Another four years?

In two months, I'll have lived in another country for two years. Jacob, Icarus, and I are waiting to see if we'll be here another four. Jacob is trying to get into Kaist University. Kaist University was ranked the 90th best overall college in the world - 27th in Engineering and IT (the fields Jacob is interested in). If he gets into this school, it'd be a dream come true for all of us.

I've been contemplating the idea of living here for another four years versus going back to America. So I decided to write up a blog to help organize my thoughts.

- Health care. Going to the doctor in Korea doesn't result in living in poverty for a month whilst you attempt to pay off the bill. It's cheap, efficient, and always available. 

- Education. Education is valued in Korea. Parents work 12-15 hour days just to pay for their kids to go to tutoring classes after school. I know kids who can speak 2-3 languages, play piano/violin/guitar, and take extra math/history/language arts classes. This is good and bad. The kids have little time to actually be kids. But they stay busy, are bettering themselves, and aren't roaming the streets getting in trouble. 
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-  Food. In America, you can get anything anytime you want it. If you want grapes in winter - no problem. Strawberries in September? You got it! You pay a little more but it isn't horribly over priced. Here, if the fruit isn't in season you are going to paaaaaaaay for it (if you can find it). Even the fruit in season is more expensive than in the states (unless you find a special) - watermelon is currently around $10 for a good sized one (got one yesterday for $6! Jacob dropped it on the floor D: ). That's low! But the fruit/vegetables have great flavor, garden quality.

- Transportation. Having owned a car with payments, paid full coverage (because you can't have payments on a car without having full coverage), and did the whole maintenance thing to make sure I wouldn't be stranded in the middle of nowhere with a dead car - I love Korea's transportation system. Yes, I miss driving - I love driving. But there is something to be said about safe, affordable public transportation. 

 - Family. Friends. I miss them. A lot.

- Frozen. Some days, I feel like I'm frozen in time. I'm not moving forward in the sense that my fellow KSU graduates are. They are decorating classrooms, acquiring a status within their school system, and continuing their teacher's education. Sure, I'm teaching. I am continuing my education in the respect of learning more about classroom management and activities. However, there is a lot more behind teaching. Theories that I am beginning to forget, standards that aren't required in my subject, reasoning skills, laws that aren't implemented here, and a complete lack of paperwork. I can pick a kid up and swing them around if I want. I give kisses and hugs all day long. These are things that won't fly in the states. I have very little paperwork and almost zero lesson planning. Sometimes I feel like this experience is going to bite me in the butt one day. I also miss talking to kids...kids that understand everything I say. Kids that I can relate to.

- People. The people here are wonderful. Jacob has lost his phone and tablet multiple times on the subway/bus and has always gotten it back. People seem more honest. I can leave my purse at an empty table and it'll still be there when I come back. Koreans have respect for themselves as well as others. Now there is a negative, the older generation can be a bit harsh when it comes to women smoking, putting your shoes on seats, and not moving so an elder person can sit in your seat on public transportation. Also, who knows if the younger generation will have this same sense of respect. Five years from now...who knows what might happen.

- Language barrier. This is more my fault. I can read hangul (Korean) fairly well. I mean, I can get by. I can order drinks, food, direct a taxi, talk about Jacob, give orders to a class, etc. But for having lived in a country for two years, my Korean isn't nearly as good as it should be. If we end up staying, I've made it a mission to become near fluent.

- Hobbies. More specifically, running. During the course of my seven year relationship with Jacob, I've never really developed a hobby. Sure, I would run on and off - it always ended up with an injury. My first venture into unknown territory (where Jacob wasn't interested), was when one of my best friends Tiffany asked me to work her at her wine bar. I spent hours washing dishes and cleaning tables but...it was great. I met new people and got to hang with my best friend and I loved it. That was the first real thing I did without Jacob (aside from go to school). When we got to Korea, I continued this branching out. I started reading about places to go in Korea, things to do. We went on random trips with unknown people, we hung out with newbies all the time, I ran my first race! This year, I vowed to finally train and finish a marathon. I have the time. I spent winter weight lifting to get strong so I wouldn't injure myself when running. I'm up to 15 miles now with two months left until my marathon. I don't think I ever would have done this in the states.

In conclusion, I feel that staying here until Jacob graduates would be beneficial to our little family. I know I'll miss everyone terribly and I hate being away for so long but...we have to do what will help us the most in the future now. If we end up staying, we will visit. I also hope that some of our loved ones will come visit us. ^_^

Drinking Culture of Korea

I feel that it's important for me to touch upon the subject of drinking in Korea.  Too many times I have heard that all Jacob I do is drink and party - which is only partly true. Allow me to explain alcohol consumption in Korea...

First you have to understand that drinking is more than just a part of dinner or an activity to do late at night. It is more than going out with friends on Saturday night and getting wasted at a club. For Koreans, drinking is part of their culture. Soju isn't just watered down vodka - soju is an ancient drink that's been around since the 13th century. There is a specific way to drink it that is used as a way to show your respect to others (especially your elders or those who hold a higher position). To get a sense of how important alcohol is to Koreans it helps to know some of the background.

What is soju? Soju is a liquor typically made from rice (although there are been times when rice was scarce so potatoes or other starch foods were used instead). It's been around since the 13th century and requires a certain etiquette when being consumed. So you have two people at the table, each person has a shot glass. The youngest person fills the glass of the oldest person, the oldest person drinks and hands the glass back, fills it for the young one and the young person drinks. This is the short version of what happens - there are lots of rules that some Koreans follow like the young person isn't allowed to face the older person when they drink and must turn away.

Makkoli is another form of alcohol Koreans make and drink. It's a slightly sweet rice wine that looks milky. This beverage dates back waaaaay before soju, some believe it to have been created around the 1st to 2nd century. From what I've observed, it's usually served in a bowl like cup. Apparently not uncommon to drink for breakfast either...

OB (Oriental Brewery) is the main beer manufacturer here. OB produces Cass and Cafri along with OB using rice instead of malted barley (as we're used to in our beers). A brewery started in Korea, by Koreans, and only recently sold to a larger corporation. My personal favorite Korean beer! Better than Cass (remove the C and it tastes like _____) and Hite (add an S and it tastes like _____). hahaha

The most popular alcoholic beverages in Korea are the ones produced by Koreans. Koreans are proud of their culture, this includes alcohol (they even make their own wine!). Nationalism at its' best. ^_^

So alcohol is more than just drinking some liquor and trying to get booty or forgetting a hard day. Here, alcohol is tradition.