What's new in Yeosu? 29 March 2011

Hello again.
Korean Joke
Actually a true story.
A Korean was on a working visa.  The only job he could find was as a kitchen hand in a big restaurant.

The head chef was a difficult man and was known for his temper.  One day the head chef was carrying a large tray though the kitchen, " Watch out! Watch out!" he was calling.  The poor Korean with his broken  English was terrified with this shouting.  " Watch out! Watch out!" shouted the head chef.

In desperation the Korean took off his watch and threw it out the door....

Korean History:
 The Japanese, after murdering the Queen in 1896, annexed and occupied Korea from 1906 to 1945.  After WW 2 the USA introduced the concept of democracy which the Koreans took to immediately.  Unfortunately their choice of Presidents has not been good.  The first died in exile, the second was murdered by his head of security.  Of the next five, two resigned under coercion, two were imprisoned for corruption and one was disgraced by financial crisis.    Two years ago another former president committed suicide because of investigations into his possible activities when he was in power.
Daily life for us.

 Church is from 11.00 a.m.
This is the singing group before church actually starts.  They sing CCM (Contemporary Christian Music).  The church service is Presbyterian hymns.  The service is, of course, in Korean but there is a translation into English.


Actually our weekends are free so we travel around a bit.  We visit the local markets which are always amazing.

 Street food is always tempting.
This stall sells "fish bread" (on the left) which is a sweet pancake mix with red bean filling, and Odang, processed fish on a skewer.  This lady is close to the school on the way to my gym.  I often buy something from her.

Street markets stock all the things you need to make a delicious meal.
Seaweed - about 8 types here
 Roots from plants and bushes -  about 3 types on display.
Spring onions and different types of plants.

 ..... and pig's heads, feet, fish by the dozens of types (these vary in size from darning needle size to normal large).
There are a variety of sea .... things? ... many of which I don't recognise, but they include sea squirts, echinoderms, shells of many different species etc.





Last weekend we went to visit a very small island where there are dinosaur footprints.  We thought we would be basically alone but it was Spring tide which exposes a band of land between the island and another.  There were some 300 people on the island for the day.

Here you can see the connection between the two islands and the hundreds of people collecting sea weed to take home.

We were told it is GREAT on rice!

They may not have the giant pineapple or banana but they do have a life size dinosaur!

This is a First World country with everything we have and more (eg they now have mobile reception anywhere in South Korea), but sometimes, you still see this.

As you can see, it's still cool (7- 12 C)

Greetings from us both.

We miss you all (especially our family).

Lots of love.
R & A

Yeosu R & A - - 16th March 2011

Life has settled into a routine so I will attempt to explain some of it is.

But first a Korean joke/story.
You've been in Korea too long when:

1. Your back is sore from bowing.
2. People ask if you want to go by car and you respond, "No, I'm in a hurry."
3. You realize that it is safer to "J" walk than use a pedestrian crosswalk.
4. You wear white socks with a dark suit.
5. You crawl back into your house to get your coat, rather than take your shoes back off and walk on the floor with shoes on.
6. You bow at inanimate objects.
7. Someone says breakfast, you think of "fish, soup and seaweed."
8. You'd rather sit on the floor than in a chair.
9. You select shoes based on how easily you can get them on and off.
10. You carry chopsticks in your back pocket.
11. You enjoy putting lots of red pepper sauce on your salads or French-fries.
12. You don't freak out when the salad arrives with octopus legs still wiggling on top of it.

  Korean History
Korea is a peninsular and has been invaded some 3000 times in it's history.
The most recent was North Korea and China during the Korean war (1950 -1953) during which the country was decimated.
Prior to this they were occupied by Japan (1910 - 1945).  This was, as it is usually, a brutal occupation.

Daily Life at MTI

The MTI building is brand new.
Three floors:
Floor 1 is the office and class rooms
Floor 2 is the Dining room and dormitories
Floor 3 is the staff bedrooms, teacher's bedrooms and a flat for the director and family.

The church is a separate entity to MTI but we are in their building.
It too is new (one year old).
It seats 600?

It has a coffee shop and downstairs a kitchen that feeds some 500 people every Sunday lunch.
Cost is 1000 won ( $1.00) or free for over sixty - YES.  No "T Bone" steaks.  It's usually rice, spicy cabbage ( kim chi), bean sprouts and a bean soup.  Simple but tasty and filling.


The day starts at 7.20 with a breakfast of cereal, yoghurt, fruit, toast, coffee.  This introduces the students  to Western food and table manners (eg, you don't drink from your cereal bowl).  Chapel is at 8.30 and then classes from 9.30 till 12.30.

This is a typical class room with my students.

As you can see it is modern and well equipped.
The students are older (21+) and many have university degrees.  Their histories vary from 10 years in China to just out of Uni. or perhaps a full- time Christian worker.

There is a large library for whole school meetings, presentations, parties and general get-togethers.

All day we speak English. It is against school/institute rules to speak Korean.  Can you imagine, you can hardly speak a language - beginner- and you have to discuss the meaning of life, learn grammar, be a leader at a meeting, say grace, have polite conversation and ask for more rice at dinner. Wow!


After lessons finish for the morning we have lunch at 12.30.  Korean food, but for teachers who do not appreciate spicy sauces there is a less spicy alternative.
After lunch Robin often goes to a nearby gym.
Lessons start again at 2.00. 

 Lunch is in tables of 6.

I guess this is a typical meal.

• soup of processed fish or seaweed or spinach.
• Main is:
• Rice (of course)
• Spinach- like vegetable (in this particular case there was some disagreement on the name!),
• noodles
• kim chi (spicy cabbage)

The more Western meal was tinned chicken, salad and rice.

Yeosu R & A - - Sunday March 13 2011 A trial blog

So we have been in Korea for a month.

Korean Humour

North Korea is VERY isolationist.
Their propaganda tells their citizens that N. Korea is much better than S. Korea.  They are forbidden, on pain of imprisonment, to own a radio or TV that can tune into the World or particularly South Korea.

A North Korean delegation visits Seoul.
They are shown around Seoul with its thousands of cars, subway, traffic jams and millions of well dressed (read sophisticated) modern South Koreans.  The city has enormous buildings and many have huge TV screens on top with advertisments etc. day and night.

The leader of the North Korean delegation turns to the Group leader who is an important South Korea politician, " You cannot trick us.  We know you have arranged all these people to be well dressed and be here in new cars, just to impress us."

The South Korean politician, know for his sense of humour, replies,  " You are so smart.  Actually arranging all the people and cars was easy.  It was getting all these buildings and roads here that was difficult."

Food
We continue to try different foods and some of our favourites.

Typical scenery - fish farming.

Aileen enjoying Oysters. 

Hand made of course.

Little egg "muffins?" 65 cents each

 

The surrounding scenery is dominated by the sea.  Hundreds of islands and fish farming.

Aileen didn't eat them all!
The pastors had a night out and invited us.  The oysters cost 15000 won ($15) for a bag of about 8 dozen.

Church
Church continues to be dynamic.  Fortunately I have my suit so I don't feel under dressed. People dress very formally for church here.
We go to the 11o'clock service and then have lunch at the church.  Free for over 60's, everybody else pays 1000 won ( 1 dollar).  We then go to the English sevice at 2.00pm.  We are free to go out and walk or travel by buses around the area at about 4 pm.

This is a trial blog.  We will continue to send emails but at intervals of 3+ weeks.  The blog will contain gerenal trivia and photos etc.
If you have not received our official email just email us and we'll add you to the list.  Your prayers are appreciated and vital.
Blogging has to get easier.

R & A