Filed under: Travel
Typical Side Street
There isn’t too much to report, but I thought you might like to see some typical street shots. Bright lights, flashing neon, and a Body Shop, Duncan Donuts, and Starbucks on almost every corner. Our hotel is in Gangnam, not exactly a cultural mecca. It is considered an affluent neighborhood, which I’m taking to mean there is not much here except places to shop and spend lots of money. I wanted to take the subway down to some cool old palaces downtown, but that didn’t happen as I had to spend the morning studying the English language, of which I appear to know very little about. I had a discussion with another English instructor yesterday about how we instincutally know how to speak English, but acutally know next to nothing about how to break it down, explain the parts, and teach it.
The pressure is especially on since the company we were hired through has now told us that we have to pass a series of tests to ensure our placement (I’m not sure how they can pull that since we’ve already signed contracts.) They say that between 12 and 20% of folks in a class don’t pass, and that makes their contract null and void. You go home on your own dime.
So my learning Korean is on hold for re-learning the acutal rules of English.
I had lunch at a great little hole in the wall down a side street. No English menu, no one in the restaurant spoke even one word of it, but with a lot of smiling and gesturing, we sat down to a meal of great side dishes and k’ognamulguk – a soup made of pork ribs, glass noodles, and vegetables.
Oh yea, and I swear soda is less sweet. I usually hate soda, but I don’t mind the Coke, they must make it with real sugar as opposed to the corn crap that has completely taken over the American diet.
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Ruby Ramblings 
Yay! Whenever you get out of training this week, we should get together. 🙂
Comment by Talya May 17, 2009 @ 12:19 pmwow, intensely different! What an adventure! Very interesting pictures and bloggage! Keep posting! And make plenty of time for singing! Your bodymind surely needs it!
Comment by Jenny Yasi May 17, 2009 @ 1:04 pmhey honey!
Comment by Jennifer Duncan May 17, 2009 @ 2:18 pmI’m sure you will pass the English test with flying colors. I enjoyed reading about your adventure thus far! Hows Jim holding up? I have all ya’lls mail and stuff, Let me know I could send it to you in Korea. May be with a little american treat with it. I thought about a bag of Drew’s Brew Coffee. may be some Taco Bell for Jim! Love you guys. Stay safe. Jen
You’ll be fine on the english test. Don’t worry.
Comment by bybee May 18, 2009 @ 3:11 amDamn…I was in Gangnam for about a half-hour yesterday morning. Transferring from subway to bus, going to Bundang…almost stopped in that holey bldg in your picture. Hope we can meet up soon.
I am sure you will both do an excellent job on the English test – — but they should have told you about passing that test thing – kinda sneaky if you ask me.
Comment by Christy May 18, 2009 @ 11:40 amI don’t know what they use but different pops (sodas) have a slightly different flavor too. They are less sweet (unless you are in Britain) I think they use simple syrup or something.
Try Rootbeer if you can find it.. very interesting experience!
Comment by Kiri May 27, 2009 @ 4:37 pm[…] am currently undergoing quarantine in South Korea for possible exposure to the swine flu. The saga begins here. It’s probably easiest if you click on “May” under archives and browse the month […]
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