Year 2 - Some Winter Observations

Howdy

It's beginning to look a lit like Canada here. We have had more snow this winter than last. By Korean standards a LOT more. By Canadian standards not that much. Not even enough for Toronto to call in the army. ;)

The snow started in the wee hours of the morning. It kept up all day. At times it was really being whipped around by the wind. Even then, it still wasn't that bad as the lowest temperature was around 1 Degree celsius. The ground was more slushy than anything else.

The problem started when the sun set. Now the streets and sidewalks are a sheet of ice. I saw several cars that crashed on the way home. One woman went up on the sidewalk, hit a tree, and split the front of her car right into the radiator. She was alright.

Some people here put chains on their tires when it snows. That is, when it snows heavy by their standards. It is still strange to see vehicles with chains on their tires. Mind you, they have no salt or sand trucks so they need chains.

You will still see women walking around in their usual footwear though. I am amazed they don't fall more often. Walking on ice wearing high heel boots and shoes just doesn't make sense. Then again, they do walk up mountains wearing them too.

I had no problem walking home. A little bit of slipping and sliding, but nothing worth worrying about.

Take care

Flint

Shit Koreans Say ... about cold weather.

"Cho ah! Cho ah! Cho ah!"

Writing it just doesn't do justice to the whiney sound many Koreans make when saying this. What are they saying? They are letting everyone know they are cold. Why are they cold? Odds are they didn't dress for the weather.

It is nothing during the coldest part of the winter to see Korean women going around in mini skirts, or men wearing just a blazer. One of the strangest sights I saw was a Korean woman with a big puffy parka, furry boots, and a micro mini skirt with no hose/leggings. And surprise surprise she was going on and on about being cold. They say it like it is some mantra that will magically keep them warm.

Now if they were dressed for the weather and still cold I could understand the whining to a degree. But when they consciously dress improperly they need to shut the fuck up, go home, and get the proper clothes.

One of the most bizarre sights I saw many times when walking home in the winter was middle school kids wrapped up in blankets. Their parents send them to schools, many of which aren't heated, in their school uniform and NO winter jacket. Often they wear the bathroom sandals and not proper foot wear even in the winter. So, they bring a blanket to wrap up in to keep warm.

"Teacher cold."

"You are cold."

You hear things like that from students of all ages. Instead of saying they are cold they tell me that I am cold. To which I reply "No. I'm warm." This of course perplexes them and they usually just repeat their initial comment a few times thinking it will magically mean what they want it to. I give them a little time to self correct and then tell them that they wanted to say "Teacher, I am cold." and explain why what they said was wrong. Then they smile and say "Teacher, I am cold." to which 9 times out of 10 I reply "I'm not." and continue the original lesson.

When the classes are too hot you actually get the opposite comments. The students are hot and want a window open or the air conditioner on. They are wearing their winter jackets (my students never brought a blanket to class), which are zipped up tight, and absolutely refuse to take off their jacket or even open it up. They will sit there soaking in their own sweat, and stinking up the room rather than take their jacket off. Why? Because it is winter and you should wear your jacket, and no one else has theirs off and they don't want to be the odd man out. One of the problems of living in a conformist society, conforming can lead you to be uncomfortable and you won't get comfortable because you must conform.

"You are cold. Go home."

Ah mooks. They do make life interesting. It isn't bad enough you have slack jawed yokels pointing, staring, and telling you that you are cold. Sometimes you run into an uber-mook who will shout some stupid statement at you and run away.

What The... Cho-ah?!

Readers of this blog might remember a story about mook vocabulary. The word "mook" was used for the basis of what the usual mook has to say, with various expletives thrown in. Anyone who begins to understand Korean (and Korean profanity) realizes sooner or later that it's fairly widespread among the population - even the kids.
Last winter, Flint and I added "cho-ah," the Korean word for cold, to the average mook conversation. It was, and is, their habit to constantly comment on the cold, whether it was to say, "It's cold," "I'm cold," "They're cold," "It's so fucking cold," etc., etc., etc.
I wondered, as winter turned to spring, what the mooks would say instead of "cho-ah." Would it be "tta-ttu," (warm)? Or "i-go," (hot)?
No, I have learned, they still say "cho-ah."
What the kimchi?
The hagwon where I work has an ancient air conditioning system that barely stays ahead of the heat and humidity. When the clasroom is full of 10-12 students, things can become... uncomfortable.
There is one room that is equipped with an extra wall unit, but I'm only in there twice a week. My favourite days to teach.
And the teacher's room gets pretty cool, as the teachers are not there during class. During break, it's a nice oasis for me, but every Korean teacher who walks in says "cho-ah," as soon as they feel the A/C hit them.
It's like it's still winter for them.
The room with the extra A/C unit gets positively chilly. If I crank it, even I begin to feel uncomfortable. I try to keep it at a point where both myself and the Koreans aren't distracted by the temperature, but I'm beginning to think this is impossible.
Arms will get withdrawn into t-shirts, so it looks like I'm teaching a class of amputees.
There's always at least one kid who mutters "cho-ah." Sometimes they'll say, "Alan, cold!" to which I reply, "No, I'm not."
Never let an opportunity go by to either teach them proper English, or torture them.

What the ... change of a day or two can do.

Gloomy and grey to snowy and nice. The grey days seem to suck the life out of me. I tend to be lethargic on those days.

Today the air was cool and crisp. About 10 seconds after I started scooting to work it started to snow. Just a flurry of small flakes. But it was nice. Ok not NICE nice but nice. I have no visor on my helmet anymore so the snow was hit my eyes at times. THAT wasn't nice. See, I can complain about anything. :)

Being that it is Friday might have something to do with my upbeat feeling too. This is my last day of Morning/Afternoon work. Starting next week it is back to the old afternoon/evening times. I can get back into my old routine again. And watch hockey in the mornings. ;)

Clearing Snow

I finally went back to work today after the New Year's break. I did remember how to teach after the long time off.
One of the things I saw today that made me say "What the kimchi?" was a man cleaning the snow off of his front windshield by pouring hot, steaming water all over it.
Now, here in Korea, I do not have a brush like I would have back in Canada. I don't even have a scraper to get rid of the frost on my windshield. I have been going into my wallet and using whatever plastic card I don't have any other use for. I did have a point card for Kyobo Bookstore in Daegu that I splintered into three or four pieces, but now I am using my Dunkin Donuts "Happy Point" card. It's from a different store than the one I go to now, and apparently the points do NOT transfer over.
Pfffff.
Anyway, when I go to remove the snow from my car, I just sweep it off with my gloves, arms, and so forth. I did have a dire circumstance result from this.
When I drive, I like to listen to a book on my I-pod, and I was listening the last time I was brushing off the car. Somehow, ny arm got tangled in the I-pod's earphone cord and I dumped it into a snowbank.
AAAAHHHH!!!
I cleaned it off, let it dry, and it's been working OK, but... whew!
Just now, I'm listening to Paul Shaffer's book, "We'll Be Here For The Rest Of Our Lives." It transferred to my I-pod in a real strange-e fashion. Disk Two is in a chapter all by itself, while Disks One and Three to Seven are all mixed up in another channel. If I want to listen to Disk One, I have to constantly fast forward through Disks Three to Seven. It's really irritating, and the other drivers just don't understand when I drift into their lane (while searching) that it's really important, man!
After the guy finished pouring hot water all over his windshield he brought out a broom to try and sweep off the rest of the snow off of his truck. But it wasn't a broom like I was used to seeing. It was one of those long sticks with twigs tied onto one end. Don't these people have real brooms? Most of the ones I see are real short, so you have to bend over while sweeping. I used to think the old people in this country were all bent over and gnarly because that was how they'd spent their lives: bent over and gnarly.
I try to clean all the snow off of my car, not just the windows. I try to get the roof clear, as well. I hate it when people get in their car, switch on their wipers, and think they are finished cleaning the snow off. You can tell who they are, because they look like a miniature snowstorm as they drive down the street. Anyone behind them is lost, and they have to send out one of those St. Bernard's with the cocktails in a barrel.
Driving wasn't too bad today, but I did have to go around a few people that were either on 'luudes, or just being too cautious. There's being careful because of driving conditions, and there's being a wuss.
And then there's the ajummas walking down the ruts in the road when there's a perfectly icy sidewalk for them to break a hip on.
I guess it doesn't snow here often enough for Koreans to seriously get into snow removal equipment, but since when did common sense become so uncommon?
Oh, wait... what country am I in?

Driving In Korea

It's a beautiful day here in the 'ju. We've had a couple days of snow, and it's a winter wonderland. But Flint already posted about that.
There's a park across the street from my one room con-apt. It slopes up sharply from the street and then levels off just above my window (I'm on the third floor). There's usually a crowd of mooks playing that soccer-volleyball hybrid game, or a herd of kindergartners shrieking and running around crazy-go-nuts.
Today there's some kids using scrap pieces of cardboards as sleds on the slopes, sliding right into the street. Or they would if it wasn't lined with cars. I wonder if they sell sleds or toboggans here? Most of the places I've lived in Korea get snow for about a day at most, so I guess there's not much of a market for them. I remember what fun I had when I was younger. Calvin and Hobbes reminded me of just how dangerous a toboggan can be, so I figured Koreans would love it.
But I was going to write about driving in Korea, wasn't I?
I was not looking forward to driving in the snow, but my director called me to say she was closing, and that we would resume classes tomorrow. I was relieved to say the least.
I used to think Koreans were the worst drivers in the world, until I went to Saigon. Now I'm thankful Koreans aren't that bad.
I've had a car for about a year and a half now, and I've had four accidents. They've all been nothing more than scrapes/fender-benders, but still...
Flint has talked about selfishness vs. obliviousness. I lean towards Korean drivers as being selfish more than oblivious. They do tend to ignore everything that is not right directly in front of them, but it is far more important for them to be first. Running red lights, cutting people off, driving too close, and weaving in and out of traffic are just some of their tricks. They can NOT be second, even if it means endangering themselves and everyone around them.
Take my most recent accident. I was waiting at an intersection, intending to cross a busy road and go down a side street. There was a long line of traffic waiting for the light, and I knew I would never make it. I went into the right hand turn lane, intending to go straight and squeeze into the line of traffic. The driver I got in front of was so incensed, he crossed the centre line, zoomed ahead of me, and cut me off, clipping my front bumper in the process.
So we stopped, and I called my director's husband to interpret for me. The other driver was all silent and non-confrontational with me when He saw my foreigness. I eventually gave him 50,000 won and went on my way. First, I might add.
They are all about keeping in front of everyone else. I remember reading an article in TIME magazine about Asian drivers. A Chinese driving instructor told his pupil NOT to use his signal light, because it would give the other driver a clue to his intentions, making it easier to close up the space before he could change lanes.
Koreans use turn signals, but sparingly. They are much more in love with their four-way flashers. Flint says they think it means they can do anything and they're covered.
The obliviousness does come into it as a factor in their driving. I take it as read that every driver on the road is a potential bomb waiting to go off and destroy me utterly. I try to be careful and be prepared for any crazy shit to happen at any moment. Keeps me on my toes.
Flint says he could never be patient enough to drive a car. He would become consumed by road rage, and violence would ensue. I take the opportunity to work on my patience, take it easy, and take out my frustrations on my students.
Joke.
No, really.
But not all Korean drivers are crazed maniacs with their feet pushed to the floor. Some of them are kinda slow, almost like they're 'luuded up, or something. People can't drive that slow and not be influenced chemically in some way.
The first accident I had is an example of how dumb they can be. The streets in my neighbourhood are fairly narrow, made even more so by the cars parked on both sides. The driving lane is one car wide at best. If you meet an oncoming driver, one of you has to give way. I remember waiting for half an hour before one cab driver finally backed down.
Anyway, I was coming around a corner when an oncoming vehicle forced me to put my car into reverse and back up so he could get by. As I started to back up, however, I heard some shouting, scooter horn beeping, and saw general mookish milling around in my rear view. I waited a bit, and then started backing up again, but heard more shouting, beeping, and saw yet more mookishness.
After I saw a scooter go off the other way, I started to back up yet again, right into a delivery scooter. I broke off a piece of his front wheel cover. 50,000 won and he was on his way.
I still wonder to this day what he thought my back up lights were for. Was he hypnotized? Koreans are mollified by bright shiny objects, so maybe...
Between being selfish/oblivious, Korean drivers do make life more interesting.

Winter Wonderland

I am sitting in the teachers room watching the snow outside. It looks so beautiful out. Driving in to work on the scooter was fun. While it was a little challenging I am used to driving in winter weather. Never had a problem doing it. What makes it more challenging is keeping an eye on the other driver, who aren't used to it. Too many of them drive as if it was a normal day. God forbid they slow down a little. It is always balli balli, have to hurry.

The snowfall reminds me of March of 2004. South Korea was hit by the worst snowstorm in recorded history for that date. You could say in 100 years because it was 100 years ago that they started keeping records. Cheongju got 48 cm of snow in one day. The city was at a standstill. Hagwons CLOSED. It is the ONLY time I can think of in all my years here that Hagwons closed.

Since there is no snow removal equipment around or salt trucks (at least that I have seen) the roads get nasty. On the highway you will see containers of salt/sand or bags along the side of the road. If you feel the road is too icy YOU can get out and spread some.

Back in'04 the ice and snow got compressed by drivers. Some of the ruts, in what became pretty much solid ice, were a good 6 inches or more deep. They ended up using front end loaders and dump trucks, and in at least one instance jackhammers, to loosen and remove the ice. It was almost a week before they got to some of the side streets in Cheongju.

It was interesting to see how people who aren't used to snow react when a shit load of it is dumped down. On the walk to work I helped push 4-5 cars that were stuck. Pushed another 3-4 on the way home

It doesn't look as bad today as it was in 2004. Mind you I haven't seen the roads yet.

Happy New Year!!!!

Winter Weather

Winter weather is finally here. Damn cold on a scooter when you forget your gloves. Damn damn cold.

Mind you I LOVE winter. I enjoy the cold weather and snow. Well, 1 out of 2 isn't bad. Korea doesn't get a lot of snow by my standards.

One of the benefits of the colder weather is that less people are mooking about outside. Maybe it is just my anti-social feelings talking but I like having less noise. Oh it is still noisy at times but not as bad as summer. Then I am happy to have the aircon on because the windows are closed and it is harder to here the people outside.

I remember the night I got home in June (went home for a month.) Made it in time to watch hockey. During the 2nd intermission I went out on the back deck. It was sooooo strange. It was ... quiet. I could hear a car in the distance. I could hear insects. There were no loud speaker trucks. It was eerily peaceful. Kind of creeped me out for a few minutes. ;)

Strangely enough I guess I did miss some of the background noise I have grown used to in Korea. Something just felt off for a little while because it wasn't there. Then I got over it and ejoyed the quiet.