Shae: Let's get on a boat to Pentos and never come back.
Tyrion Lannister: What would we do in Pentos?
Shae: Eat. Drink. Fuck. Live!
-Game of Thrones
It occurred to Joel and I this weekend that tomorrow will mark the beginning of our fourth month here in Korea. Many other teachers have commented as they were leaving that the time really goes by quickly here, and now I realize how right they are. It feels like just yesterday that we stumbled into the bus terminal, and yet we're a quarter of the way through our contract. Time really does fly.
For the most part, we have really enjoyed it so far. Some days the "culture shock" gets really frustrating, particularly my quest to get information about our health insurance policy and my ongoing banking saga (more on that in a minute), but by and large life is really easy, and very enjoyable here. We are excited about the two new teachers coming in next week - they are from Texas, and they sound really positive and fun. The outgoing teachers have done a lot to help us get oriented and learn the ropes of the job, but it will be really nice to have our group for the better part of next year all together.
This weekend was a lot of fun. After our Korean language class on Saturday morning (our second to last one for the session - it's crazy to think we have been studying Korean for seven weeks!), Joel and I picked up a nice flat-screen TV that we bought from an Irish guy who is about to leave the country. It's a great addition to our living room and a huge upgrade from crappy analog that came with the apartment (which would change the channel every time you tried to raise the volume and raise the volume and change the channel when you tried to lower the volume), and we can hook it up to the laptop! After we got that set up, my co-worker and I went hiking up to Jeungsim temple on Mudeung mountain. There are so many trails to explore, and every time you check one out, you find another one that you have to earmark for another day. It's so beautiful, though - I can't wait to see what it will look like in the fall!
I got dinner with some friends who work at a different hagwon, and then several of us went out dancing last night. Today I went to a jimjilbang, or a Korean bathhouse/sauna (more on that in a minute, too), and we hosted a movie night this evening. Not a bad weekend, if I do say so myself.
The Ongoing Bank Saga
So after my initial (negative) experience at the bank, my Korean co-worker went back with me to help sort everything out. After that visit, we got both Joel's and my name on the bank account and two functioning debit cards (one of which also works as a bus card). Last week, when we got paid, I went to the nearby branch to deposit our earnings and wire some of the money home. The actual wire transfer went fine, but when I went to put in my bank password, it turned out that I had memorized the wrong one (here, when you set up a bank account, you have a four-digit bank password number, a four-digit password for your bank card, and a separate six-digit PIN for your card for "international ATMs," whatever those are). The lovely English-speaking teller helped me to reset it and even fixed it so that I could use the same number for both my account and the card.
Unfortunately, I discovered later that day that while I could use my card at the ATM to withdraw cash, I could not use it as a debit card. On the other hand, Joel's card could no longer be used at the ATM, though he could still use it as a debit card.
WTF, Korea.
After yet another emotional breakdown at work, I took both cards back into the bank the next day and explained my predicament. The same lovely English-speaking teller replaced both cards and reset both card passwords (again), so we are okay with the bank (for now, at least).
I talked to my Japanese conversation partner about the whole fiasco, and she said that banking in Japan is similarly complicated. Asia, I understand that you are into secure banking, but when my bank account is so secure that even I can't use it, there is a problem. On the positive side, however, I have identified the teller at the bank who speaks English, and I am determined to make her my new best friend. My next task will be to set up online banking. Woo!
The Jimjilbang
I think I may have found my new favorite thing here in Korea. A jimjilbang is a large, public bathhouse/sauna where people go to relax and hang out. Basically, you pay a flat entry fee to have unlimited access to a common area (that usually sells snacks and drinks and has TVs to watch) and segregated saunas and hot and cold tubs. The one I went to this afternoon is called "Big Spo" and has a two coffee shops in the lobby and a Chinese restaurant next door. I spend all of my time in the hot tubs and saunas and did not venture into the common area, but it was an awesome and relaxing experience. You are supposed to wash and scrub yourself before getting into any of the tubs, and a lot of people will go in pairs or groups and help each other do that. After a few minutes of standing around and trying to figure out what to do, I just scrubbed down and jumped in a hot tub and it was paradise from there. As the only foreigner in the joint, I got quite a few stares (mostly from the kids), but once I got past that it was alright. Now that I have figured out how to get there on the bus, I will have to go back more often.
It's nice to be able to kick back and just live.
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