Autumn, Death, Novelty, Change

This autumn I watched the forest transform for the first time in my life. The brilliant bright green I claimed as a favorite color became a fiery mix of deep red, pale yellow and illuminated orange. It was breathtaking.

As I watched the leaves change I contemplated the significance.

'The leaves are dying and it's beautiful to me...
therefore death is beautiful.'
No...

'The colors are striking because this is a new experience...
therefore novelty is beautiful.'
Not quite...

'The forest is changing and the transformation is what is amazing...
therefore change is beautiful.'
Almost....

The forest is a living breathing thing. It is always changing. I am a living breathing thing. I am always changing. This world lives and breathes and is forever changing.

The world will never again be exactly as it is right now. I cannot stop this change and I cannot capture everything in this moment.

Although this moment is beautiful I cannot hold it.

Each moment in life is unique. I cannot go back to the brilliant bright green of Summer anymore than I can fast forward to the buds of Spring.

What I can do is be aware that this world and this life are always changing.

All I can do it be here, fully present in this moment, and know that each moment in life is beautiful.

Life is beautiful.
Yes...

Adventures with Food

I made the decision before starting my year in Korea to be an adventurous eater. I didn't want to be the 'picky girl' and require any special treatment for my dietary restrictions. Also, I want to experience the culture and an integral part of culture is food.

This choice meant I would have to reconsider my views about eating meat. Four years ago I witnessed a Spanish ritual of torture and murder, commonly known as a bull fight, and since then the sight of a big bloody steak has made my stomach turn. The trauma made it difficult to eat anything with a face for a number of months. Eventually I leveled out and decided that I would not eat red meat and stuck with mostly chicken and fish.

Living in California my choice was easy to adhere to however moving to a foreign country I knew I would not have the luxuries of widely accepted dietary restrictions such as vegetarian, vegan and pescatarian. Also, I knew that meat, specifically barbecue, was an important part of Korean culture. With these two considerations I made the decision to eat meat and at least taste whatever else I was served for the next year.

Over the past three months I have eaten: steak, barbecued pork, squid, octopus, cheeseburgers, cuttlefish, clams fresh from the mud field, a lot of kimchi, mushrooms, chicken feet, duck, ginseng root, rice cakes, tofu prepared twenty different ways, many side dishes with names I do not know, hot dogs, spam, and many varieties of seaweed.

The first few times I indulged in barbecue I woke up in the middle of the night with my stomach in knots and groaning in pain. My body had forgotten how to digest mass quantities of meat and I was paying the price. Today, I bought a mystery vegetable at market and literally said out loud 'I'm not sure what this is, but I'm going to eat it'. I have of course found a few favorite dishes and some that I do not care for but I will continue to eat what I am served with out question.

One exception, I cannot knowingly eat dog.

Life Goals

In San Diego I had a list of life goals posted in my bathroom mirror. I've heard that goals should be calculable and specific but I felt it was best to start my list with general instructions to myself on how I wanted to live my life. My top three were as follows:

- Be happy

- Be healthy

- Balance work and play

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am proud report that I am doing an excellent job at all three.

~Michelle

( Also, I've decided to change my blog. Instead of an accurate play by play of every day I spend abroad I am going to stop fretting over capturing every detail and post short insights to my brain more frequently for anyone who cares to read them. )

A Sudden Transition to Fall

Hello Everyone!

First of all, I apologize. I've been really terrible at keeping up with this blog. I have found that I am much better at posting pictures on FaceBook (or MyFace as my mom likes to call it) and writing fun captions. If you want a regular update on my life Facebook is the place :)

Highlights of the past month include:

- Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving, the biggest holiday in Korea (think along the lines of Christmas in the US) We had two days off and it rained like crazy. Don't worry, it was just a small typhoon and the river-streets weren't too deep that we couldn't wade through them. I attempted to visit a palace one day but after an hour of soggy traveling the grounds were closed due to a flood. We made it back the following weekend and got some great shots.

- Teaching has quickly evolved through a number of stages of experimentation. At first, I tried to be a stern disciplinarian and that worked sometimes but it wasn't fun for anyone involved. Next, I have shifted to a reward based system. I reward my students with games and candy. This is much more fun but the disciplinarian still has to come out for extreme cases. I caught two of my student cheating yesterday and 'mean angry teacher' came out to rip up their tests and scare all the students out of cheating.

- Korean lessons are slow but steady. One of the administrators at my school is assigning me 'homework' that I dutifully complete every week. The only downside is that these assignments are clearly meant for toddlers. I feel that my comprehension of the language is improving but I need to spend more time memorizing vocabulary. I have forgotten how hard school is! I am working on finding a language exchange partner and hope to have something to report by the time I get around to my next blog. My big accomplishment thus far, I can halfway read a menu and I ordered take out on the phone yesterday for the office :-D

- Extracurricular activities are awesome! I am having the time of my life with all night dance parties, Oktoberfest with new friends, cultural experiences, hiking, yoga, a FC Seoul Football game, shopping and art in Insadong, inside jokes and dinners with my fellow teachers, and daily exploration of my city.

- Future plans include a fireworks festival this weekend, a weekend trip with Adventure Korea 'Autumn Foliage Trekking and Mud', joining the yoga studio to get myself up and out of the house at a decent hour, and I can't WAIT for snowboarding season.

Thats all for now folks! Email me, Skype me, FaceBook me, call my Google Voice number (619-630-5786) or call my Korean cell (010-2416-5263)

First Blog in Korea

My first two and a half weeks in Korea have lead to so many changes my head has spun around more than once. I’m thankful that my life has some sense of a regular schedule and that I may finally take the time to start my blog and communicate with friends and loved ones.

I arrived in Seoul after an exhausting twelve and a half hour flight and was delighted to find signs in English in many key locations such as: the foreign passport customs, the baggage claim, the bus stop, and the bus depot. After my terrifying initial hours in Madrid for my study abroad program I was worried I wouldn’t make it to the hotel without a fuss but I found everything I needed with no problems. After I checked in, quickly showered and met my roommate I was anxious to get out and explore the city to I took the subway to check out a few sights.

Training the first week was intense but extremely helpful. Chung-Dahm, my school, has spent a lot of time and money developing their curriculum, methodology and classroom management techniques. All new instructors spend a full week training, role playing and attending seminars to prepare them for teaching. I was able to go out a few times with a group from my training class and we all dove head first into Korean culture, so ju, kareoke, and Korean cusine including chicken feet.

Minutes after our final exams everyone was whisked away to their locations around the country so I’m sad to report we are yet to properly celebrate successfully completing training.

My first weekend in Anyang was relaxing and grounding. I was relieved to find that my school had already set up a lease for me in a clean, quaint studio apartment with all of the standard amenities such as: a bed, a washer (no dryer), a refrigerator, a stove, kitchen and bathroom sinks and a shower separate from the toilet (this is a big deal).

I spent my first weekend getting lost in Anyang, literally, preparing for class and outfitting my apartment with necessities like toilet paper and coffee from E-Mart, the Korean version of Wal-Mart.

My first day of class was tougher than I expected but I am proud to report that my teaching skills are quickly improving. Each of my classes is different at a different degree of authoritative teacher silent classroom and frustrated teacher wild students.

Overall I am inspired by my students work ethics. A students life in Korea is very different from the United States. After they attend school from 8 to 3 pm, have an average of four hours of homework, and they attend an average of six hours private instruction each day (Monday through Saturday). There is almost no time for friends, sports, TV and not enough hours in the day to get the sleep they need. Due to their crazy schedules kids often attempt to doze in class. We’re instructed to be understanding, encouraging and not yell at them. My flagship move for a dozing class is a two minute stretch break and so far it works pretty well.

In my free time my favorite activity is to explore, eyes wide as saucers and curious about everything. As I wander through the city with its narrow neon streets, crowded markets, and mazes of midrise apartment buildings I am drawn to the forested paths that lead up mountains. So far I can’t seem to get enough of the lush green forest, Buddhist temples and views of the city from above.

Contact information is below for all of you that have asked for it. Please feel free to forward my blog to any and everyone.

Skype michelleplummer05

Chat Via Facebook or Gchat

Email Michelle.Plummer2007@gmail.com

Korean Phone 010-2416-5263

School Address:

ChungDahm Learning

Attn: Michelle Plummer

1, 2F Jinbo Bldg

Bisan 2dong Dongan gu

Anyang Si Korea

Also, more pictures are on FaceBook if you're interested :-)