Carpe Diem

This is perhaps my favorite phrase.  We have traditionally been taught to think of this as 'seizing the day'; however, this phrase literally means:  'Pluck [as in plucking a ripe fruit] the day, trusting as little as possible in the future'.


The meaning is similar to that of many proverbs that we continue to use in English and is a warning to make the most of the time we have, with the implication that our time on Earth is short.  In other words, use our time to the best of our ability.

I began liking this phrase when I saw the 1989 movie, Dead Poets Society.  I love that movie.  It isn't my favorite, but it's in my top 10.

I like how Robin Williams introduced this to his students: "They believe they're destined for great things, just like many of you, their eyes are full of hope, just like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? Because, you see gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing daffodils. But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in. Listen, you hear it? - - Carpe - - hear it? - - Carpe, carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary."

Take out the daffodils and boys, and you have the ending words, 'make your lives extraordinary.'  I believe that is what most people would like for themselves. 

Being in Korea affords us the time to think and be in our heads.  We have the distinct opportunity to help ourselves become better people.  We think a lot about being a better person and how to go about that.  I like being able to hear my own thoughts.  We have time to really listen to what our head and brain are thinking about.  We have always heard it but here we have the chance to really listen and then to apply what we are hearing.


We are never finished evolving ourselves into better (or worse) people.  We are truly life long learners of ourselves and who we want to be.  People come into our lives and people go out of them.  While they are with us we each share parts of ourselves with each other.  We keep parts we like (consciously and subconsciously) and throw away (or keep for spare parts) the bits we dislike saying to ourselves, "I will never do that or become like them."

Joseph and I have learned a lot about ourselves and each other since being here.  About who we are and why we do, say or act ways we do.  I quoted a friend in an earlier post saying that Korea is a great therapist and she pays you.  It is absolutely true.  A few people here may become your guide or reality check.  I firmly believe everyone needs them.  It is what you choose to do after you realize these thoughts, emotions or feelings that counts.  Do you just continue to think or say these to yourself and others with no forward momentum to help yourself or do you actually get off the proverbial couch and fix it, change it, delete it, move on and/or get over it? 


Every person thinks these thoughts (I hope) but I also think it is scary for most people to change.  Most of us hate change.  It is perhaps when we buck the system that we really do the most change and become better people because of it.  Hopefully.

My goal is to fix, change, get over and/or delete my more common thoughts, feelings and emotions that are getting in my own way of becoming a better person.  I am a get up and go type person.  I like to think of myself as a doer and not a procrastinator.  When it comes to my thoughts and making myself better I have become lazy.  No longer.  All of those sayings such as, "put your money where your mouth is"; "put up or shut up", etc. come to mind and they are accurate as well.  If a person is going to say they will change or fix something, they should.  Otherwise, don't say it.  Sounds simple but that's where lying comes in.  Lying to Self.  Another word for another post.  

I want to become a better person.  

I will become a better person. 

Carpe.  Diem.

"Think Good Thoughts"

The Three Amigos

Sacrifice, Selfish and Selfless. 

These are interesting words.  When people hear them, myself included, I tend to think toward the negative.  You know, sacrifice my shoes to walk in the mud, or a cow or pig sacrificed itself so that I could live.  Some people don't understand that sacrifices could also be in the form of a parent saving the life of a child by giving a kidney, giving blood to someone who is in need, giving a needy person or family money that you would have blown on an I Pad, latte, or a trip to New York City.  

We are feeling a bit like we are making a sacrifice in being in Korea.  It isn't good and it isn't bad.  It just is.


We feel like part of it is good because here we are in this great place, meeting very interesting people and doing interesting and fabulous things.  We are paying off debt which we would never have been able to make a large dent in at home.  We are traveling to fabulous and beautiful areas of the Orient and for a very good and inexpensive price as well. 


We feel selfless in that we are here to pay off student loans and that's awesome. But...here comes the selfish part. 
We want our friends and family back home to be able to share in our laughs here, our adventures (hello blog) and in our cultural experiences.   

I suppose one could just as well call these feelings homesickness, but I think that is too general.  Joseph and I don't really miss the material aspects of being home, but more the immaterial aspects such as our people.  Although a good salad....yum.  No olives though.  Eww.  

We can't just hop in the car and take a trip down I4 of I75 to whoever we want to visit who is no more than a few hours away.  Everyone is over 25 hours away now by plane.  To expect family and friends to put off events and to try and include us in these events that are taking place is ludicrous and we would never suggest such a silly and terrible idea.  Everyone does what they do and that is great.  We just really wish we could be there during these events and things going on.  It would be so easy if we could jump on a plane and be there for a weekend thing and return by Monday at 1pm here, just in time for work. 

Told you it was selfish.  To not be able to hug our brother and sister in law, to not share in their joy, to not be able to celebrate Christmas or Thanksgiving with them or our grandmother, aunts, uncles and cousins.  To not be present when my cousin comes for a visit.  Makes me/us sad.  This isn't even the end of the first year...


Please make no mistake, we are enjoying our stay here for as long as it will be.  We are here and we will enjoy and are enjoying ourselves, regardless.  We just wish for our loved ones, family and friends alike, to know that they are missed and that they are no less loved, talked about or thought about because we are not on the same continent.

To put this blog post in perspective, a friend knew I was writing a blog about this and copied this quote to me: "Being here feels like I've died and now I'm watching you all as you go on with life without me, and I'm baffled by your ability to do it."  LOL.  Made me laugh anyway.   

So I leave it to the Reader:
Sacrifice, Selfish and/or Selfless?

Moving to South Korea

These 4 words can put quite a bit of fear in some people and the spark of adventure in far more.  In making this decision we looked at everything that was important to us to fully know and understand what we were going to do and what we should expect on our journey.  This blog is for anyone interested in moving to South Korea to teach or simply interested in why this became a reality for us.

1. Pay
2. Taxes
3. Housing
4. Cost of Living
5. Possibilities for Saving and Traveling



1. Pay

Let's be honest, this was a large part of us moving to South Korea.  Joseph and I are getting paid what we were getting paid as teachers in Florida.  




2.  Taxes

Taxes are taken out of our paychecks here just like at home.  The difference?  The amount.  We have 3.3% taken out of our paychecks each month.  Yes, you read that correctly.  What about our paying taxes in America while we are here?  From our research, we do not have to pay taxes on what we make while living in SK as long as we make less than $80,000 or $88,000 per year.  We just need to document all international income to the US government, just like home, in addition to how much money we send home.  As long as we tell the US government what and how much and can prove it, we should be fine.

3.  Housing

By working in a Hagwon (private school) we receive free housing.  This means our hagwon takes care of all of our apartment rental costs.  We are in charge of electric, gas, etc. payments but the large payment of our housing is taken care of by our school.  Yes, please. 

Does this mean we live in squalor?  Nope.  This does mean we do not have a fabulously posh apartment; however, we do have a very acceptable although rustic apartment.

We live within 5 minutes walking distance to our school (lovely).

If a foreign person works at a public school your housing will also be paid for.  At a University however, you will need to speak to the individual institutions for this information.  Some institutions will have a few apartments for you to chose from and some will make you find your own apartment but give you a stipend/housing allowance each month (think of it as an extra $300 or $400 each month). 

If a couple works at different locations one person might have an apartment provided by their school and the other would be wise to find a job with a housing allowance.


4.  Cost of Living

The prices of living in South Korea are very low--for Joseph and I and for anyone.  We have a budget and we live off of 1/4 of our paycheck  each month.  What happens to the rest of our money?  We pay student loans and save.  How do we travel?  How do we have money to go out?  There are two of us, how is this possible?  Do we have any fun? 
We are able to do all of the above and have a small amount left over... sometimes.  We do pick and choose what we would like to do but we are able to do just about everything we would like to do on our budget. 

What about your electricity, gas and other housing bills?  These are very low.  Our gas bill (during the winter it is higher than usual) runs about 90,000W [this is the winter price] and our electricity is approximately 40,000W.  Not too shabby.  These are taken directly out of our paychecks and we do not have to worry about paying these directly.  Each school differs though so make sure you speak to your school about this as soon as you arrive and are awake enough to engage this conversation.  You do not wish to have a nasty bill 3 months in.

We do not live off of ramen and in fact have not eaten this much since being here at all.  We usually spend about 10,000W a day on eating alone.  We eat normal Korean foods--the more you stick with Korean food the cheaper it is.  The second you go to Outback or another foreign restaurant the price skyrockets. 

What if you need to eat something familiar?  It is possible!  Cook your own dishes (get food from the local markets as it is cheaper than Home Plus, Costco, or Emart) or if you have to get something from a particular restaurant or foreign shopping center, don't purchase a large amount if you are trying to budget.  You can also go to foreign and familiar restaurants.  Go with a friend (a group is better) and share a meal. 

5.  Saving/Traveling

This is hard for us not to spend the money on travel.  We love to travel.  We pay ourselves first then pay our bills and last we have fun with the left over amount.  We are two people and are able to manage quite well on what we have each week to live off of.  We do pick and choose what we wish to do and we plan our events, especially the larger ones, with care of how much money we will need.  Joseph and I would much rather have pictures to remember our adventures by than a house full of dust collectors--although a few choice ones would not go unloved or unnoticed.



Bottom line?  It depends why you are here.  If you are here to lower your debt or pay off debt--most foreigners are here for this very purpose--you will be able to do so and in the same turn, have a rockin' good time.  Just plan accordingly. 


South Korea is also the highest paying Asian and European country.  The Middle East pays some of their foreign English teachers up to $5,000USD (in US dollars as well) a month but that is another story in itself.

First Snow, Last Snow?

It is snowing.  Again.  We are not sure if we are tired of it or not.  Daejeon is a secluded part of Korea in that the weather is more mild than it might be elsewhere.  Yes, it snows but it does not pile up like it does an hour away at the ski lodges. 

We have truly enjoyed our first winter season in South Korea.  It is a nice change to experience four complete seasons instead of warm, warmer, hot and hottest.

It has been a really nice winter and we are looking forward to Spring!

Lots of enjoyable and fun adventures lie ahead!

A group of us came across an article CNN wrote about 50 Beautiful Places to Visit in South Korea.  We are taking it upon ourselves to visit each and every one of these locations with the additions of a few other exciting places.  Fifty places are a lot to plan and visit thoroughly in one year so we have decided to divide them into seasons we want to visit them; some are prettier in spring, etc. and then to see how many we will be able to combine into the same weekend trip. To view the link click here. 

There are many more exciting places to visit as well as the 50 in the article, of course, so we will be visiting those places also.  Places such as the World Expo (World Fair) taking place in Yeosu.  Click here to learn more about the World Fair.  At the top right of the screen is the English option. 

We are excited to be able to attend and you can look forward to many blogs documenting the events,  locations and adventures we will take part in the next few months/years.

Sunset over a field of azaleas, Youngchi Mountain, Yeosu

Come visit South Korea! 

The Brave Little Toaster

We have seen a few movies while in Korea: Harry Potter, Johnny English (we were desperate for an English movie), and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.   

The movies are in English with Korea subtitles as expected.  What isn't expected are the reactions of the Koreans while sitting in the theater.

The fun part is how the Koreans don't react to the movie.  A car could explode, a couple could have the best meaningful conversation on the silver screen or the funniest joke known to man could be taking place and the Korean people do not react at all. Not a sniff, chuckle, laugh or gasp can be heard during a movie. 

A group of us have decided this is because of our background knowledge of the situations and vocabulary taking place in the movies.  If something funny happens and the foreigners laugh, there is almost a delayed reaction from the Koreans; almost as if they are thinking, 'They are laughing so it must be funny...let's laugh too!'

Just another "-ism" in lovely Korea!

Dear, Mister FBI

The distinguished FBI has deemed it necessary for all me-gook seram (American people) to have a background check for each and every year you chose to live on the lovely peninsula of South Korea. The beginning of the process is to have your fingerprints and FBI background check application sent to the FBI.

What they don't usually tell you when you reside in a different country you should begin this process at least 6 months before the end of your Visa to give yourself time to get everything you need together.  From Korea (as well as America), it generally takes about 3 months just to have your background check completed and returned to you.  Let's hope they are a mite quicker.

Awesome.


Today Joseph and I headed to our local police station to have our fingerprints taken.  The post office, fire station and police station are located right next to each other with the police station being in the middle.  It is safe to say that our being foreigners entering this police station did not go unnoticed.  We doubt they have ever had a foreign person in their station before.  Yes, this is usually the case.

Our police station was pleasant enough and about the size of the Dundee Post Office.  In other words, picture a very small, clean but grungy room with a clear barrier between employees and others.  We were immediately well received and had a lovely conversation with the man and woman who were there at the time.

Granted the entire conversation was in Konglish (think Spanglish).  Questions such as how long have you lived here, where do you teach (because almost every foreigner is an English teacher) and how do you like living in Korea?  This last is a favorite to ask of any Korean especially once they discover we are American.  The Korean people (in our experience) love America and want to visit if they haven't.  They don't really know Disney World (shocker?) but they do know California and New York.  They seem pleasantly surprised when we tell them we love Korea-- as if we could never enjoy or like Korea because we are American.   

The woman officer proceeded to make copies of our copies and by the time she was through we each had about 15 copies of our fingerprint forms when we actually came with everything we needed.  We just needed them to take our fingerprints.  Ha ha ha.  Nothing is a simple as it should be in Korea.  Maybe that is because we don't speak fluent Korean?

When we were finally able to communicate we simply needed our fingerprints taken we were handed an ink pad and we had to take them ourselves.  Let's hope the FBI can't distinguish between who took the prints and let's hope they are acceptable. Hopefully between the three sets of prints they can put together what they need and we won't have to do it all over again. 

Not too badly, is it? 

AGH!  Upon further reflection of our paperwork we need to go back and have them sign and fill out some information.  Luckily for us we will be remembered.  *fingers crossed* we won't have to do it all over again!  We might actually need those additional copies after all.

6 Months in the South

Hello.  We have been present and accounted for in South Korea for the past six months.  We have had a blast and we have also met some amazing people.  We are also missing our family and friends.  Brothers, sisters, babies, Mom and Dad, cousins, Aunt's and Uncle's, and last but not least, grandmothers.  

However through all of this we have come up with a list of information of things one should know for a visit or a longer stay in this lovely place.


1.  forks are easier to come by than originally thought

2.  Korean food is still delicious

3. "We are really in Korea" moments still happen

4.  Have only cooked in our penthouse apartment maybe  5 or 6 times

5.  Korean fashion is awesome

6.  Going to dinner every night with friends is still fun

7.  The bathroom is not bad but I won't use a squatter unless I have no choice

8.  We like not having a car.  Public transportation should be wider accepted and used in America

9.  Korean debit cards sometimes don't work after midnight. Foreign ones do.

10. Cash is your best friend.

11.  Always carry wet wipes and tissues

12.  Bring personal items from home...

13.  Getting stared at here is normal.  Especially if you have blond hair and blue eyes

14.  Chewing with your mouth open is completely normal (and still gross)

15.  So is slurping noodles and soup

16.  It is normal to hear F15 flying overhead every day.  Nothing is going to happen

17.  Always carry an umbrella. Period.

18.  If you are trying to make a deal with a Korean, using the word "okay" binds the contract.  Do not use "okay" unless you are prepared to do what you are talking about.

19.  You will always get gimchi and/or yellow radish as a side dish.  All of the gimchi tastes different at each location so if you have a yucky experience they are not all created equally.  Try another piece somewhere else.  The yellow radish is delicious and we have been told many, many times, "it aids in your digestion."

This is just a snapshot of our culture experiences in this first 6 months of living in South Korea. 
We have had a million of them but these were just a few that stood out the most.