Exercising, punishment and Buddhism (My week in a nutshell)

I've been in South Korea for almost one month. Sometimes it's hard to believe the level of comfort with which I get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, slipping on the bathroom shoes as if I've been doing it my whole life. The embarrassment of not speaking Korean has faded, and I've worked up the gumption to walk into local coffee shops, markets and banks by myself, communicating through a series of nods, sign language and broken Konglish.

Actually, I've regained a degree of independence. My host parents were gone one morning this week for some kind of conference in Gumi, and I made my own breakfast! I even washed the dishes and served myself curry rice for lunch. Now I feel the freedom to open the refrigerator for a glass of milk without asking permission.

On Monday, I finally received my identity card from the office of immigrations, and I got a cell phone. To tell the truth, I made the purchase for the Korean-English dictionary built into the phone rather than because of the phone itself. Electronic dictionaries are more than $100 otherwise. But I know it makes everyone feel more at ease to know they have a way of reaching me if I should get lost.

Exercising

My life has slowed down considerably since the end of English camp, and it's almost like I don't know what to do with myself. I like it. I finally had the chance to exercise this week in the morning.

Mountain climbing is a popular hobby near Daegu, but I think the series of steep hills I hiked this week would fall short of what I call a mountain. However, the hike was strenuous enough that I broke a sweat and had to catch my breath several times.

On Tuesday, Emma and Hyunsuk came along and showed me the way. I discovered we had pretty different plans for the outing. I wanted to raise my heart rate, and they wanted to stroll through the forest, chatting with one another. "Kaja! Bali-bali" I kept saying. "Let's go! Hurry, hurry!" I didn't want to be rude, but I wasn't going to let the relational obligation, which would be lost in translation anyway, hinder my workout. They were there for me anyway, so I guess I thought a little coaching wouldn't hurt. They laughed at my Korean attempt the way Americans laugh at a rough accent from a foreigner.

On Wednesday, Hyunsuk and I went together, and by Friday, I was alone in my hike. Haha! I didn't mind though. I learned the Korean words "up" and "down" during my hike with Hyunsuk, but on Friday, I enjoyed the silence, even if I got a little lost along the way. At the top of each hill, there is a work out station with several pieces of equipment. As people hike, they can stop and do some crunches, bench press at low intervals, do pull-ups, or hula-hoop. I'm yet to see a hiker use the equipment for anything but a resting place.

I hope to make it to the health center soon. Part of the delay was due to my lack of exclusively-indoor tennis shoes--a Korean custom for health clubs. My tennis shoes were clearly and visibly not that. In fact, the sole of my shoe has worn down so much that I can stick my finger through it. So I purchased some Puma's on sale this week.

Corporal Punishment

Meanwhile, classes are going well! I'm starting to remember their names. Many of the English camp students are now showing up in my regular afternoon and evening classes. When I don't have to deal with behavioral problems, then I really enjoy my classes. Forrest taught me "Jing Jing dae ji ma" meaning "Don't complain" in Korean. The students laugh when I say this, and it usually works!

Corporal punishment is more acceptable in Korea. Kimchihey told me that about ten years ago, it was okay for a teacher to slap a student in the face if they misbehaved. Now, of course they cannot be that harsh. However, Justin encouraged me to punish students who don't do their homework. He recommended having the students do push ups or count to fifty in English--a slight embarrassment to add a flame to my fire as a teacher.

I tried this week to have a student count to thirty in English. One girl started to cry, and I felt terrible. I patted her on the back and asked her to sit down before she reached twenty. I saw myself in her. As a student, I would already be bruised by the guilt of having not completed my homework, and a punishment would only add insult to injury. Another girl laughed as I observed her form during ten push-ups. Both of the students did their homework for the rest of the week, though. Other students have been less visibly sensitive, and in general, I think it's helping them to take me seriously. But I still feel like a jerk sometimes.

Eunhasa Temple

Today, I went to Eunhasa Temple with Emma. (My batteries ran out, so I didn't take any pictures. Sorry!) I felt nervous about it before, but it was a tourist attraction sort of temple. A Buddhist monk gave me a tour of the temple museum. I wish you could see his bald head, monk clothes and kind face! He was pretty funny, and actually, he was so unlike the solemn image I have in my head of Buddhist monks. He said the temple is famous, and many people from all around the world come to stay there and study Buddhism. One of the staff members was from Sri Lanka. (Eh, Sumudu?)

Evidently, some Buddhists do believe in heaven and hell. He explained that in this world, there are many opposites--hot and cold, high and low, fascinating and boring. So he assumes that heaven and hell exist. He showed me some artwork depicting famous Buddhist people who "saved" people from heaven or hell. Maybe he meant they took people to heaven or hell. I'm not sure. And I'm not sure how it works out with reincarnation either.

In the worship part of the temple, I noticed Korean women rising and bowing continuously in front of a big, gold Buddha. I watched one of the girls, who looked about twelve, stop to straighten her pants and catch her breath, and then resume the exercise. Emma said they are making a wish, and then they must bow 108 times to make it come true. The Buddhist monk clarified that each bow is for a different problem in life. Either way, it looked a bit strenuous... aerobic even. Impressive, maybe.

Other Notes

It's been a great week! But again, I'm looking forward to going to Dongshin Church and seeing some English-speaking friends tomorrow.

I thought about taking Korean classes, but Justin seems to think it's silly if I'm only going to be here seven more months. I feel eager to learn because I want to be able to talk with people more and be understood.

I finished The Kite Runner. I recommend it to anyone who is curious about Afghani culture. Though I have to be honest, I don't know how much of it is true. Then again, it's written by an Afghani to an American audience. I can't imagine he would want to fabricate much past the point of the fictional story line.

I suppose I'll continue reading Love and Respect now, although it might be a touch less exciting. More reflective, I suppose.