A smile...or is it something more than just that...

This week, someone read this remarkable quote to me:

He smiled understandingly–much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced–or seemed to face–the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistable prejudice in your favor. It understood you just so far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey.

-F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

This week I felt such a mixture of emotions from absolute annoyance of this silly apartment issue, to sadness that I had drifted from my old digs-mate to nervousness of having to tell my teacher I am bunking next week to go to China and absolute excitement and contentment with the resolution of finding, signing the contract and moving into my apartment! WHOOP WHOOP! A ball, a jumble, a mixture of shallow, trivial emotions that will fade...

But, I think this feeling of having someone smile so deeply and understandingly at you-just as Fitzgerald describes-is something so precious and dear that when it does happen, those feelings you experience have to be held close and near to you , because life can pass one by otherwise.

Imagine: Striving each day to achieve that smile with everyone you meet-lighting their lives with your beaming smile- giving people the sense of belonging and understanding, warmth and true love that are too seldom displayed in life...Is it possible? Or does it depend on the two people smiling at each other? or the timing? or the space people find themselves? or a million other antecedents that can cause that moment?

Or

should such a smile merely be a rare occurrence that we cherish for its extraordinariness....



Definitely a thought to ponder... refreshing in fact!

Things aren't always what they seem!

These photos were taken on the weekend... at Nestor's birthday in the park! Was great-played cricket, posed with bubbles, threw around the frisbee, took a long stroll along the promenade in the sunshine!

I loved these two pics though-cause it kinda reminds me of my current situation- my accommodation situation. The behind the scenes look at something is always an interesting one!

So, I was told when I arrived that I had to share an apartment with another South African girl, while my apartment was getting ready! seems reasonable enough right?!?

Little did I know that 2 months later I would still not have a place to stay! Koreans have this marvellous ability to candy-coat things-just like my happy little smiling face in the 2nd pic, but in reality-there is an unglamorous-rather ridiculous scene going on in the background (1st pic)-ie they have no accommodation for me at all and efforts made to find me something livable have been minimal! GRRR! RANT!!! Today, I am so frustrated.

So, I made the decision to move into a smaller, but very clean place located centrally in town which means a mission to work, but at this point I am beyond tolerance of the situation! AHHHHHH! But I am just waiting for another problem to hit! As it stands- I am getting my apartment this week- here's to hoping!

Then I will have a genuinely happy smiley face!

Bisous
JO

Oh, the wonderful rainbow nation!

Phew! What a week it has been, but it is finally Friday afternoon and I have 25 minutes before I am going to leave.. so thought I'd share my thoughts I've been having this week about identity, culture and more specifically what it means to be South African. (please note-it is now Monday again and I am going to continue with this post as I was unable to finish it on Friday)

I decided on Monday (last week) I would do a culture class for my lesson, so I have been mellowing over it all week! And for some reason it has been a rather difficult task to accomplish! My one teacher suggested I do a presentation thing about South Africa and our "culture". I initially thought-great-I can talk about South Africa all day! I am such an ambassador here-I promote South Africa as if it is heaven on earth!

But when I actually sat down to think about it I encountered my first dilemma- what is our culture? What is my culture? I call myself South African and nothing else-yes I may have ancestors from Scotland, Ireland, England or somewhere in the northern hemisphere- but I am African and proudly so... But this question of culture and national identity really got me thinking.

Korea, unlike most societies of today is very homogeneous, there are only a couple thousand foreigners (wae guk-ins) here (mostly Chinese with a few thousand English teachers from far and wide). The way of life is built on a Confucian model with great respect for elders, saving face and hard-work. Everyone likes the same food (kimchi), people all speak the same language, and there is a strong sense of national unity. (okay-people are different in other ways, but the point of homogeneity is what I am trying to make).

And then you turn to South Africa-the rainbow nation- and I feel we have the complete opposite. Yes, it may seem blatantly obvious, but what really does make a South African identity? Not a BOER identity or ZULU identity which has been all the news in the press lately, but rather a South African identity? Or is there even such a thing as national identity to begin with?

As a privileged white South African, representing only 9% of our country's demographics, I wondered if I was even justified to speak for the disadvantaged majority of South Africans about "our culture". I think perhaps our patriotism as a nation is often compromised by this confusing lack of unity-or what it appears to be anyway.

But, then I think that is exactly the point that makes our country so special- amongst the confusion of the diversity, the differences in so many ways, there is something that unites us-we are human, AND we are South African-whatever that means for you!

{ASIDE: I think that is something that has struck me the most since I have been in Korea-the "shared humanity" of our species in general. People all over the world-female, male, black, white, yellow, coloured, white, rich, poor, fat, thin, African, or Asian are SO similar it is frightening! We share the same hopes and dreams,fear of pain and death,feelings of joy and sadness and the need to be loved and to love others.}

So, as I came to a resolution in my mind about our country's wonderfully diverse society, it became easy to conjure up a lesson plan, as I actively engaged in it- the diversity! I used afrikaans and xhosa words, showed different traditional dress and customs....And boy-did the kids LOVE IT!!! I got all my classes saying "howzit!", "lekker" and "YEBO GOGO!" I wish I had recorded it! Was just classic! Our very symbolic flag was discussed to great length and let me tell you explaining the bizarre game "cricket" was a bit beyond the boys-so will have to do an entire lesson on that! "Pap en vleis" didnt seem too intriguing to them, but then again they liked the look of a "braai"- similar to their barbecue. What I also did- was used comparisons of our country to their country on certain aspects-like traditonal dress, population, demographics, food, world events, etc... Was great! Definitely my best lesson yet-but then again think the content is something I am truly passionate about!

My best was showing them this video which was really great I think! They particularly liked the part where some beautiful gals in pink bikinis from cricket flashed over the screen. Teenage boys are the same all over the world!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW6leTnXvrY&feature=related


At the end, we ended up listening to Johnny Clegg, "Great Heart" -which was super!

It consolidated it for me...

"There's a highway of stars across the heavens
The whispering song of the wind in the grass
There's the rolling thunder across the savanna
A hope and dream at the edge of the sky
And your life is a story like the wind
Your life is a story like the wind

I'm searching for the spirit of the Great Heart
To hold and stand me by
I'm searching for the spirit of the Great Heart
Under African sky"


I am unbelieveably proud to be South African- an individual in a diverse society!

One must be careful not to romanticise "Diversity"- the beautiful "rainbow nation", as we call it with a "highway of stars across the heavens" and "the rolling thunder across the savanna". But flaws and conflicts, violence and discrimination are still present in our society and we need to acknowledge that... But what I do believe is important for our nation to come together as one, is not only seeing that beautiful rainbow nation, but actively embracing it. And maybe that way the "search for the spirit" of the South African identity will be realised!

Bisous
JO!

Fugitive on the run!

AS I get a whiff of the strong, strange scent of the caramel Korean coffee I feel like a fugitive on the run! Trying to keep ahead of the rest but constantly on the GO!!! Since Friday night I have slept in three different beds; Friday night at Ashley's in Emma Co Bu young Apatuh, Saturday in Kirsten's apartment in Okchang in the neighbouring province in Chungbuk and then Sunday night back in Chuncheon this time in Chen's apartment-soyang ro hyundai apatuh!

Phew! I feel drained just as I can imagine a fugitive does: Not enough sleep, eating badly and lots, doing everything as one gets the chance (6 lesson plans in 3days and 17 hours of teaching), trying to keep up social appearances with other fugitives(ie other teachers) as they might come in handy and they know what you are going through, a severe panic as things don't seem to be going your way (my middle school boys were impossible yesterday) and also being strapped for cash (Just had enough to pay the taxi man this morning!)= MY WORD!

MOAN MOAN MOAN! :) Phew!

In the last few days, I have though- I think unlike a fugitive- also managed to go to Daejon, watch the local football match win, move my life in 6 bags to my new place of residence (ie Chen's Place), soak my legs in a natural hot spring, eat delicious sweet potato pizza, take delight in the beautiful blossoms, and tonight I am once more going to play badminton with my lovely Wilson Racket which I bought for only R60- gotta love the cheap stuff in Asia!

Other than that, I need to do a lesson plan now! "Immediatement" as the French say!

Bisous
JO

It's the small things in life that count....

A small chocolate ice-cream is all it took yesterday to make my grade 6s' day!


Because we were doing seasons and one of the vocab words for summer was ICE-CREAM, I decided to take my 60 grade 6s a small tiny little chocolate bar ice-cream thingy that cost me about R60 in total. And wow-how excited they all were-as if it were Christmas!

It seriously got me thinking about the small- almost insignificant-things in life, that if never occurred would never have really been missed.

Yet, these actions or moments or exchanges or whatever small thing it is, makes life so real, so bizarre, so absurd, so extraordinary and so wonderful!

For me...


Yesterday and today...


It was walking into a Travel Agent yesterday with Chen and just booking a flight to China! It is probably rationally a stupid idea, but the rush and absolute delight of it all in the moment-seemed so invigorating and exciting that it is done! We are going! Tickets booked and paid for! Dalian here we come!

It was not about being invited by surprise to a full-on buffet by the Chuncheon district office last night (*which was unbelievably generous), but rather how much delight the chocolate fountain gave everyone -as if it was a new puppy! Everyone was immediately drawn to it-and before we were even seated-my fellow teachers were grabbing marsh-mellow sticks and dunking them as if their lives depended on it!

Another moment was while watching a very famous Korean orchestra and opera singer yesterday evening at the Seoul Art Centre and what really stuck out was watching the exact precision that the conductor of the orchestra moved as if almost in a trans-like dance-but a dance that only half of the steps were being shown to the audience with his right hand and the left hand concealed behind his body showing his true intentions of anguish or urgency for the cellos to give him more oomph!


It's the glimpse of the first beautiful cherry blossom tree in full bloom from a speeding taxi window...


Or receiving an e-mail from a friend back home to tell you-just because they thought you would care-that the project you ran 3 years ago is being cancelled once and for all. And that it wasn't great, but life happens...

Or it's a moment like having one of your best friends tell you, that they are angry with you, even though it is difficult. And that caring so much about someone has the fragile risk of losing that person because you do something that upsets them so or hits so close to home or hurts them, that the relationship seems like it is at it's end. But you continue fighting for it anyway, because the relationship means something in your life. And you try hard to re-patch it-even if you don't know how- because you truly do care!

Or having a friend read to you about life from her latest book- The guide book to atheism! And sharing each other's thoughts on the topic of "religion as an opium for individuals in life", even though it is a sensitive topic.


It's the small things in life that count! Life is too precious to let them pass you by...


bisous
JO

I need my own super hero!

Today I feel a little sad! Marc and I have decided not to talk anymore cause long distance sucks-so we are going on a complete break! Heartache! hmmm... feel like a long bath with bubbles!

Funny how the parallel of life works-I am teaching my final leson on Super-heroes now! And it is truly the last thing I feel like I am right now-even remotely close to! Although I know it is the right move to break up I am just really bummed about the whole situation!

Think I need to be my own super-hero for the next while! Gotta get my super-powers on and start taking charge of this little life I am leading! Want to get into Korean lessons, start reading more, get back into french, plan a holiday for the summer and look for potential things to do next year!

SO, here's to super-hero JO! (lets do it!)

It's all about the people and sharing a common humanity in everyday life!

Is life not all about the people? When one gets down to the nitty gritty of life-its the people that make it or break it? For me- it is -anyway. Funny enough-I feel like that even more so now that I am away from home-not because I am awfully homesick or I am longing to see family and friends back in SA. But rather, because I have come to realise that despite cultural,ethnic,racial,gendered differences (feel free to add more to this list that makes us so very different -because there are many!), we are so very similar-this species we call humans!

OH HUMANITY with it's trials and tribulations, ups and downs,smiles and frowns, love and happiness! :)

Today, my world seemed filled, as it is everyday with interesting people whom I somehow despite the differences can relate to! Let me illustrate how:

I woke up this morning feeling exhausted-late night skype calls and emo, but not too far away-in the next room in fact- the lovely Canadian Ashley whom I am currently squatting with- was also exhausted after late night chats!

Exhaustion and unenthusiastic for work: humanitarian similarity no 1!

I caught a taxi to Myeong dong then waited for a bus-which took so long coming that I decided to get out of the nasty weather and caught another taxi. The driver couldnt understand my pronunciation of "Anime go-deung hak-kyo" (Animation high school) very well and so was confused about which way to go and so frantically on his GPS we both maneuvered the screen until i could show him where my school was! When we arrived at my school (11000 won) later- we both felt satisfied knowing that despite a language barrier-basic communication with the help of a GPS-anything is possible!

Confused, lost and non-verbal communication: humanitarian similarity no 2!

Arrived at school, and my lovely co-teacher, JOY, I could see immediately was not herself-she had finally caught the jolly flu! and a bad doze of it. Somehow a week later after having the Korean flu,I could still feel the ache and pains in my body just looking at her. There is nothing worse than feeling under the weather especially with a sore throat!

Sick and down: humanitarian similarity no 3!

Mr Choi (who is my uncle John in Korea) offered me a rice bread treat with red beans (not my favourite to be honest), but the gesture was very kind. He heated it up in the microwave and didn't wait until it had cooled, so in the transferring of it to me, we both managed to burn our hands! OUCH!

Sharing and feel the sensitive burning feeling for a few days afterwards: humanitarian similarity no 4!

Jung-in the other English teacher who is just great ended up discussing LOVE and how do you really know when you have met the one! Oh the dilemma of love and heartbreak and marriage! She is 28 so I guess I have a few more years than her to figure that out!

Love. (fullstop) Humanitarian similarity no 5!

I dressed up today for the tv game show we played in class, with wonderful red tinsel, used the thick koki pen as my microphone and adopted a rather cheesy, overly enthusiastic game show host accent! The laughter and absolute hysterics my kids displayed reminded me of previous teachers who had jumped on desks or gone dancing around the classroom in my school years. The complete idiotic nature of it all-all in the name of "learning"!

Laughter at a ridiculous teacher: Humanitarian similarity no 6!

I decided to catch a hot chocolate down in Kangdae Humoon after Joy dropped me off in town! I popped into a place called "11:19"- opens at 11:19am and closes at 11:19pm- loved the quirkiness of it all! Exactly what i felt like-warm creamy delicious goodness of hot chocolate in my belly! It definitely beat being in the chilly wind outside! On my way out, I managed to signal to the owner that his coffee shop and hot chocolate was fabulous. He got a great big grin on his face that made me smile!

Pride and joy of one's achievements: Humanitarian similarity no 7!

Then, after walking around town with Chen (my Chinese-American friend) in the ice-cold looking for travel agents to book flights for shanghai/dalian for the weekend of Buddha's birthday, we finally decided to call it quits and headed to the lovely restaurant place we first met- soot-bul dakgalbi! Super yum! We had a great discussion about taking responsibility of your life, Americans, the changing world of China, our adventure to China, South Africa, the Argentinean footballer who kicks about with Jesus (considered amazingly good) and FOMO! And then we also had silences- the silences that are not awkward but just a quiet time to absorb and digest thoughts. Only a few people I have found do not feel awkward by such moments-but it was super!

Raging discussions and contemplative silences: Humanitarian similarity no 8!

As supper came t an end- we both noticed a Korean woman and a wae-gook that entered- I overheard french being spoken! Ah, I just love it- decided to test my luck and see if I could still wing it- and bien sur, I could start a conversation. Turns out they met at an international French conference in Seoul. The Frenchman comes from Nice and travels back and forth while doing work at Seoul University. How crazy-out of all the places in France, I have only spent 2 weeks in Nice while I was in grade 11. I love coincidences!

It's a small world after all: Humanitarian similarity no 9!

On the way home, I got picked up by a very young taxi driver, who flirted with me all the way back to Ashley's place. The pinnacle of the exchange was when he handed me his business card and said: call me! This guy could barely string any sentences in english together-how on earth was he expecting to speak to me on the phone-but it was really endearing! Kind of how I imagine being if I met a drop dead gorgeous french man-haha!

Gutsy and brave, yet so sweet: Humanitarian similarity no 10!

When I got back to Ashley's apartment, I got on skype to Jen in Cape Town and Bash in Bangladesh! The connection line was so awful-it was literally like playing broken telephone-all of us were in fits of giggles that all we could hear between the GGGGGG and BLLLLL was laughter. Not much discussion was had but there is nothing better than hearing a familiar laugh!

Laughing so hard you tummy aches: Humanitarian similarity no 11!

Today was good; this wonderful world never ceases to amaze me! Among the cruelty of discrimination, racism, war, hurt and violence, we all share so many similarities that bind us! JUST GOT TO OPEN YOUR EYES and see that:

HUMANITY IS EXTRAORDINARY!

fry,bake, grill, roast, mix, cut, chop, slice!

Please sir i want some more! Oh the wonderful tale of Oliver Twist by Dickens. Somehow food has been on my brain since the moment I woke up!


Menu for the day:

Breakfast: rooibos tea (especially found at home-plus, cornflakes and milk.

Coffee: Mocha sachet coffee

Lunch: spinach soup, rice, kimchi (fermented cabbage that cures all diseases including cancer), delightful bulgogi (beef barbecued strips), a mushroom and myeung veggie mix (cold noodles thing)

Dinner: kimbap (Korean like sushi) and veggie dumplings!

On the way home: Chocolate CANDY bar! (not anything like cadbury's but hey it sorts out my chocolate fix)

Before bed: rooibos tea

I also taught 4 lessons on cooking! The words -fry, cut, slice, bake, roast- were all my vocab words for the day! Trying to explain the word "sieve" and "score" were quite interesting :) I showed a cool video about food around the world and played a points game to get the kids to answer questions about the video! Also did a cool decoding exercise with symbols matching up to letters to spell out a menu! Was fun! I think after talking about food the entire day and playing my first badminton games this arvo after school-by the time dinner came around I was starved!

But I think my best food moment today was witnessing the bell go for lunch as I was making my way from the toilet back to my classroom. Every orifice in the building was suddenly sprawling with young korean lads dashing and I mean dashing to go and stand in the lunch queue. It made me chuckle so much! Literally, I could see the determination in the eyes of some students as they bolted around corners, down stairs and across the quad like thing! Was classic! For some reason the Oliver Twist _please sir I want some more came to mind-as the clinging of the metal dishes and chop sticks could be heard downstairs!

The wonderful daily routines of life-how blessed to be so fortunate to have food in my belly! Food, glorious food! La vie est bien!

Bisous
JO

Best weekend so far!

My weekend rocked the party!!!This will be a very brief summary of my crazy fun weekend-definitely the best one yet in Korea!

So it started off on Friday afternoon after school when I went to the cute little coffee shop-LUZ- just off the river! I jolly well broke a cup on my way out which was so clumsy of me but after much apologizing and an extra 5000 won all seemed settled. Then off to Yubong Girls Middle school where Chen and Nicole work-to play Badminton! But it turned out that I did not actually have any proper clothing or equipment, so instead Dani and I just sat out, watched, cheered, chatted and chirped! Definitely going to start from this week-think I will go on Mondays and Fridays if I am in town. So yay to exercise! :) Then we headed off to a great little pork place(which is Sam's great food place-I think mostly because of the trendy owner!) Food was fabulous! So yum! Even had patty like things-yum yum! Then we went to this gorgeous little pub place that has been around since the 60s kitted out with old Korean pictures and adverts, vintage telephones, old school electric wiring and an atmosphere that reminded me so much of Ganesh back home in Obs-it was scary! :)
We had a delightful fruit blend juice and some delicious rice wine! And phew that was it-exhausted! Called it an early night...

Saturday, Augustine and I met Dani and Bryan to go shopping for outfits for Jax's party! We were required to buy white shirts and markers-hmmm-this could only mean trouble! We found this gorgeous dress up shop and I got a great big red bow that is worn as an alice band. Bryan got this scary Irish Jesus wig and beard, Dani got catears and a pink wig and Augustine got bunny ears! We tried everything on though-from the horse face mask to the cowboy hats, to the scary clown masks! Was a hoot! Then we met Chen outside M-department store, as we were going to go have lunch before we left for the wedding! Dani and Bryan knew about this great place that was rather underground to say the least-down an alley, passed a pigs head in the market, down a flight of stairs that smelled revolting and along another dimly lit corridor to the CHINESE PLACE! Lucky we had Chen with us to order -funky noodles with a strange sauce similar to Bovril and the famous sweet and sour pork!

After a rushed taste of pure goodness, Chen and I had to dash to catch a cab to the wedding. We were unbelievably confused when we arrived at the venue, as about 6 weddings run concurrently with a crowd of people mulling around aimlessly on each floor. Eventually we found our right KIM on floor 3 and just caught a glimpse of the bride in the bride room, before the ceremony started! For some reasons brides are always magnificent-and this was definitely not an exception! An exquisite dress, fake flowers, cheesy music, air hostesses for bridesmaids and a groom in a dashing white suit were the order for the day! It was the most bizarre event ever. Chen and I were flabbergasted. The ceremony and reception were done within 70 minutes which included the western ceremony, the traditional Korean festivities and the reception including a full on lunch!

After great excitement and much confusion- very brief-but fun we headed back to myeong dong for more shopping and baskin and robbins-best ice-cream ever! Then back to kangdae humoon for a round of airguns which is pretty much shooting at targets-I was officially useless!!! haha! Then a power-nap for what was about to be a night to remember! We headed off to Carla's pad around 7ish and greeted all our friends as if we hadn't seen them for years. Funny how quickly one makes friends and how another SAFA seems like family! Everyone was donned with their crazy hat and white shirt.After a few rounds of SOJU, MJ announced our challenge-to complete a list of crazy things in our group. The list consisted of-kiss a Korean, dance with a Korean, take a picture with a bunch of Koreans, get a Korean business card, fall in front of a group of Koreans, etc! Hilariously embarrassing yet rather entertaining tasks! I might add that our group was very successful and completed most of the tasks. Dancing with a Korean guy on the main road is something I will not forget in a long time. :) After Sheriffs, the night ended singing Naerebang! (no surprises there) Augustine and I ended up staying at Dani and Bryan's place cause Ashley's place just seemed too far to walk!

This morning we woke up rather late and had a delightful scrambled eggs and toast while reminiscing over the evening's events and cracking ourselves at the hilarious photos! We met up with Carla and the gang for some Kimbap and then headed back to her apartment to chill out and laze about. Then we made a mission to the CGV-the movie theater in Chuncheon-I chirped Augustine for watching an American movie as his first big screen movie in Korea-The green zone! Really enjoyed it especially as Matt Damon was the main actor, although I couldn't help but feel as I have always felt-that war is just terribly pointless and depressing and no matter what side you are on-it sucks! Then a quick Starbucks, which really always reminds me I am overseas and I get a little wave of excitement that I truly am living abroad! I saw my high school kids in E-mart who all screamed a loud, "ah TEA-Ch-ER!" I couldn't help but chuckle!

A great dwedgie (pork barbecue) dinner finished off the weekend on a high night! A weekend definitely to remember! Friends + frantic chaos + a fiance turned bride + fashionable head-gear + fearless waegooks (foreigners)= fantastic fun!

Today is FRIDAY and I am happy!

Not sure why but somehow, Friday is always just marvellous-but today just seems extra-so! Perhaps it is just a culmination of things-the sunshine or the general good mood I am in or the fact I was told in class today that I was "sexy" by a group of boys giggling like girls, and a kid told me everyone thinks he is Tom Cruise and was horrified when I told him : he wished! :) Also started looking into plans for a visa I need to go to China over Buddah's birthday with Chen and been searching intrepid travel for a trip in the summer- Bali, Cambodia, Malaysia or my favourite Vietnam?! (tough decisions really! haha... ) An interesting discussion on education also ensued on facebook between the two education systems of South Korea versus Finland...and are South Korean kids working too hard-too much of a good thing!? Funny how I haven't got a place and I am currently staying with Ashley (my Canadian friend), yet I feel very settled in my little Chuncheon! I am off to play badminton now and then out for dinner with the gang and being Friday we will probably end up at Dani and Bryan's place. Tomorrow I am going to a Korean wedding with Chen-feel a bit like a wedding crasher but apparently this is how it is done-so why not!? Keen to see how couples tie the knot here! Then tomorrow night is Jax's 24th birthday and should involve some SAFA fun with dress-ups and all! And then maybe Sunday, I will maybe take a trip to our famous island _Nami Island that is supposed to be very beautiful-so that'll be great! Oh and I need to somehow work out how I am going to get everyone's numbers back because the very kind man at the cellphone shop managed to delete all my numbers which resulted in hysterical laughter on my part-it was just one of those days yesterday. But somehow, it makes days like today feel so much better! You need the cold, bad days and ill-health to appreciate the sunshine-filled, great days of feeling much better!

Here is to the wonderful weekend!

Bisous
JO

I like spring!

"I like spring" -the grade 6 lesson topic for the day!

The blossoms are out
There are butterflies
It is warm
It is beautiful
It is Children's day

Only five sentences but oh! -how they are tremendous when you are leaving the freezing cold, grey, snow-capped land of winter behind! WHOOP WHOOP!

For some reason though I think this spring time is going to be a little different than usual! Firstly, it is in May and not September. Secondly, the world is going to be covered in beautiful, blooming, pretty, pink blossoms. And lastly, the sky will be a lovely shade of YELLOW! Thats right-yellow! Yellow dust from China's desert blows in over Korea and fills our skies with bacteria, viruses and pure yuck! Masks should be worn and one should stay indoors to avoid all staining on clothing-hmmm! (how do I get to school now?)

No wonder when I asked the class "who likes spring?!" only one girl put her hand up! Apparently FALL is the best!

As Calvin puts it-let's move on to summer!

I personally cannot wait to wear less than 6 layers of clothing! It is just ridiculous! I got rid of the stockings under my pants this week as encouragement to the warmth to hurry up and appear! I cannot wait until it is really spring-the view from my flat is going to be superb.

Ah, la belle vie! Here's to hoping it jolly-well comes along quickly!

Bisous
JO

Why scavenger hunts are so exciting!

I was very upset to have missed the annual Easter Egg hunt this year at home and even more upset that I was unable to get my hands on any form of easter egg! So instead I did the best I could and settled for a delightful bar of Toblerone chocolate! However, the idea of a treasure hunt or scavenger hunt seemed too good to pass up! :)

It is wonderful how as a teacher one has the flexibility to manipulate any lesson to do what you want! (insert evil laugh) So, for a class on "getting around" focusing mainly on transportation and directions I created a marvellous game called "GUIDE THE FOREIGNER". The "foreigner" -the poor student designated to be blindfolded- was led by the others around the school to all the "tourist sites of Seoul". Cryptic clues in basic English soon turned the school cafeteria into a famous dakgalbi restaurant or the school benches into the exquisite Seoul gardens. Teams competed against one another and policemen on each team were assigned jobs of fining any English spoken or physically helping of the foreigner. The winning team completed the tour with the least faults. Despite a few stubbed toes with students forgetting about their "foreigner" heading straight for walls,fun was had by all!

So,why is it that scavenger hunts or easter egg hunts are such fun?! Even on big screen, adventure films have characters looking for lost treasure hidden in a secret location or secret expeditions using ancient scrolls in Eygpt to find jewellery of some bygone pharoah. Is it the mind that loves to analyse, decipher, decode the very basic elements of the clues? Is it the adrenalin or the thrill of finding the treasure that makes it fascinating? Or is it in the very essential evolutionary sense- the scavenger coming out in us?! Searching in the unknown for something! Guess the caveman's idea of a treasure hunt was less appealing-following tracks or rummaging through plants to find the surprise to cook up for dinner can't be fun everyday!

Maybe we just need the excitement in our lives! Whether it is a chest of treasure, figuring out the directions to a party, planning a trip and trying to find the most cost-effective deal or even finding delight in shopping for new products- we all need a bit of a scavenger hunt now and then-even if just to pretend we are 5 again!

I think therefore I am

“I think therefore I am”

I have officially been in Korea for 46 days and it is the first day I have been able to stop, sit quietly and THINK! This quiet and reflective zone I am currently enjoying is one I seldom allow myself to enter. There is always something to be done or someone to chat to or another place to go adventure. BUT, this time my body has called TIME-OUT with an attack of awful flu, resulting in my current state of feeling completely YUCK and occupied with nothing other than my own thoughts.

Being out of academia for almost 6 months now, I have joyously left essays and research and statistics and journal articles behind me (at least for the meantime). Yet today lying in bed, a particular essay has resurfaced in my mind- the unfathomable question of the MIND-BODY PROBLEM. For an essay in neuropsychology, we were required to explain, either philosophically or scientifically, this jolly age-old question.

What I argued is rather irrelevant as I believe a resolute answer has not yet been established in the scientific or philosophical community. But I have really pondered about Descartes notion of “ I think, therefore I am”- not in the sense of it forming the basis of a dualism argument for the mind body problem or any other deeper philosophical ponderings, but rather from the subjective view-point of “me” in this world and how the simple meaning of the phrase that if I am wondering whether or not I exist, that is in and of itself proof that I do exist.

Worldly possessions I have plenty: socks, panties, pens, scissors, jeans, books, a camera, chopsticks, knife and a fork, blankets, a pillow, a bag, boots that need a polish, internet, a bed,a washing machine, a TV, etc.

Physically, I am generally healthy: (well besides for today) my heart works, I have never broken a bone in my body, my bladder does its own thing mostly, and my eye-sight isn’t fabulous, but hey what’s that compared to AIDs or malaria right?! I also have make-up to make myself look a little more decent every morning and I generally eat healthy enough that I don’t fit the average American stereotype of obese.

Emotionally, I am a very happy person generally, I deeply care about people and love being sociable to the point of absolute shut-down, I am enthusiastic and bubbly and have found that I am perhaps over sensitive to people and things around me. On the Myers-Briggs personality scale I am rated as extroverted, intuitive, judgemental and feeling. (ENJF) I am such an A-type that is drives me to such a point where functioning is impossible-hence my current state!

Socially, I have a wonderful network of family and friends back home in South Africa and here even now after only after one month with a language barrier mostly- I have made a great friend in the stationery shop owner down the road who insists I call him George Michael. It isn’t hard for me to make friends and create meaningful relationships with people. Saying that, I miss everyone back home terribly and feel like contact is difficult. But maybe it’s because yesterday was Easter Sunday and that normally means family day with all the cousins!!! Hmmm…

Culturally, I call myself South African-whatever that means culturally (perhaps best described nationally), but definitely have Scottish, Irish and English blood in me, which I am reminded about each day wearing my great-grandmother’s gloves to school in the cold. But yes I am very much South African –because it is my home. I love the warmth of the people and the beauty of the country, the diversity and richness of culture and language. The daily struggles, the horrible education, the appalling political struggles, the crime and violence. In the same way, I feel like I have fitted in here so easily in a South Korean environment-eating the food, speaking the Hanguel language, riding taxis, watching the Korean television, feeling the anguish yet admiration for the Japanese, the crazy bali-bali culture that makes this first world country tick!

Spiritually I still like to think of myself as Christian, yet with a far more open-minded view of spirituality in general than Jesus Christ is the only way forward. I feel very unsettled and perhaps this journey is meant to help me discover more of what is out there, of which I am still so unfamiliar.

But this brings me back to introductory line of “I think therefore I am”. Even though I am miles and miles away from home and family and my daily life-it has baffled me how easy it has been to start up a new life in a “new world” so to speak. And the only constant thing that reminds me I am “me” is essentially only my thoughts. I am alone with my thoughts…I have got a whole new set of worldy possessions, I have put on 3 kg, I have changed my hair, I eat different food, I speak a different language (terribly, but still), I have a new group of friends and social network, I have to be more quiet to fit into the cultural norms, I am still happy generally, I am still uncertain of my my faith, but all that could change- and I would be left with me, myself and I and my thoughts!!! Well, and I would like to think someone bigger out there in the universe is with me too!

So here I am feeling morbid with life, a little home-sick and keen for some mince and spaghetti, some African sunshine and a drive in my car to Simonstown with Siguros playing loudly, but at least complacent with the fact that I am still me-the subjective me- because I can think and still be! 

SO now that I have established that I am Joanne Beckwith (aka JO, 조) I think this entry should finally signify my first blog entry and hopefully the first of many! 