Korean Weddings

Korean weddings are somewhat similar to weddings in the US, but there are some very distinctive differences. I'm actually not sure about how weddings were different in the past, but these days many Korean weddings are in a wedding hall. What's interesting about it though is that people reserve the wedding hall for a specific time of the day, and the ceremony and reception often last an average of about 2-3 hours. Also wedding halls usually have more than one chapel, so there can be many weddings going on at the same time.

What surprised me the most when I went to a Korean wedding for the first time is that there were so many people at the wedding hall, but not all of them were there for the same wedding. There were many different couples getting married at various times in different chapels, and it was a bit strange seeing so many people who weren't necessarily going to the same wedding.

In addition, in Korea there is no limit to how many people can go to a wedding, and so you don't really need a formal invitation. Typically as a gift you are only required to give money (usually about $30), so as long as you give the couple money, there's no problem with you going to a wedding. (My housemate Yoon-Seo and I thought about crashing a wedding sometime for fun!)

Of course this greatly contrasts with Western weddings, which are traditionally held in a church, and there is only one wedding going on, and an invitation is a requirement for the most part. However, much of the ceremony is similar in a lot of ways. Both the bride and groom convene at the front of the church, with a member of the clergy as the wedding officiant. The pastor says some things and they kiss and such. But one difference is that the couple must bow before the parents, and the groom has to bow down to his knees!

Following the wedding is the reception, but at the wedding hall they prepare a buffet for everyone, so people from all of the weddings gather in the same area to eat, and you simply just sit at a table with the people that you know. Of course at a buffet you can eat and drink as much as you want, but since there are so many weddings happening in one day, your usually can only sit down for about an hour and a half.

To say the least it was an interesting experience. I don't think I would want to have a wedding like this, but it's really convenient only having to pay a fee for a wedding to a wedding hall, and then everything for the most part is taken care of. Also I like the idea of people just giving money. It's much simpler than having people go out and buy a gift for you that they think you might need.

Also not every wedding is exactly like this. I've been to four weddings, and only one of them had the ceremony at a wedding hall. Three of them were at a church, and one of them had the reception at a wedding hall. So even though many couples get married at a wedding hall, it's not a requirement. I think most people get married at a wedding hall because it's so convenient.

A Goal to Remember!

Well it seems like it's been a long time since I've done something spectacular when it comes to playing soccer. Today was a day in which I can say I did something special.

Earlier today I had a soccer game with my new team Bundang FC, and we played against a team that was not only dirty, but they dived a lot. To say the least, it was frustrating to see people do a tuck and roll as soon as you touch them.

Anyway, we started the game with only one substitute, so I got mentally prepared to play the full 90 minutes of the game. In the first half we seemed to dominate the game by scoring 2 goals, one of which was a header from our 6'-4" tall center forward named Stu, and the second goal came from a easy tap in off of a rebounded shot that I took after doing a couple of spin moves past two defenders!

It seemed as though we were going to easily win the game, but the other team scored a penalty kick a little bit later, making the score 2-1 at halftime.

The second half we scored another goal making it 3-1, but we made it a little hard on ourselves by allowing them to score a second goal soon after. Up until the 78th minute, we held them to a 3-2 lead, but one of their players ended up tying the game with a near post shot. Thus the game was tied at 3-3.

It seemed as though we were going to tie the game, despite having played a pretty decent game. But we continued to press on.

In the 89th minute, Evan, one of our outside mid-fielders, won the ball off of a defender and passed the ball to me near the penalty spot of the opposing teams box. The ball came bouncing to me, and I had to make a split second decision about what to do next. Now usually in this situation I would do a couple of things:

1. I would try to take a shot, and probably miss kick the ball and it would go out for a goal kick (or perhaps a throw in).

2. I would try to control the ball and take a more controlled shot, which would usually be a good idea, but it often times gives the other team a chance to try and block the shot.

I chose option 1, and instead of kicking the ball out of play, I drilled the ball into the top right corner of the goal!

Bundang FC: 4

Other Team: 3

I jumped with joy while also running back to our end of the field after the goal, and my teammates followed and cheered with me in celebration of what would surely be the winning goal of the match. In a surprise move, one of the players grabbed my shorts and pulled them down enough for me to in fact moon the opposing team. So to add insult to injury, the opposing team was down by a goal towards the very end of the game, and got a glimpse of my butt as well!

I've played many soccer games throughout the course of my life, but none of the goals I have ever scored will be as dramatic as this one. I'm grateful for having the opportunity to do something spectacular, and I can certainly thank my teammates for the effort that they put in throughout the game.

But I think what will make this memorable is that I did it during a time where I was really missing playing soccer, and by scoring today I was reminded of one of the many reasons why I like playing so much.

One of the things that I thought about after the game was that it wasn't a goal that I scored during a high pressure situation in a game that seemed like it meant the world. I scored in a game that didn't matter that much in the long run. It was more memorable than any moment that I played on the soccer team at Goshen College, and it may have been the best goal that I have ever scored.

One might wish that it would have come in a more critical game, but for me it came at the perfect time. It came at a time when it didn't matter if I missed the goal or not. I thought about how much pressure I was under playing competitively in school and club soccer, and I think if I would have felt less pressure during those times of my life, I could have scored more goals like the one I did today.

To say the least, I'm happy that I scored.

Bundang FC and Dating

Well it's been awhile since I've written in this blog. In terms of the day to day life, things have become pretty much normal and routine. The greatest variable in my life has been teaching classes one month at a time, and having to learn new names of students every month.

At first it was incredibly difficult to learn about 20 new names a month, but as time has progressed it seems to be much easier to learn students names. In fact, it has now become much easier to learn the names of other westerners, because of the familiarity that comes along with knowing western names.

During the past five months, some of the things that I was missing the most were basically my family, my friends back home, and soccer. Of course, it's difficult to have friends and family come all the way across the world, but recently my cousin Britta and her boyfriend Jeff have come to Korea to teach English, and it has been fun hanging out with them for the past week and a half that they've been here. In regards to playing soccer, I've had very few opportunities to play, but it is something that I have been able to do more recently.

I looked online for soccer leagues in Seoul, and I found a soccer team composed of mostly English guys, with a few Americans, Koreans and Canadians also on the team. The team name is Bundang FC, and our mascot is a monkey :). I've played with the guys a few times now, and in our first game I was voted man of the match, and received a hefty 2000 won for my prize (less than $2). I was of course just really happy to be playing soccer again, and I will be continuing to play with these guys for most of the summer too.

On another note, recently I've gone on a couple of dates with a girl named Ji Won, who I met for the first time on a blind date set up by one of my coworkers. I'm not exactly sure what's going to happen, but she seems pretty nice, and she can speak English well, so most of the time the language barrier isn't a big issue.

It made me think a little bit though about what the possibilities for a foreigner to date a Korean, but especially a black foreigner. I've heard that there are a number of women that are only interested in dating Korean men, and I've heard that sometimes it's due to pressure from the parents of women that they shouldn't date foreigners. It's really interesting and quite different of course from the US where it's not as big of an issue.

However, many of the guys on my soccer team are dating Korean women, and a couple of them are on the marriage path, so it seems like it's not a big issue for at least some people in Korea. In fact, one of the guys that I play with is from Cote D'Ivoire, and he's also dating a Korean girl, so I guess it's reassuring. I think what it comes down to really is that I just have to meet someone who's okay with me for the way I am, and on the plus side Ji Won seems to think that I'm a good guy :).

Anyway, it's been awhile since I've written anything interesting, so I thought I'd write again. Someone should send me a package or something. So far I've only gotten a card from my church. Also, if there are any birthday present requests, I'd be interested in sending some packages from Korea as well. Thanks to those of you who have sent me emails and have kept me updated through Skype and email.

If anyone wants to call me, Skype is the best way to contact me (my Skype name is jesseaj1), and also if you call sometime on Thursday evenings in the US, that's probably when I'm the least busy. Otherwise email is good too.

I hope everyone is doing well.

Banana Man: 1, Jesse: 1

HE'S BACK! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Due to the cold weather brought upon by the winter cold this last November, I think my newest nemesis, the Banana Man, had finally been silenced by the cold, frigid air brought upon by Old Man Winter. But because the weather here has been steadily getting warmer, my nemesis has returned with his truck, his megaphone, and his bananas!

I found this out recently when I was walking from my apartment to the nearest subway station. Sure enough, as I progressed towards the subway, the annoying voice that I had been so happy to no longer hear, had returned once again in full force!

Interestingly enough, I can tell that I've learned some Korean, because he's actually not selling bananas (I guess I just assumed that he was selling bananas), but in fact he's talking about cameras and cell phones. I also found out that he doesn't just sell cameras and cell phones, but he also buys them from people. This information, while being interesting, doesn't do anything to negate the fact that he's still attempting to "ruin lives."

On the positive side, he hasn't been able to bother me while I'm sleeping. So for the time being, his efforts have not had the same effect on me that they did before. I think it's because I'm much more used to living in Korea than I was before.

I think I deserve a point!

Banana Man: 1

Jesse: 1

Reaching the Halfway Point

Well it's been almost 6 months, and I've reached what may or may not be the halfway point in my journey in Korea. So far things have gone well, despite having the occasional bad day, or times when I have trouble with either understanding the language or culture of Korea. But I'm not sure exactly how long I should stay.

When I first decided to come to Korea, I was coming with the intention of staying for a year, and then returning back to the US in August of 2010. Before going I was pretty much set on the idea of going back in a year.

However, I've been having second thoughts about my initial plan to return to the US after a year of teaching, which is due to a number of factors. I'm still having fun, but lately, due to a pretty tiring and busy week, I haven't been having as much fun as I did before. I think part of it is due to the fact that things are pretty much normal for me now, and so the initial honeymoon that I had is now over. But that isn't to say that I'm not enjoying myself. It's just that the thrill of being in a new place is starting to wear off a bit.

I'm now faced with a decision though where at some point in the near future I have to decide on whether I should go home, or whether I should stay.

On the one hand, I'm still enjoying my job and I have fostered many positive relationships while I've been here for the past 6 months. I'm enjoying the food, and I live in a pretty comfortable living situation.

On the other hand, I'm far away from my family and friends, which occasionally means that I have to miss out on some of the occasional gatherings and holiday celebrations. Also, for a country where soccer is such a popular sport, most of the people I meet don't actually play, and I've only played twice since I've been here (I hope this spring I'll find more opportunities to play though).

What is also a large factor to consider is that KAC and Connexus are moving to a new place this August, and the only thing that I know is that we will at least be in Korea. But the issue that I may face is that KAC/Connexus might move to the countryside, which if that's the case, I could see myself getting extremely bored. I like going to the countryside every once and awhile, but I'm not at all interested in moving to the country.

Anyway, it's one of those times in one's life where you have to make a decision about the future. In the end I'll just have to go with what I think is best, but if anyone has any input they want to give me, I'd be happy to read some comments that you might have.

Address

In case anyone was wondering, my address is as follows:

4th Floor Ilwoo Bldg., 817-21

Yeoksam-Dong, Gangnam-Gu

Seoul 135-080 Korea

This isn't some sort of attempt to get Christmas cards or anything, but if a card happens to arrive at my workplace on my desk, I won't complain :) Also if anyone is interested in the more "traditional" style of sending mail, the address will be helpful too!

I'm going to Busan (a city in the southern part of the country) for my Christmas break to visit some friends from Goshen.

Merry Christmas!

Gymjilbong

We'll it's been awhile since I last made an update, but I had a recent adventure which I thought would be fun to talk about.

Last weekend I hung out with a couple of girls that I've met since coming to Korea named Willow and Jenny. Jenny is Marvin's sister (if you remember, Marvin was the guy who was recently a teacher, and went to Canada), and she connected me with Willow and our Japanese sensei Momoko. Jenny, Willow, and Momoko are all exchange students at Korea University.

Anyway, I met with Willow, Jenny, and some of their other friends last Friday night. It was fun meeting new people, especially since most of the time I hang out with the same people (not that that's bad, but sometimes it's nice to see other people). It was fun, and we ended up talking until late in the evening, but unfortunately we hung out until after 12:00am, which is when the subway closes. It was at this point that I was faced with a dilemma and had to consider a few options:

Option 1: Stay up all night and wait until 5:30am to catch the earliest subway train

Option 2: Take a taxi and spend roughly $50 getting back home

or

Option 3: Go to a Gymjilbong (a Korean bath house and spa) and kill a few hours sitting in a sauna, some hot tubs, and sleeping in one of the sleeping rooms.

I decided to go with option 3, and found myself going to the gymjilbong at somewhere around 3:00am. It was really interesting doing this, since this was only the second time I had been to a gymjilbong in Korea, and it was the first time I had gone there by myself.

(As a side note a Gymjilbong is a bath house, usually consisting of multiple hot tubs at different temperatures, a small cold pool, showers, and sauna rooms set at different temperatures. In addition, they provide you with clothes that you can wear while walking around, and a locker with a key to keep all of your stuff in)

For the most part it went well, but there was an older guy who kept asking me questions in Korean, and I was so tired that it was hard to concentrate on what he was saying.

After sitting some hot tubs for awhile and taking a shower I decided since there were sleeping rooms I thought I might sleep for awhile. Interestingly enough I had to step over a guy who was passed out on the stairway leading up to the sleeping room.

What I found was that the sleeping room was basically this dark loft with mats on the floor, and because of the warm temperature of the building, it felt much like one of the sauna rooms!

When I walked in, all of the mats were taken, so I just slept on the floor. After about 45 minutes I woke up sweating, and my back was soar from sleeping on the hard wood floor. So I went back into the hot tub room, sat in a tub for awhile, took a shower, and left, and eventually I caught the subway train and headed home at around 5:45am.

To say the least it was an interesting experience, and although there were parts of it that left me sweaty, confused and tired, for only $6, I felt I got my money's worth.