it through. Again more life lessons to bring with me back home.

Winter:
It's winter now of course, and as you can see not too much has been happening. I'm kind of keeping it that way as I need to save money for my move. But that doesn't mean I haven't enjoyed time with friends and a few adventures here and there. I am hoping to get to a few museums and exhibits before I go, just wishing the weather would cooperate a little.

But as this is my last winter in Korea I can say I'm ready to say goodbye to the snow and freezing temps.

As this winter will bleed into next year's spring, I'll be packing up my suitcases and heading off into the sunset. After writing about what happened this year I can't help but see how enriching and full it was. Even though I will be a busy student back home I hope to fill my time with adventures and discoveries.

Thank you 2012 and I can't wait for 2013. Good luck everyone in the year of the Snake!

source

Braved The Cold and Celebrated Christmas

For Christmas I braved the freezing temperatures and ventured into the Jongno area for some Middle-Eastern food and cupcakes. I met a like minded friend who wanted to enjoy this holiday season and we had a jolly good time.

We picked up cupcakes from Goodovening near Euljiro-1 station.

In fact I based my Christmas-fun location on the proximity of an Indian or Middle Eastern restaurant to a cupcake shop (that would be open). My favorite cupcake shop is really in Itaewon but they were closed this season, so I went with Goodovening. Their cupcakes are pretty good, except the cake is really dense.

Our dining experience was at Saffron in the area where Myeongdong starts (at the Ibis hotel).

From reviews I read online, people said this place was authentic and that the prices were decent. When we stepped inside we were seated at a table near the window, where we had a view of decorated trees. It was quite lovely and cozy.

Once opening the menu we realized the prices were certainly in the "special occasion" arena. Main dishes were around 20,000 won. Since my friend is vegetarian we ate mostly off the appetizer menu, getting the hummus mixed plate and falafels. I also ordered a vegetable curry and some naan and pita bread.

The taste was very good and quite satisfying. There were generous amounts of hummus and dippings on the plate to fill us both. Afterward we enjoyed the cupcakes, one a caramel concoction and the other a "bird's nest" of roasted coconut on top. I particularly liked the coconut one more!

We enjoyed a good amount of time sitting in the restaurant and catching up over old times and also talking about the future. It came time to move on home before things got too cold. On our way we enjoyed a Christmas tree in the lobby.

Yet what we enjoyed most wasn't getting our picture taken in front of it, but watching a couple spend a glorious amount of time photographing each other and posing in funny ways. Indeed, Christmas is a couple holiday in Korea, which is hard to explain to other people not familiar with it. So everywhere you looked there were couples acting all cute together. I'm over being single and wasn't really bothered by the site of it all. Christmas is still a special time of the year for me, no matter the status of my love life!

Well hope your holidays are shaping up nicely and so Happy New Year!

Heading Back to Being a Student

Looks like there is just about eight more weeks left till I hitch a ride back to America. I've done a lot of preparation towards moving and learning about Seattle. It seems preparing myself for Graduate school and becoming a student again has been on the back of my mind. I know that Graduate school will be a lot harder than Undergraduate school, but haven't really grasped that yet. In hindsight I don't really think there is much I can do to prepare for my upcoming school days, except buy some notebooks and pens.

However, I figured why not get a sense for the terminology and concepts of TESOL before heading into the classroom. So I went on iTunes and downloaded some "iTunesU" of TESOL lectures. The Teachers College at Columbia University offers some videos on the subject such as, "Action-based Teaching and Learning: An Ecological Perspective." So I packed up my notebook (the paper kind) and iPod and headed to my local Starbucks this morning. I figured the crowds won't be there till the afternoon and I could get some cozy listening in before the couples arrive.

As I sat and listened to the lecture it all sort of made sense to me. Although I don't know all the jargon he was using I was able to correlate the content with my own experience.  He had a chart on the projector that showed how one can go about lesson planning and execution. On one side was a "very planned" style where students know what to expect every time, and on the other side was more innovative styles. He said how if you stick to a rigid plan each class can become stale, and worse if you don't really plan and just "wing-it" your classes have no clear outcomes. Planning for innovation and exploration is more favored because students get involved and make real-life connections. He asked the audience where they felt they were on this graph, and to me I felt like I was somewhere in the center. I make really detailed plans but also change things up class-to-class. I've also found that I sometimes assess the students attitudes as the class starts and change up my activities or lecture to accommodate.

All in all, listening to the lectures and taking notes reassured me I can head back to school. It's been six years since I was as a student, and hope I'm not too rusty. I think I'll have a lot to input into the class as I'll be bringing my teaching experience with me. So I'm all excited to be heading back to school and also just jazzed up about getting more into this profession. :)

Korea's Future Without Me

The recent Korean Presidential election reminded me that this country's politics and future is going to roll on without me next year. I am surprised and proud of Korea for electing a woman President, but I know that it doesn't necessarily mean more rights for women in this country. However, with the figures for the number of people who voted this election I can see that people care about their country's future and want changes to come.

To be honest I'm not deeply involved in Korea's political scene or know in depth the problems Korea faces. However, I know that it's very expensive to get a house here due to many reasons and that I for one would like to see things change to help people settle down.

Korea has changed so much in the five years I have been here, and mostly in the commercial landscape. Take Itaewon for example, a town that when I first visited felt like an oasis for foreigners. This was because not many Korean people seemed to be there inside the restaurants and bars. I mean there were Korean people there of course, but when I mentioned "Itaewon" to my Korean friends their typical response was, "Is it safe?" Now Itaewon has become the hub of gourmet restaurants and swanky clubs, almost starting to look like Hongdae's outer areas of swankiness. This is all good and fine, but for those who remember Itaewon as it was it's a huge a change. My point I want to make is that I think Koreans have changed in a way of embracing Westernization and accepting Westerners here.

Anyway, I've learned in the past to not talk too much about Korean's and their opinions as some think I was wrong.

If I were to wish for Korea's future I mostly would hope that the country continues to prosper and also find peace with it's neighbor up north. Of course that can't be accomplished if North Korea continues to be as stubborn as it is.

Roboseyo has a good post about the election, which he put up after a slumbering period of no posts. Now Korea will have five years of President Park Geun Hye, and I hope she delivers what the people want.

As for me I'm heading home to my country where a fiscal cliff looms and guns laws need to be tightened. However, I am not afraid to return to my country in the state that it's in. Besides I'm moving to Washington State where they just legalized marijuana and gay marriage!