Going Mobile

Hello Kitty and festivals involving nudity and genitalia

2010-03-17T20:32:00.000-05:00

First things first: I have a new article up Matador Trips! I know you've all desperately wanted to know about Hello Kitty attractions in Japan and Taiwan, so I've gone through the very hard work of scouring the Internet to formulate the Hello Kitty Tour. If you have spare funds you'd like to donate to a worthy cause, I would love to use your money to sleep in a Hello Kitty hotel and eat sweets shaped like cats wearing ribbons.

At left are Christmas presents from my host family to prove that, yes, I have a real addiction, and, yes, they do exacerbate it by sending me more Hello Kitty things than I could ever find use for. I have Hello Kitty wine glasses. Wine glasses.

Today is St. Patrick's Day, which for most college students is another excuse to drink heavily and engage in some reckless behaviors. But for cleaner, more perverted fun, one could visit Komaki, a Japanese town shortly out of Nagoya. Every year on March 15, citizens gather to for a penis festival that celebrates fertility and the harvest. Check out an article and slideshow about the event here; the girl in red on photos 12-14 is actually a friend of mine.

Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the penis festival when I lived in Nagoya in 2008. However, I did attend Hadaka Matsuri, or the Naked Festival, which is also held outside Nagoya. Check out some of my photos, which surprisingly display no nudity.

Doesn't this just look like a motivational poster?

Basically, one naked man is chased around by many men wearing loincloths. If they catch the naked man and touch him, it will give them good luck. I believe in this festival, the naked man had scraps of fabric that the other men tried to get. Once the loincloth-men obtained the lucky fabric, they ripped scraps of it to give out to the crowd. This guy traded some of his for a cigarette.

I got a strip of the pink fabric, but I'm not sure how lucky the festival really was. Apparently there were several hospitalizations because of the bitter February cold (and water was splashed on the barely clothed men in order to "purify" them). Additionally, a couple yakuza members showed up for the ride. As if the festival wasn't rough enough!

The Stupidity of Comparing Experiences

2010-02-21T21:39:00.002-06:00

Over the summer, one of the craziest things I was asked was whether I liked Korea or Japan better.

How do you answer a question like that? Two countries with a history of bad blood between them, and you want me to say I like one better than the other? I may be crazy, but I'm not that stupid.

Of course, it's a little more complicated than just picking a favorite, as well. I had two completely different experiences in each country, and both of them were stressful at time but utterly fantastic.

1. Long term versus short term
While I lived in Japan for about five months, my time in Korea was limited to only a month. And let's face it: half of that time was in quarantine, a quarter of it was for a job, and almost all of it was decided by someone else but me. I felt that while I had seen a lot in Korea and had certainly experienced a lot for such a short amount of time, I still didn't really understand it. My time in Korea was gone so quickly, I could hardly digest it. It was delicious breakfast I had to eat super fast, or else I'd miss the bus. In Japan, I had a bit more time to sort of adjust to life, a bit more time to breathe and think, "Oh, so this is how things are here? Not so different, after all."

2. Student versus teacher

I went to Japan as a student during a study abroad trip. Now, no matter what anyone ever tells you, there is no such thing as a stay in a different country where your classes are the hardest thing you have to deal with. Even in the beginning of my stay, when my Japanese language ability was pitiful, getting over culture shock, making my needs/wants/thoughts known and just getting by on hard days when I was home sick or physically sick were much harder for me to do than get through class. When life got easier, my classes were easily pushed off to be done in the morning or perhaps after I got home from meeting my friends and going to a concert. Being a student was easy.

Teaching brings along a whole new set of responsibilities: I owed it to my class to be prepared, enthusiastic, and ready to help, even as plans were constantly changing and I was exhausted. Rather than being an opportunity for me to learn about language and culture (although teachers always inadvertently learn from their students), my stay in Korea was first and foremost, a job. I had to conduct myself as a professional, not as a kid. On the bright side, though, I got paid.

3. Independence versus dependence
That being said, it's not as if my stay in Korea afforded me any more independence. When I was quarantined for two weeks, we were not allowed to go off the grounds of the camp site, unless we hiking (of course, those rules were at time stretched to their limits). During the time we worked at the camp, we worked from 8 in the morning to almost 9 at night. When we had free time, the Korean staff decided how we would be using our time. For example, we were allowed one day where we would have a couple hours off. Instead of letting us choose how to spend our time, we were rushed through the bamboo garden, taken to a restaurant and billed for the adventure when our paychecks came. Even in the one week vacation time had very few opportunities to seek out our own entertainment.

A bus in Nagoya decorated with kids' drawings

In Japan, I was more independent in certain ways. For instance, I could choose where I was going to go, where I was going to spend my money, and how I would spend my time. However, my allegiance to my host family probably kept me within the bounds of acceptability. For example, if I got sick with a cold, you could bet my host mom would make sure I'd be wearing a face mask on the train. I would keep my curfew (and there would be hell to pay if I didn't). I kept myself from doing things simply because I didn't want to make my host family worried. For instance, I knew my host family wouldn't be mad at me if I got drunk. However, I didn't want to put myself in any situation that could lead to me getting hurt, being taken advantage of, or embarrassing them. So I kept the drinking for when I was traveling with friends.

Additionally, when I lived in Japan I had my own room. I could carve out a space for myself and be alone for a bit, and I didn't have that in Korea, which was kind of hard for me. Sometimes I just need space to think on my own.

4. Food
This is both a matter of my own taste and a reflection of the manner in which I traveled in both countries. My host family in Japan cooked for me or alternatively, brought me to nice restaurants. They were pretty obsessed with making sure I was eating right, and introducing me to new foods that I came to love was a source of pride for them. Although much of this was at their own expense, I was paying for them to feed me.

In Korea, everything was at the expense of the Korean government. That means almost everything we ate was cheap or cafeteria food. Many of my students wouldn't eat what was served at the Damyang camp: the fare was both repetitive and, while digestible, not appetizing (the food during quarantine was actually much better). When we were sightseeing, we traveled to nice restaurants with good food, or alternatively, horrible, greasy buffets. I had so much disgusting, heavy, fried pork that I thought I wouldn't be able to eat tonkatsu with miso sauce when I got back to Nagoya (don't worry, I managed).

5. Prices
This one is easy. Things in Korea are much cheaper. It was awesome.

6. Communication
This one is also pretty easy. I don't speak pretty much any Korean, but do speak enough Japanese to get around and have a conversation with people. Being able to understand people gave me an added sense of control over my surroundings, although when I was not able to make myself understood in Japanese, it certainly made me feel a little impotent.

Covering subcultures in Japan

2010-02-19T21:46:00.004-06:00

I have a love/hate relationship with the mainstream media's coverage of Japanese fashion subcultures.

Sometimes the outlet does a really great job of portraying a subculture, such as this Wall Street Journal article and video on himegyaru and this fantastic New York Times piece on the lolita fashion circle in New York.

But sometimes, coverage of a subculture ranges from anywhere between sloppy and poorly reported to inaccurate and exoticizing.

Full disclosure: when I spent time in Japan in 2008, my interest in lolita fashion helped me make friends in Nagoya. At the school I attended, Japanese students had classes on the Japanese school schedule, where foreign students went to school for the typical September-May calendar common in America. For this reason, during the spring semester, it was months before we were on campus with any Japanese students.

I didn't really click with many of the other foreign kids, so my participation in the lolita subculture was a very vital way for me to make both Japanese and English-speaking friends. I estimate that I dressed in lolita fashion about twice a week.

Being a lolita myself and an admirer of other Japanese fashions such as gyaru and mori girl, it rubs me the wrong way when I see articles on youth subcultures that just aren't what they could be. But as a journalist, I can surely understand how some of these mistakes are made.

I'm sure covering fashion isn't the biggest priority for foreign correspondents. I can see how it could be seen as an easy article to pay the bills while working on something bigger and more important, such as an article about politics or social issues.

In my opinion, though, stories about pop culture are important, especially when thinking about how the media frames stories about Japan. Japan is seen as an eternal paradox: we think about the low birthrate, the conformity, the salarymen and then on the other side there are men who wear lace or carry around body pillows with pictures of naked anime girls on them. Japan is portrayed as either sexless or sex-crazed, conformist or just plain fucking weird. The in-between isn't really noted because it's not interesting. Journalists don't think of normalcy as news, and because of that, news about Japan tends to send a message that all of Japan is extremely polarized.

It is extremely crucial to take these pop culture stories seriously, if only because one-sided coverage can so easily push a story into that dreaded "weird Japan" narrative instead of humanizing people who obviously have a story to tell.

Earlier this month, the New York Times ran a story called "Cult of the Living Doll in Tokyo" that contained several inaccuracies and did not present an educated view on Japanese fashion. The thing is, this is not an isolated incident, and reporters frequently make mistakes like this all the time. I've gone through the "Living Doll" article and pulled out some of the most glaring errors.

1. _____ Fashion is anti-woman.

In the West, a somewhat condescending verdict on Japanese women has long been that they are too submissive and doll-like. For close to a decade, the Japanese media have exhorted women to fight against this image by toughening up and coming into their own.

In the past year, however, that kind of talk has been increasingly fallen on deaf ears among some young women who actually aspire to look like dolls.

Probably the most annoying and offensive stereotype I read about Japanese fashion is about how anti-feminst certain subcultures are. Views on feminism are obviously going to differ from person to person.

No matter if a style is considered sexy or doll like or if its participants are considered flirtatious or passive, what's entirely important to note is that these girls, for whatever reason, have chosen to present themselves in a way that outside society does not usually find permissible. What's more, these girls are dressing to make themselves happy at the expense of being found sexually attractive. Although I doubt most mori girls or gyaru dress a certain way to further a feminist agenda, they do inadvertently rebel against gender roles and mainstream society simply by dressing how they want.

Foreign mori girls on Livejournal weighed in on the NYT article and shared my concerns about these fashions being seen as an excuse for women to act weak. It's patronizing to assume that someone thinks a certain way based solely on clothing.

2. Easily curable inaccuracies

The Ageha, or swallowtail butterfly, girls, began to appear in 2008 and show a similar mistrust of the real world. Their aim is to look as much as possible like the blow-up figurines men buy online, only with flamboyant makeup.

This is why simply searching Google is extremely helpful. Despite the article's assertion, there is no fashion style called Ageha. Koakuma Ageha is the name of a fashion magazine that specializes in agejo fashion, a type of gyaru (gal) fashion that is commonly worn by those in the hostessing industry. My guess is that it has also been around longer than 2008, seeing as the magazine itself has been around for longer.

The link with agejo to the hostessing community is something I personally wondered was not expounded on in the NYT article, seeing as though it is talked about quite frankly within the Ageha magazine. Although in no way are agejo trying to look like blow up dolls (and I think most would be rather insulted by the suggestion that they would try to look like something so tacky), there is a sexual side to agejo fashion because of hostessing's ties to sex work.

The other perplexing thing about this article was this snippet:

“I like it when everything about me feels artificial,” said Kiyomi, 23, who likes to buy her clothes at Jesus Diamante, a boutique specializing in the Ageha look.

Jesus Diamante is known primarily for its association with himegyaru style, not agejo. While there are some crossover in hairstyles and some brands, the way the fashions are put together is entirely different.

To make it a little easier to see what I'm talking about, the background dancers in this video are models from Koakuma Ageha. I'd say that they look as much like blow up dolls as any beauty pageant contestant: not at all.

This is himegyaru style in which the girls are wearing Jesus Diamante:

3. The false dichotomy

...Some young women who actually aspire to look like dolls.

They are divided into two distinct genres: the increasingly popular “Mori,” or forest, girls, and the “Ageha,” or swallowtail butterfly, girls.

This makes it sounds as if Agejo and Mori girls are reactions against one another, which is not true. This also makes it sound as if the main purpose of agejo and mori girl is to look like dolls, which also is false. Both styles do take some doll-like elements, but that is not purely the focus of the look.

Does this agejo picture from the Japan Times look any more doll-like than what would be found on the runway in Western countries? What about this photo of mori girls?

On the subject of doll-like fashion, there is an obvious void about this article -- mori girls and agejo aren't the only fashion that utilize a doll-like look. Lolita fashion often uses doll imagery in its photo shoots, printed fabric, and even in the cut of the dresses themselves. If any Japanese fashion is trying to look like dolls, it is lolita fashion.

Okay, so what can be done?

Talk to multiple people involved in the subculture in both Japan and abroad.
Google search everything, and don't rely on other mainstream media depictions of a subculture. They probably have it wrong too. Instead, look at homemade sites, blogs, Livejournal, and Mixi for information. These places are more likely to have insider information.
Don't just skim the surface when it comes to finding sources. In the foreign lolita community, there is one blogger in particular that is notorious for being very good at marketing herself as an expert lolita even though her reputation within the subculture is that she's both uninformed and extremely rude. I understand it's hard to weed out bad sources, but it becomes a lot easier to do so if you talk to multiple people.
Talk to shopstaff at the brand stores and check your information out with them. They are meant to represent a brand, and thus, a subculture. It is their job to be up-to-date on the latest trends, and they don't get positions in popular stores without being a part of the subculture itself.
Don't assume you know their reasons for dressing a certain way. Don't try to make up a narrative to connect things that shouldn't be connected. If it's just fashion, just let it be fashion. Let their own quotes speak for themselves.
These are subcultures, so make sure you let your readers know that this is not the norm. How are these subcultures seen by people on the outside?
In short, just leave your own expectations at the door and talk to as many people as possible.

Back in Japan-- Kozo's view

2009-11-03T01:06:00.003-06:00

I'm not done with Korea yet, but I figured that since my timeline is all kinds of screwed up, I might as well post a slideshow of the photos my host father took in Japan. Check out the captions for my running commentary!

Sorry Mom and Dad (NSFW)

2009-09-28T23:11:00.009-05:00

After finishing camp and meeting the governor at a dinner, all of the teachers took a trip to Jeju Island. It was a really beautiful place that I hope I can come back to at some point. Honestly, my time on Jeju Island was strictly controlled and somewhat sanitized -- a twenty minute stop at some beach, a forty minute bus ride, a thirty minute stop at a park, and so on. All day. All tourist spots. I do have photos of these places, most of which I don't remember that well, and I'll get to posting them later. Forgive me if I sound ungrateful; going to the island was a great experience. But after working 10 days straight from 9 in the morning to 9 at night, I wanted to spend my time in Jeju peacefully, taking my time to see the sights I wanted and straying from the group of 70-something teachers to meet other people.

For the most part, this didn't happen.

Luckily, nights were free, and I vowed to myself that I would go to the place I've wanted to go ever since I looked up Jeju Island on Wikipedia.

I was going to Jeju Love Land.

Proceed only if you are 18+!

Jeju Island, located south of the Korean peninsula, is a volcanic island that's a popular honeymoon site for Asian couples. For this reason, Love Land was built as a kind of sexual-education site for tourists. The outdoor sculpture park is, indeed, very graphic and educational, but it also had a strong sense of humor about sex in general. The overriding atmosphere communicated, "Hey, newlyweds, we know you're scared about all of this, but don't stress! We'll show you how fun and how funny sex can be!"

I journeyed to the park with Jessie and found a group of three other very laid-back girls from our program who were also looking around excitedly. It was late at night, and we only had an hour before the park closed. Nonetheless, I was pretty impressed with the people I saw there. There were groups of young adults and couples. They all looked at the statues, laughed, and took photos, but I never witnessed any behavior that made me uncomfortable or that was disrespectful.

It seemed so symbolic. Here I was on this newlywed's paradise, stuck eating at the same cheap, greasy buffets and being hustled to many locations without ever fully being able to digest the scenery. It was a pathetic, neutered way of traveling. Of course I needed to be liberated at a park -- away from the buses and the crowds and the tour guides -- as I looked at images of wild sexual abandon.

Danse de caractère

2009-09-28T22:58:00.006-05:00

Over the summer, I've been working on contributions for Arabesque, a zine focusing on the idea of otome, which is Japanese for maiden. The zine is finally finished and is taking pre-orders!

More details and pre-order information here!

I contributed some photos and reflections about my time in Korea and wrote a blurb about the souvenirs from Japan that meant the most to me. The zine contains a little of everything: fashion, photography, comics, academic articles, translations of Japanese stories, travel reflections, and cooking tips. I hope you pre-order a copy so we can make another issue! I, personally, had a great time, and I want to see it keep going! Everyone involved is extremely talented, and I was so privileged to work with them.

Big Bang Class

2009-09-13T21:51:00.011-05:00

It wasn't the landscape of Korea that made me love it. Rather, it was the handful of kids in my homeroom class.

I was blown away. I don't really have much teaching experience. I wouldn't categorize myself as someone who loves children. I'm the oldest cousin on my father's side of the family, where each of his five siblings have had two or three kids. I don't go out of my way to work with children, but after two younger brothers and a boatload of cousins, I can handle them.

Maybe I should have known. When I was in high school, I volunteered for a week at a Catholic elementary school that had a very large population of black and Hispanic kids. I was "Miss Balerie" and the most adorable children on the planet would hug me, try to climb up my legs, play with my hair, and sit on my lap. Looking back, I felt like I didn't do much teaching. I read with them, checked their work, and monitored them at recess. But they taught me about themselves and their family and their ideas. I saw their teachers encouraging them to color pictures of Jesus in any colors they wanted, and I watched as a myriad of different colored Jesuses were drawn. I laughed when I cleaned up the desk of a first-grade teacher and saw she had saved a picture of the world, drawn in dark colors and surrounded in black squiggles. It said:

I want to destroy the world with my hands. Destroying the world gets me mad.

I asked the teacher if she worried about the child who drew such a dark, commanding picture. She smiled and said this little boy obviously just had a deep soul and needed to express himself. I learned about teaching that day.

Similarly to my experiences volunteering in America, I felt my task as a teacher was just as focused on encouraging the kids and giving them a space to grow than on helping them learn English. I was an ambassador of American culture, and as long as I could make the kids like me and want to talk to me in English, they would improve somehow.

My class was so quiet the first day that I felt a bit discouraged. Somehow, distinct personalities emerged and gave the classroom a personality all of it's own.

From left: Jenny, me

Jenny: Jenny was the only student to choose her own English name. She was quiet and a bit distant, but so smart. I rather liked her, probably more than she liked me, if only because I was the same kind of awkward, brainy girl at that age. While the other kids struggled to write about their experiences to her parents, Jenny had written a complex letter detailing how complicated the camp situation was for her. She liked learning, but she missed home. She gave it her all, but I hope she's not pressured too much at home.

From left: Rita, Clara, Veronica

Rita: Rita wrote on one of her assignments that she wants to be a teacher when she grows up, and she certainly commanded the classroom. She was my other very smart girl, but she also had the gifts of physical ability and leadership. She was rather talkative and strong-willed, and kept the boys in line. I think she has the talent to do pretty much anything she wanted.

Veronica: Veronica was this tiny, cute little thing. Somehow, I don't think she understood how tiny and cute she was, because everyday she'd pinch my cheeks and say, "Teacher, cutie!" She was good friends with Clara. The two had the same haircut and would often walk together hand-in-hand. The height difference was hilarious.

From left: Clara, Veronica

Clara: Clara was tall, a good dancer, and pretty smart in her own right. She taught all of the students the Wonder Girls dance they performed in the Camp Idol assembly. Her and Veronica were pretty boy crazy, and they told me which boys they liked. In a true mother-hen style, my co-teacher and I would gossip about how our girls were way too cute for those boys anyway!

From left: Vivien, Lucille, Sophia

Vivien: Vivien was my sweetheart. She was the slowest to get her work done, but she tried so hard to learn. Vivien always wanted to sit next to me, walk next to me, or hold my hand. On one of her assignments, she wrote about wanting to be a writer when she grew up, which only endeared me to her more. I think her quiet, observant, demeanor will help her with that.

Lucille: I loved Lucille! She was so funny, and perfectly suited to be named after Lucille Ball. Very physical, she was good at sports, dancing, and bullying the boys a little. She was close to both the guys and girls in the class, and was much sweeter and affectionate than her rough, outgoing presence made her out to be.

Sophia: Sophia was a bit of a chameleon. She was friends with all of the girls and would slip within each group fairly easily. I never got to know her that well, but she seemed like a listener, the type of person everyone likes to be around because they'd rather hear about you than talk about themselves.

From left: Lawrence, John, Won Bin

Won Bin: He chose the name Charlie, but I never stopped calling him his Korean name. He just looked like a Won Bin to me. He was pretty much our class mascot -- cute and funny and so short! He always completed his written work fairly well, but every time I talked to him in English, he'd just say, "What?" in Korean. Sometimes, I would intentionally come up to him and talk very rapidly using harder English just to see him get indignant. Everyone gave him a hard time because he was so popular.

Lawrence: Lawrence was slow, cute, and sweet like a teddy bear, and he reminded me of my littlest brother Joe, who I'm very close with. Lawrence was too shy and quiet to talk to me, and I didn't want to embarrass him in front of the other boys, so I kept my distance. But every time he smiled, it reminded me of my little brother and made me incredibly happy.

John: John was smart and athletic and, at first, totally cold to me. The first day of games, I tried to give him a high five, and he refused. He was a bit mercenary. When I bought my class ice cream, he and Won Bin were absent because they never sat with the class and always finished early. John was outraged that I would leave him out, and when I told him I'd treat them next meal, he informed me that he wanted two packs of gum instead. Such a brat! Of course, on the last day, he almost made me cry. He asked me for a high five.

I wasn't the most popular teacher in the camp. Jessie had a fan following of boys who would chant her name at assemblies and write declarations of love for her on my board:

But the popularity Jessie had with the boys I had with my class and a couple groups of girls in other classes. Whenever boys began cheering for Jessica, I knew my class would cheer for me in response. When the teachers did a skit during Camp Idol, my class all put their hand in the heart shape for me, and when I sat down by myself at a party, girls from my class and another swarmed me and started fighting over me.

I hope they remember me, continue learning English, and visit the U.S. someday.

Swear I'm Not Dead...Promise

2009-09-08T11:47:00.002-05:00

I'll be back with at least one update tonight. Until then:

Now imagine a group of 12-year-old girls singing and dancing to that song.

That was my homeroom. I'll introduce you to them soon.

Continental Drift

2009-08-26T02:52:00.008-05:00

So I'm going to be boarding my flight back home in about an hour or so.

The whole experience seems a little unreal. After all, in a month, I've come to Korea, taught elementary school students, was quarantined by the Korean government, and visited some of the country's most rural, urban, and exotic places. And then I went back to Japan, met up with my host family and a good friend, and visited a couple new places.

So many new experiences. Not all of them were fun, but none of them were bad. If anything, I've learned so much about myself in the small space I've had to think.

I wish there was more time to see more, meet more people, go out more, shop more, write more, take more pictures. My month of experiences is full, but woefully inadequate.

A week back at home is fine. Then, give me a plane ticket back, and let me plan the trip. Let me bring my people and adventure around. Oh, I can only dream!

I'm hoping in the next month to retroactively blog about the experience, including these subjects:

My experiences in Korea vs. Japan, and why it's unfair to compare them
Korean hospitality and drinking customs
Teaching in Jeollanam-do, a candid, realistic look at what happened and what to expect
My elementary school students and camp life at Damyang
The tour we took at Jeju Island, including the personal stop I took at Jeju Love Land
Seoul, or at least the little bit I saw of it
Gujo Hachiman and Bon Odori
Swimming with dolphins
Japanese fireworks
Reuniting with host family and friends

And I'm sure there will be even more besides that.

It's hard to explain how I'm feeling right now without a long, long explanation about what's happened, what I've learned about myself, and what I want in the future. I am happy I made the decision to come here; I've been able to meet some wonderful people and have experienced a truly beautiful, friendly culture here in Korea.

Unfortunately, I was only here for a short time and was in a large group of Americans. A lot of time I felt like I had little autonomy over what was happening, where I was going, what I was seeing, and so on. I didn't understand a lot of the decisions that were made for me, and I learned that questioning the status quo was only going to get me into trouble. Because of this, I feel like I was never really allowed to immerse myself in Korea's culture. The times where I had the power to do and see what I wanted were limited. Everything in the program kept me at arm's length from engaging in Korean culture with native citizens, and I am so thankful for the Korean people who reached out beyond this barrier and truly welcomed me with everything they had, whether it was kind words, help finding a location, or free food and drinks.

I was so surprised to realize how much I loved teaching and how much I grew to love my homeroom. After this, I would feel much more comfortable applying to teach someplace in Asia. But could I do another short, government-controlled program with a large group of Americans? I'm not sure. I think I'd rather make it a longer stay independent of the herd, one where I can learn at my own pace as well as teach.

Am I ready to go home? I guess about as ready as I'll ever be. I am so tired; mentally and physically I really haven't had any sort of a break. Yet I'm unsatisfied leaving so much unfinished, as I always am. It's as if I've been reading a novel and was told to stop right before the climax! Hopefully the near future has more adventures abroad in store.

Tadaima

2009-08-24T04:33:00.005-05:00

I wanted to write a post a couple days ago, but I haven't had time to do much of anything.

Do I have to say how much I love being back in Nagoya? Honestly, this feels just as much a home to me as St. Louis. I haven't traveled here, I've lived in this city, studied here, had fun here, and was challenged more than I ever have been anywhere else.

The subways smell familiar. I feel comfortable in the crowds here, not crowded. For the past three days I've spoken nothing but Japanese, and even though it's been difficult, I haven't really noticed myself struggling to understand.

I wish I had more time here with my host family, with my friends, and with the city. I want to see it at night, in the early morning, go shopping, and walk around its streets all day.

I love Nagoya more than I ever expected to. It's so passed over; most people in America don't even know it exists. Yet there's a certain charm here and also in St. Louis. It's a city you want to live in, not visit. It becomes more beautiful and interesting the more time you spend, slowly unfolding its beauty like a flower in bloom.

I'm a bit homesick in a way that's difficult to describe. I don't want to leave here; the thought of it makes me a little sick to my stomach. What if I never come back? What if something happens to my host family while I'm gone? And the biggest worry: when am I ever going to be able to bring my mother here with me? I want her to see this place that I've come to love so much. It's the one thing I'd love to give to her after she's sacrificed so much for me.

Nonetheless, I leave for Korea tomorrow. A night in Seoul, and then I'm back home and free to recount all of the stories I have piled up to tell you.

I Could Be a Contender...

2009-08-13T04:18:00.002-05:00

Expect a full post later on tonight, but look:

How to Fight With Your Host Family

I'm a published writer!

When in Doubt, Dance.

2009-08-08T09:56:00.005-05:00

I have great story about Tuesday to tell, but it's going to have to come later. It was just so strange, so epic of a day that I want to recount it for you with all of the details and pictures that a day like that should have. You know, those great days that come out of nowhere because the people you meet are so incredibly interesting? That's why I love traveling, not because of the great scenery. Although I have photos of that, too.

So far I'm really loving it here at Damyang. It's certainly not a big, cosmopolitan city with lots of things to do and places to see, but there's actually buildings, bars, cafes, grocery stores, cars, and people. If I venture out of the college, I pass a bamboo forest, walk down a bridge, and go past little stalls serving street food such as fried fish, barbequed chicken, and fried green tea pancakes that taste like funnel cake and are filled with melted brown sugar, honey and finely chopped nuts.

My camp is amazing, filled with such a great mix of energetic and laid back individuals. And I absolutely love my co-teacher, Ja In, who speaks great English and has been a very good friend and co-worker to me. On the first day we met, she offered to take me to Gwangju to shop, but we weren't allowed to leave until the principal arrived at camp. We missed our chance to go, but she bought me ice cream and chips at lunch that day. Later on, we went with Jessica, another co-teacher, and other native English teachers to a hof, which is what they call bars. We all had a bottle of beer and ate fried shrimp, melon, and fried pork.

Yesterday I met my homeroom, and they were so quiet at first. However, I think they're really starting to warm up and have become more talkative. I have seven girls in class and three boys, and the girls are such bullies. One boy is really cute and endearing in a way that is at both rebellious and a little embarrassed. Everyone in class loves him: loves to talk to him, hit him, make fun of him, volunteer him to do something, or whatever. He won't speak to me in English very much, but he'll tell me stories in Korean about how he got punished by the discipline teacher and had to go over eighty frog jumps.

The girls are so sweet to me. They're teaching me the Wonder Girl's "Tell Me" dance, and ask me energetically, "Teacher! Valerie! Do you have a boyfriend? How old are you? Ah! So young!" During the activities tonight, I volunteered to help with a demonstration (I stood in a line). When the emcee announce my line, my class cheered for me and laughed when I gave them the heart symbol in return.

Besides teaching a shopping class, I have to organize my kids to do an English song and dance. We're using the aforementioned "Tell Me" song in English and the popular dance. And, oh yeah, the girls are making the boys crossdress. And we're going to throw candy. It's going to be awesome.

I taught one other class today besides my homeroom; a quiet bunch of kids, once again mostly dominated by girls. As soon as I asked them to teach me dances from 21, Girls Generation, or Wonder Girls, their affection for me and enthusiasm for my class doubled. All of the girls were trying to teach me the dances or trying to get my attention so they could tell me jokes. "Teacher," they said, and pointed to a friend of theirs. "She's my grandma. She's 76 years old and has a bad back."

A cute, chubby boy from that group would try to talk to me every time I was near him, but it seemed like he didn't know where to go after saying, "Hello. Nice to meet you." He probably said this to me in some variation about 20 times, and each time was even more adorable.

What else? A girl from the class I'm teaching tomorrow drew a cute picture of me and gave me a hug. The food here isn't very good at all. We don't have our own rooms after all, but I do have air conditioning, internet, and the dorms are in much better condition. I'm happy here.

Ah, I just love these kids. They are so, so funny. Teaching is so hard, and I feel like most of the kid's language skills aren't good enough to pick up on the english used in the camp, so having the coteacher to translate is more normal than I would have thought. However, I feel like if I can at least make my kids excited to learn more, I've done my job well.

Oh, and I got another email from my host family. Apparently we're going to Gujo Hachiman, an old town that has preserved a lot of old Japanese traditions. We're in time for the Bon Odori dance festival, and we're going to eat grilled eel, or unagi, which is one of my favorite foods. This trip is shaping up to be amazing!

The day I learned the Korean words for "beautiful" and "beer."

2009-08-07T07:24:00.027-05:00

This post was written on Aug. 7th, and edited over a month later. I'm so sorry for the wait.

Life in Korea changed immensely for the better when we left Wando. In fact, the day we left Wando was one of those wonderful days that starts good (we're leaving Quarantine Island forever!) and ends epically.

Our first stop away from Wando was the Boseong green tea "theme park" that was actually an organic green tea farm. We had a short uphill hike to the top of the hill, where you can see sprawling lines of tea plants. A forest of tall, thin cedar trees enclosed the park.

Afterwards we looked in the gift shop and I had a green tea milkshake made from the farm's green tea. It was a bit strong for a lot of people, but I'm used to bitter, earthy Japanese green tea, so the sweet flavor of the ice cream was almost unexpected.

Next we made a trip to Nagan-eupsong folk village, which was filled with old huts and old, wrinkled Korean women trying to sell you herbs, fruit, nuts, pottery, or trinkets. Most people were bored, but for me, being surrounded by old Asian ladies is like heaven. When old women coarse, rude, and mean, I laugh and admire their spunk. When they're nice to me, a foreigner, for no reason other to show me hospitality, I feel utterly touched.

This next statement might seem like a non-sequitur completely unrelated to what's come before. However, it's upon this next statement that the rest of my wonderful day was born. If I had one lesson to teach you about Korea, it is this: find the most beautiful foreigner you can and attach yourself to him or her like the plague. Mind you, this has to be a person that would be considered beautiful in the country you're staying in.

Coincidentally, the person I have become closest to on this trip is one of those people. Jessie is pale and blonde with an gorgeous complexion and angular features. Personally, I think she's quite pretty, even by American standards. Here, she's a bombshell. We were quite unable to shop anywhere without people remarking on her beauty. I think that sort of thing is contagious. After a while, I, too, was getting comments about being pretty, even though I had never received any attention in Korea up until that point and do not have any of the features Jessie has. I honestly think perhaps I was beautiful by association, which led to conversations with Koreans I wouldn't have had otherwise.

So Jess and I were already having a great time, walking around, shopping, and trying to figure out what people were saying to us. We heard a noise coming from some bushes and decided to pursue it. A family was sitting at a gazebo and we watched them for a minute before an older woman waved us over to sit by them. She was pretty adorable, with 80's clothes and a wide, contagious smile, and she wasn't bothered at all by the fact that we couldn't speak Korean. Instead, she just kept smiling and talking at us, while her son translated for us. "She says you are like a couple of dolls, so pretty," he said. And she rumaged through her bags and pulled out an ear of corn, presenting it to me with a wide, Cheshire cat smile. Stupidly, I took it with one hand, a disrespectful gesture I've been trying to control. I bowed and thanked her profusely in Korean to compensate. Should I eat it now? When would be the proper time to put it away? I thought it over while another, unrelated old man came over, apparently interested in what two young, pretty American girls were doing in Korea. The old woman didn't seem to be listening as her son explained to the man who were were; she just smiled more and pushed over some candy to us.

Skip ahead to the night, of which there are sadly very few pictures. We were in a great mood, and we went out into Suncheon, the third largest city in the province (though probably closer to a suburb in size). Jess and I left our hotel together (the Lexus Motel, using the car manufacturer's logo in what must be an appropriation lawsuit waiting to happen), and we decided to find a shabby bar to hang out in since most shops are closed. Our wish was granted; we found a tiny hof with cheap beer crowded with men. We each drank a bottle of beer (bottles here are quite big, probably more like a wine bottle), and decided to split a bottle of soju (closer in size to an American bottle of beer). We took shots; it's easier to drink than Stoli and gets you drunk even quicker. By the end of the bottle we were ready to stop drinking but having a great conversation, venting about our experience so far and just talking about life in general.

Then a middle aged couple came by and asked in Korean if they could sit by us. The woman seemed to take a liking to Jessie, and would hug her all the time and kiss her on the cheek. She had this nervous habit of moving her fingers and hands around, and she most definitely did not shave her armpits, but the couple was friendly and bought us soju and the hot chicken wings I had been eyeing even thought I was too cheap to buy for myself. We poured alcohol for each other and Jessie and I were literally force-fed (really, they were stuffing food into our mouths). When Jessie left for the bathroom, I knew I had to go too. Was this couple crazy, creepy, or just awesome? How much more soju should we accept? I stood outside the bathroom door, thinking that a small, crappy bar is bound to only have one toilet. At least waiting for my turn would be less awkward than shared silence with strangers.

While I waited, the table to my right, made up of about six drunk, rowdy, twenty-something Korean boys, started up a conversation that went something like this:

Them: You are so beautiful!
Me: Thank you.
Them: How are you?
Me: Fine, thank you. You?
Them: Where are you from?
Me: America.
Them: You're so beautiful!
Me: Um, thanks.
The Drunkest Guy: I LOVE YOU!
Me: Er, right.
Drunkest Guy: Shiiiiiiiit.

Eventually one of the women working at the bar pulled me into the bathroom to show me that yes, there was more than one toilet, which Jessie was still using because it's probably easier to achieve peace in the Middle East than to use an traditional Asian toilet while plastered. If someone has some tips on this (or on how to bring peace to the Middle East, for that matter), please email me. These toilets, which you have to squat to use, are hard enough for me to use sober. But this is a squatter in a bar, which means it's filthy. And it's a squatter in a Korean bar, which means that people don't flush their toilet paper, they throw it out in the trash can next to the toilet. It was foul.

We decided during this ten minute period that we should probably thank the couple and refuse any more alcohol; after all, we had a midnight curfew and the situation was sort of uncomfortable as it was.

Walking back from the toilet, we passed a middle-aged man on his way to the men's room; he bowed hello and I think we responded in kind.

Bad idea.

Five minutes later, he was at our table with two bottles of soju. Thankfully the table to my right seemed to have forgotten about our existence, but the two guys at the table to the left also seemed to have lost their inhibitions. They translated for us that the couple wanted to leave soon, but that they wanted to take us to do karaoke with them. Oh, and they said we were pretty. We tried to explain and mime that we needed to go home and sleep, but the woman didn't get the message until her husband and one of the bartenders escorted her out of the bar.

Jess and I paid our tab, which came to about nine dollars total, and excused ourselves quickly. We spent another thirty minutes walking around in a circle and gushing about how awesome it was that we could get so much by doing so little. I consider it Korean hospitality. We were in a part of Korea that doesn't get a lot of visitors or tourists from Western countries, so we were obvious outsiders. In bigger cities such as Jeju Island and Seoul, we didn't get quite the same level of attention.

The next day was a bit of a blur. Due to a message that never quite got to us, we were late getting on the bus. Jessie and I got a couple dirty looks, but I wasn't bothered. Over the past few weeks in quarantine, I think the two of us had gotten a reputation for being a bit distant and introverted. We weren't spiteful people, but sometimes a little seclusion helped us stay sane. Going out and adventuring felt like a bit of a secret that the Korean people we met would keep for us.

Wando had me worried, but my doubts were dispelled that day. I loved Korea.

This Quarantine is Over

2009-08-02T21:52:00.020-05:00

If you would have asked me ahead of time what quarantine was like, my answer definitely would not have been middle school. And yet, somehow, that's almost exactly what this feels like.

Don't get me wrong, the other teachers are all very nice. But there have been some things happening lately that I really hoped I would have left behind in the U.S.

Last night we had a formal dance, complete with superlatives (I somehow won Best Dressed and not Most Sarcastic). We all paid about the Korean equivalent of $2 to drink a couple glasses of cheap Korean beer and soju. Well, I should say almost everyone. Some people, who are allowed the privilege of going to town with the Korean staff to pick up supplies, get to buy their own alcohol for themselves. Once the alcohol was finished and only a couple people were drinking, I went to bed. I figured that no matter where the night was headed, watching a bunch of drunk people was not going to be the entertainment I wanted. The night before, the same group of drunk people with the private stash ended the night singing a rousing rendition of "Living on a Prayer," or as they referred to it, "Living on My Wiener." When you witness that sober, you realize you can only take so much.

Unfortunately, after I left, people brought out more beer.

And then even later than that, the group of people with the stash were so intoxicated that they blew off fireworks in the hallway of the dorms. And I'm not talking about firecrackers. I woke up thinking that they must be outside blowing them off. Because no matter how drunk someone is, who is that stupid? Apparently I've just never been that drunk.

I personally like to drink. I don't get out of control when I drink, but I think a little excess once in a while is a good thing, especially as a celebration. But most of the time, I feel like a bystander. Watching a bunch of drunk people, especially those who can't seem to control their actions, is not what I came to Korea to see. And I just don't think it's fair that only a select few of us even have the option of partying to that extent.

And of course, I don't want to ignore that if anyone had been hurt by the fireworks, it could have really reflected badly on the Korean staff. As much as we've talked about the importance of respect in Korean culture and helping those around you "save face," I couldn't believe that the people involved would have done something that could have made their Korean friends embarrassed.

Oh well, it's over. We're addressing it at the meeting tonight (since a couple of people involved didn't show up to the morning meeting), and hopefully something is done to clear the air.

Yesterday wasn't all that bad, though. Jessica and I finally went to the arboretum and for the first time were surrounded by Korean people. Korean people in Korea? It's crazy, I know.

It was a weird feeling. In Japan, I could at least understand when people were talking about me and the basics of what they were saying. Here, I feel as if I stick out like a sore thumb without even the knowledge of the language to protect me and give me power. It's a little humbling.

There was a lot of buildings around with exhibits on bugs and plantlife native to Wando, but I actually preferred being outside and watching the people.

Little cultural things never fail to amuse me. Did you know that you're not supposed to take out, but not dump the "gaberage?"

Now you know.

Definitely the biggest adventure was going into a small convenience store. The Korean lady in charge had no qualms about getting in our personal space to welcome us and to show us how wooden, rolling-pin-like massagers worked. We saw a most excellent bottle of alcohol:

I tried to take a photo of the label that wasn't blurry or had strange reflections and ultimately failed. It reads, "I waited for you for a thousand year." That's how devoted this alcohol is. Still, no matter how many year went by, it still looks amazingly smooth.

Jess and I picked out a couple of the most adorable, childish drinks, paid the confused cashier, and sat outside to people watch. A couple about my age made ramen together, an old man finished his coffee and cautioned us against using the machine since we didn't have a cup, and Jess and I realized that all Korean people wear hats with huge brims on sunny days. Pale skin is still seen as very beautiful and desirable. Poor me and my olive skin; I don't have a chance!

There's not really much to say about a beautiful place that images can't express for you:

Tomorrow we're leaving Wando and are heading to Damyang. On the way, we're taking a cultural tour! Tomorrow will be a visit to a tea farm, a folk village, and even a stop for shopping. Finally! Let me be a consumer again! Let me take a photo of something that isn't all green and blue!

200 Pounds Beauty

2009-08-01T09:41:00.013-05:00

On Wednesday night, I watched the Korean film 200 Pounds Beauty, a movie about a 200-pound girl with an ugly face. Hanna works as a phone sex operator and is the singing voice of Ammy, a mean, manipulative pop star. After a hurtful prank causes Hanna to lose face in front of Ammy's attractive manager, Hanna blackmails one of her phone sex clients into giving her total plastic surgery. She goes into seclusion for a year and works off literally half of her body weight (there are scenes with a newly beautiful Hanna jumping around the house in one of her legs of her old jeans). Her face is completely reconstructed.

The result is a beauty that is so pure-looking it looks all-natural, and so silicone-enhanced Hanna becomes Jenny, a pop star who has never had plastic surgery.

200 Pounds Beauty is a movie that was difficult for me to watch without thinking of the cult of beauty both in Asia and America. Based on a Japanese manga, the movie depicts the sad truth of how little ugly, obese women are valued and unfortunately fails at delivering a message of inner-beauty and self-acceptance. Sure, the most beautiful thing about Hanna is her inner-beauty, but the movie never lets us forget that her success as a singer could not have happened without plastic surgery.

Although it was described to me as a comedy, the jokes are sometimes dark in subject nature and were at times offensive to me as someone who believes women should be valued for who they are.

Hanna's best friend repeatedly fat-shames her, despite being "overweight" and "unattractive" herself (I personally thought she had her own quirky charm). After being swindled by her boyfriend, the friend overdoses on pills in an attempt to commit suicide. It fails, even though (as her doctor pointedly reminds us) she took enough pills to kill an elephant. In the movie's closing scene, she reveals her own wish to have total plastic surgery.
Hanna attacks her friend's boyfriend, in what is probably the most gratifying scene of the movie. For the first and only time during the film, a male is confronted with his own deceitful, shallow behavior and is punished for it rather than a female character punishing herself. The moment is short-lived. Hanna's manager breaks up the fight, and the boyfriend threatens to sue. In response, the manager rips up Hanna's skirt, musses up her hair, and pushes her out of the elevator. "I told you if you dress like that, it's an invitation to rapists," he says. Um, is that supposed to be a punchline?
After her plastic surgery, Hanna learns that even though she has become beautiful, she will be looked down upon for having gone through plastic surgery. "You're a monster," her friend tells her, and Hanna is painfully aware that the man she loves would not accept "unnatural" beauty in his own girlfriend. Like Frankenstein's monster, her body is a somewhat grotesque amalgamation of different beautiful features. She is afraid to have sex, because her plastic body could betray itself or become spoilt. Jenny's "natural" beauty is somewhat scary -- her flawless face, large almond-shaped eyes, small upturned nose, and pouty lips seem like they were ordered out of a catalogue rather than owned by a living person. At the end, Hanna is distraught. She's changed so much of her appearance she's lost her identity.

What bothered me the most was the lack of ownership Hanna seemed to have over her own decisions. Everything of consequence that happened in the movie happened because she was pretty, ugly, or fat. Even choices Hanna made, such as getting plastic surgery, were made to please others, not to have power and autonomy over her own body. The film reminded me of the U.S.'s short-lived tv show The Swan, which featured female contestants who got several major plastic surgeries and competed in a beauty pageant. Entertainment media noted that it was unfair and sexist to take women with low self-esteem, give them drastic makeovers, force them to compete against each other, and provide only temporary counseling. Sure, entertainment plays a role in enforcing unattainable standards of beauty and encouraging making jokes at the expense of "fat" or "ugly" girls. However, society also finds it much easier to sympathize with the "after" than the "before."

I'd like a double cheeseburger with bacon and mayonaise, fries, a side of mayonaise, and a Diet Coke.

2009-07-31T07:58:00.005-05:00

We're finally getting a little information about our situation.

Basically, we are going to have at least one of the camps, most likely the elementary one. Afterwards, the touring will proceed as usual and I will be able to visit my host family as scheduled. Of course, this is all subject to change.

This week has passed by so slowly, with only the internet and hiking as things to occupy my time. We're hopefully visiting a city at the beginning of next week, and our quarantine ends tomorrow. I wish they would let us take a cab to a city or something, but one of the Korean staff members here found out about some Wando residents protesting our presence. I doubt anything is in the cards until Tuesday.

I am so sick of the food here. I'm sure Korean food is great, but this cafeteria food is driving me nuts. All I can think about is eating a big cheeseburger, some fajitas, thick slabs of cheese and salami, or some pasta. I think my trip to Nagoya will definitely involve a visit to Mos Burger for two teriyaki chicken sandwhiches, fries with mayonaise, and melon soda. Toward the end of my stay in Japan, a friend and I would eat lunch there once a week and get donuts afterwards. Somehow, despite the globs of mayonaise, I still kept losing weight. Hooray for an active Asian lifestyle, right?

I'm sorry this post is so boring; but I feel as though this week has been boring. I'll be posting a review of the movie 200 Pounds Beauty tomorrow; that's about as near Korean culture as I've come this past week.

In the meantime, how about an adorable Chinese song?

No News is Good News.

2009-07-28T08:01:00.003-05:00

So I was pretty lazy today and didn't do much but sleep and go on the Internet. It's raining super hard here, so I didn't get to go hiking or anything fun.

I did learn two things that really made me happy, though.

1. An editor from Matador Abroad, an online travel magazine with really great articles, contacted me to let me know that she wants to publish the article I wrote. I'm officially a paid travel writer, guys! It's a small start, but a good one, and I'm ecstatic. Of course, when it's finished, I'll be sure to link it here.

2. I've lost ten pounds since I've come to Korea about a week ago. I was really surprised, but I guess I shouldn't be. I lost 15 pounds in Japan (most within the first month), and gained about 25 on my return because I didn't really take care of my body. This time, I'm really going to work hard to maintain a healthy weight that I'm comfortable with.

On the downside, something is wrong with my camera. Everything looks fine, but when it takes pictures everything is all white. I'm really worried I'll have to buy another camera (probably a less expensive one that isn't as nice). Ugh. I have horrible luck with technology.

Here by the sea and sand, nothing ever goes as planned.

2009-07-27T04:52:00.001-05:00

Here's an update on our status.

Last night I got my swine flu test results back, and I am negative. Unfortunately, the other two who were tested were positive.
Today a group of workers were dispatched to clean all of our rooms and wipe down any visible mold with bleach, which should help a lot.
Construction on the building has stopped, and all the trash in the back should be gone by tomorrow.
We are all starting Tamiflu tonight. Tamiflu won't prevent swine flu, but for those who have it and haven't shown symptoms, it will help fight the virus quicker. Most of us have decided to take Tamiflu, and we all will be tested for swine flu in five days. Those who pass the test will be able to move on! This is incredibly exciting to us, because we thought we could be quarantined indefinitely until seven days after the last confirmed case of swine flu.
After the quarantine, we will be given the choice to go back home early. Our first camp is cancelled, our second is probably cancelled, and after the quarantine our group will be touring Korea for a period of time. Which sounds great, except if someone starts showing signs of swine flu again, rumor has it we may have to start over.
We will be getting compensated for the first camp, and our two representatives are working to make sure we get compensation for the second as well.
We have contacted the U.S. Embassy and have someone working on our case. She's making sure most of our requests are met and has been sending daily updates.

Personally, I've taken the Tamiflu in the hopes that I can get the heck out of here quicker. I am in needing of urban comfort and excursions that aren't athletic in nature. Please, can I go see some art or palaces or go shopping or something? This post needs something fun, so how about a song from King Crimson? Oh, and I realized I had two emails from my host family around the time I was sick, warning me to take care of my health. My host father's email was in English, for some reason, and made absolutely no sense whatsoever. However, it did show me something that's waiting for me at their house:
More Dragonball Z merchandise? Just what I needed!

I sent an email to them telling them that I had been sick and that we are currently quarantined for swine flu, so plans might change. I'm hoping this doesn't completely freak out my host mother, who is a nurse and who's already worried about my health on account of "Korea being so much different than Japan."

I Was Cured, All Right

2009-07-26T00:52:00.002-05:00

Right now I feel like a mixture of this:

And this:

I feel absolutely great today. Of course, I got tested for swine flu (will know the results tomorrow), and then the news comes out that the first camp is definitely cancelled, quarantine will be extended to a period anywhere from five to seven days (that's if there are no more swine flu cases that appear during this quarantine). Depending on the Korean media, the next camp could be cancelled for some stupid, overblown reason as well. If that happens, I heard they may take us on a tour of Korea instead (presuming we are well). Hopefully, if something like this happens, I will be able to change my flight and still make it to Japan. I'm really worried about everything now, but I'm just trying to stay positive and keep healthy. There's nothing I can do to change anything except to help out and stay safe.

We're still getting the $250 stipend for the first camp, and our rooms are going to be outfitted with wifi. Yay!

A friend and I took a hike through the forest today, and we decided to walk down the creek, which was beautiful and cool. Yes, Mom and Dad, I walked down a creek in water that was sometimes up to my knees, as unlikely as that seems for my personality. The water was so refreshing and the force of the water made it a little challenging to navigate down the little waterfalls and stepping stones. However, it was much more relaxing for me than climbing up a mountain. Definitely the best part of Korea so far, but then again I prefer quiet excursions with good company than the big group hikes so many others like to take.

Update, 10:33 p.m.: I just got my test results back. No swine flu! The sad thing is, I'm the only negative test out of the three that were done today.

Swine 09, What a Fine Time

2009-07-25T09:49:00.001-05:00

I'm about to go gonzo journalist all up in this.

So you know how I was joking about swine flu?

Guess what? Three of us have tested positive for it. The announcement was given today, after a talent show and pizza dinner amongst all of the teachers. As you can imagine, the atmosphere in the room went from positive to almost completely downcast. About the only thing that has remained the same is my fellow teachers' solidarity. Everyone is concerned about everyone who is sick, saddened that we probably will not be able to teach the first camp, and a little pissed off at the lack of answers we have been getting. I cannot fault the Korean staff or the American head teachers; all have been great advocates for us. But we've been stuck quarantined on an island in a moldy building going through construction with only each other for company. Some of us have mold allergies or sicknesses agitated by the poor state of the facilities here, so another week of quarantine here is an absolutely foul idea, in my mind.

Since I have had cold symptoms, I've had to move rooms with a girl with similar symptoms. I've been feeling much better today, and with another night of sleep, I think I'll be fully recovered. If I have swine flu, I would easily be treated as well. I am not worried about my health. I'm not exactly pleased with the state of my room, though. It's completely covered with black mold. Not exactly the best place for two people with cold symptoms.

No one is sure what will happen next. A meeting will be held tomorrow to figure out what our options are. I am hoping that if we are further quarantined, which will probably be the case, we will be moved out of this building and into nicer facilities. Some people just want to leave and give up, but I honestly feel robbed of a great cultural experience. I was so excited to learn about Korean people and culture and am worried that if this excursion ends prematurely I am going to be left with a bitter, ugly, and incomplete picture of Korea.

I will update you all as soon as I know more.

Update, 12:43 a.m.: I changed rooms. No more mold!

Sick of Being Sick

2009-07-24T05:03:00.001-05:00

I should have brought more cold medicine. At least, I think it's a cold. Maybe I'm allergic to the mold in the building, like a couple other girls are, but I've never been allergic to anything. Either way, I feel a bit better today than I did yesterday, although I feel worse now than I did in the morning (maybe it's something in the air at night that's making me have a hard time breathing). It's no fun being sick; I felt extremely homesick and irritable yesterday. Now I'm just trying to take it in stride and have fun. Being miserable isn't going to make it go away quicker.

Either way, people here have been so nice about it. I've been sneezing, coughing, and blowing my nose constantly, but so many people have offered me medicine, vitamins, cough drops, or even just pleasant conversation.

The past two days have been teaching orientations, which are informative for me and boring for you. Well, boring for me, as well.

On Wednesday, a Korean woman came in to teach us how to sing traditional Korean songs and use the janggu, a traditional drum. We learned how to sing Arirang, a song about a woman scorned by her lover. Unfortunately, I grossly misinterpreted the English lyrics the woman put up. "This is not a children's song," she said, and everyone laughed. Somehow I felt this must mean that the lover's feet had hurt because he was exhausted through other forms of exercise. Maybe it's just me; judge for yourself:

Arirang, Arirang, Arariyo...
Crossing over Arirang Pass.
My lover who abandoned me here
Will not walk even four kilometers before his feet hurt

The other great thing about this woman was her fantastic bling.

I'm so excited to get to Damyang and start camp (and be out in civilization again). Wando is beautiful, but with the rain, the quarantine, the lack of businesses, the mountains, and my current cold, it's incredibly isolating. Part of me doesn't really feel as if I'm in Korea, the culture is so far away right now. I don't feel any of the sadness, loneliness, or homesickness I felt so acutely in Japan, but I so far I haven't felt that amazing high that comes with connecting with someone very different from you or making a foreign place home. I'm hoping that changes soon. And if not, there's always my trip back to Nagoya.

I want my mom, a Disney movie, and a cup of chicken soup.

2009-07-22T05:21:00.001-05:00

Swine Flu update, part 3: I don't have it.

However, I do feel crappy today and will save a full update with pictures until later tomorrow. Stuffy/runny nose, congested, headache. I took some sinus pills and will be going to bed early tonight. Hopefully that does the trick, because I need to stay healthy.

Today was by no means a bad day, but I'm getting cabin fever from being shut in a wet, moldy building all day (maybe this is all allergy related?), and...

Scratch that. Karaoke in 30 minutes. Perhaps I'll shower and stay up a little later.

I am going to learn this dance:

Be scared.

Wando Camp: Where Moths Go to Die

2009-07-21T05:53:00.001-05:00

Today was the first day of orientation, proceeded (of course) by the second round of swine flu check-ups. We stood in line again to have our temperature taken, and I was slightly bothered that one of the nurses was sitting down at the table, texting with her mask off while the other was working. When she was finished, of course she put the mask back on.

"Temperature is 36.7 degrees."

"Okay."

"Sore throat? Muscle ache?"

"No."

"Runny nose?"

"I feel great."

Afterwards, we sat and learned a bit about how the camps work, received our teaching materials, and got a lesson in Korean culture by Suk Su "Steve" Kim, a charming man who spoke poorly of his English, even though he wildly succeeded in being quite funny (sometimes even when we wasn't trying). After a while, I stopped taking notes from the powerpoint presentation, and started writing down quotes.

On kimchi:
"No one in South Korea has died of swine flu...because of kimchi."

On democracy in South Korea:
"Too much democratic now. That's my opinion."

On Confucius:
"I read his book. Not his book, his disciples' books. Many times. Very useful."

On Buddhism:
"Two kinds of sects. Not sex, sects."

On the benefits of chopsticks:
"So if you want plastic surgery, I can recommend some doctors. Koreans have good hands because of chopsticks."

It hasn't really sunk in yet that I'm in Korea. Perhaps it's because of the quarantine, or maybe it's because the camp is in such a rural area. After orientation I had a small adventure. A friend and I walked up to the roof and then a group of us decided to walk through town to the beach. I'm not sure if that violated quarantine since we left the camp, but we didn't make contact with any locals except to respond to a man who cheerfully said hello as he passed by.

I expected town to be more modern, so I was surprised to learn that many of the blue and orange topped buildings were small metal houses or stalls for cows. The couple townspeople we saw were farming, and there were more tractors parked in yards than cars on the roads. The only buildings I saw that looked non-residential were a church, complete with a electric, red-colored cross on top, and a gas station that may not have even been in operation. Wando is vibrant green and foggy around the edges, almost as if the plants were overgrown and taking over a quiet, sleepy town. It's beautiful and provincial, but I'll be happy to see city again.

The beach was pretty in a way, but somehow desolate looking. Rocks covered everything out to the ocean, and glass and other industrial trash were thrown into it. I decided not to walk out on it, and was glad of it -- two girls cut their feet somehow, and it was a long walk uphill. I returned back to camp one of the last of our group, drenched in sweat and tired, but so happy to have done something to occupy my time.

People are saying the Korean staff are trying to set up a projector for us to watch movies on, which would be amazing. Right now all I want is to relax, watch a movie, and eat some ice cream.

Quarantined

2009-07-20T00:33:00.001-05:00

Compared to the hell I went through getting to Japan (a missed international flight, homesickness, and extreme culture shock), the transition in Korea has been pretty smooth. Although this didn't exactly help keep the nostalgia train from pulling in:

An entire album of the themes from Hayao Miyazaki's movies set to techno beats. No matter how happy and uplifting, Miyazaki's films never fail to make me bawl; something about the quiet, subtle way he portrays characters and relationships really touches me. The version of the Castle in the Sky theme was especially good. Besides that, there were albums by Gackt, X-Japan, Utada Hikaru, and Rain, and I watched Dragonball: Evolution. It was lucky I had a lot of bad entertainment to occupy my time, because I couldn't sleep during the entire 12 hour flight.

Afterwards, we boarded the craziest bus in the world to go to our training camp in Wando. The bus driver was insane. "I am best bus driver in the world!" he shouted at us after we boarded, and the rainbow colored LED lights along the ceiling in the bus blinked in agreement. When it was time to leave, he played the chorus of some Korean song, leaving me to I assume that our bus driver has a theme song. Really, what other assumption can you make? It's the only thing that makes sense, that a crazy man with a crazy bus has some sort of kitchy song to announce his arrival.

Last night, our only experience with the outside culture was a truck stop shortly out of Incheon, complete with convenience store, ramen shop, and outside stalls selling ornaments for cars or old, shitty Korean tapes.

After eating spicy ramen and drinking the most disgusting tea in the world (tasted exactly like Corn Pops, for some reason), I slept the remaining five hours of travel on the bus before showering and falling quickly asleep in my dorm room.

Camp here is simple, servicable, and secluded. Fears of swine flu in Korea are even more intense than in the U.S., so us foreigners are quarantined and monitored for the next 7 days. Hopefully that means I'll be able to go to the city of Gwang-ju while I'm living in Damyang, but our free time here is kind of boring. We can't go into town or have any contact with the people of Wando, so we're sleeping, using the wireless internet, talk, walking around the camp, and playing kickball. Early in the morning, we took a long hike uphill to a temple. We weren't allowed inside, but we played with an adorable, excited puppy that teethed on our fingers and wanted to follow us home.

It's hard to describe the atmosphere right now. I'd say everyone is waiting. Waiting for a little freedom, a little work, a little time to explore or party or make friends or be alone. I'm content; things are interesting and the trip promises adventure. But I'm hoping for happiness and more exciting stories in the future.

Breakfast of Champions

2009-07-16T17:50:00.001-05:00

Before dropping off my boyfriend at the airport, we headed to Goody Goody diner in St. Louis to experience one of America's true wonders:

Fried chicken and Belgian waffles.

Needless to say, it was an amazing combination. The chicken was tender and juicy with a slightly spicy breading, and the Belgian Waffle was sweet, airy, and buttery. I'm going to miss soul food in Korea.

I'll make it rain...ism.

2009-07-14T20:58:00.001-05:00

Today was the day of shopping before the trip, which is always the worst. Don't get me wrong, I love shopping. But I prefer to do it for things I don't need, unfortunately. Things I need to survive in Korea (or at least to survive with working electronics) are no fun to buy at all, and they're so expensive. Electric power adaptors, voltage converters, lithium batteries, a new pair of plain flats, an SD card reader, and about $100 gone all before I've left the country. Ouch.

Hopefully I'll be ready to leave for Korea by Saturday morning, but there's still so much more to do.

Korea is this mysterious place for me, a place where my knowledge of their culture is unfortunately rather limited to what I've seen in Korean dramas. When I was a freshman at MU, my friends and I inadvertently stumbled upon Korean shows such as My Name is Kim Sam Soon and Full House. We were slowly addicted to these mind-numbing stories that built up to a dramatic cliffhanger at the end, complete with a freeze-frame and heart tugging anthem we lovingly dubbed the "Oh-shit-music." "Oh Sam Soon," we'd squeal, "Sam Shik needs to forget about his ex-girlfriend and realize he's in love with you." Through the lens of dramas we were introduced to two Korean staples: kimchi and the pop singer known as Rain.

A friend of mine became pretty obsessed with Rain, and I'm sure you see why. Good dance moves, extremely handsome, and in his own words, he's "felt the unbreakable limit of body shake."

With poetry like that, it's no wonder that even Megan Fox wants to date him.

Jealous?

Hopefully I'll be able to attend a pop concert in Korea. Even though Rain won't be on tour, I'd love to see one of the country's many boy bands.

And when I want to go home, I'm going mobile...

2009-07-13T01:56:00.001-05:00

It's always so scary for me to begin something, whether it's a new notebook, a new news story, a new blog, or a new adventure abroad. My name is Valerie Insinna, and I'm a 21 year old college student studying print journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Deep down, I'm a homebody -- I love my family, my friends, familiar things, affection, and sometimes complete solitude and comfort. Despite my own nature, my two biggest passions are things that inescapably push me out of my comfort zone: journalism and travel. I love adventures and become bored easily. So I do things like going to Nagoya, Japan for a semester or write news stories at the state capitol. Inevitably, I doubt myself beforehand and dread the possibility of failure. And somehow, I realize how happy I am to travel and write, and I know I could never be as content otherwise.

What is Going Mobile?

Most simply, it is the title my travel blog, in which I'll post photos and write about my experiences abroad.

More accurately, it ties into who I am as a person and who I'd like to be as a traveler.

I am a 21-year-old woman with a 50 year old man's taste in music. I love and am inspired by rock from the 70s, especially progressive and experimental music. Some of my favorite artists include Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Yes, Genesis, David Bowie, The Velvet Underground, and The Who.

It's from a song from The Who's album Who's Next that this blog takes it's name. "Going Mobile" was written by Pete Townsend about his love of driving around in his mobile home without any idea of what his destination should be. In my opinion, it's an excellent song that somehow always goes overlooked when travel writers and magazines write about travel music.

Obviously I'm not going to be driving around in a mobile home like Townshend (at least not in the near future), but I'm still inspired by the idea of a mobile home. To me it represents the act of carrying your home on your back along with you as you travel. Although I'd never turn down a free vacation, it is infinitely more gratifying to be able to make a foreign place a home --to not only love a place and leave it behind as a tourist does, but to understand that home can be any place in the world as long as you keep a natural curiosity and sense of wonder.

I hope this blog becomes a way for me to connect with others, whether it be my family and friends back home, other travelers, or other writers and journalists. Drop me a line, I'd love to hear with you.