Being a Korean tourist

Before we get to the meat of this post,  I have an important announcement:

I've found cheese!!!!

Well....sort of.  I mean, it's technically cheese in that it's on a pizza (that is also topped with green peppers and bulgogi - go figure) and it's not totally disgusting, but I'm not sure it truly deserves the name of cheese.  The crust was stuffed with something purporting to be cheese, as well, but......yeah.  Still looking.  But this is the first cheese-like substance I've seen since coming here, so it was exciting!

Between our 9-5 days of lectures, Sunday was Korean Culture Field Trip Day.  And so it was that after many years in DC spent grumbling about tourists and heading the other direction as soon as I saw a tour bus (particularly one with Korean writing on it), I have now become a Korean tourist myself.

We had the Korean tour buses, we had the matching shirts, we even had the "If found, please return to..." name tags.  We massed on sidewalks and in roadways, blocking foot and road traffic, and even crashed the locals' campsites and watering holes.  To make up for it, we provided plenty of entertainment for anyone who was around.  Koreans were taking pictures of the herd of foreigners covered in paste trying to decorate traditional paper fans, then busted out the video cameras when we were coerced into joining in some sort of elaborate, noisy traditional dance in the Hanok village.

We also saw the Keumsan Temple - a place that I understand rather little about, except that it's a very old but still operating Buddhist temple complex that tourists like us like to visit.  Anyway, there are some photos of that and the rest of our tourist day here.

Over my time at orientation, I've learned a lot about English, as well.  For instance, did you know that British people still use the word "fortnight"?  In the US we only learn that word when we're studying Shakespeare.  They also say things like "the bees knees" and call lunch "dinner".  And when we tell them that they're using stuffy language, they remind us that our country has cheese in a tube, and I, for one, must acquiesce.

This entire orientation week has been a lot of fun.  We've had a ton of information crammed into our throbbing noggins, but it's all been good information.  And everyone has had a lovely time making new friends, experiencing new things, and speculating about the year ahead.  It's almost been like being back at college -- dorm rooms with roommates, cafeteria meals, classes, group projects, drinking almost every night -- I even got tapped on the shoulder the other day, which was so very grade school that I almost laughed in the person's face.  But that's really been the pervading atmosphere here, so I can hardly blame him.  But sadly, this little bubble is about to burst.

Later today we meet the heads of our POE/MOEs (Provincial/Metropolitan Office of Education), who are basically our bosses.  Then tomorrow we'll be whisked away out of English-Speaking Fairy Land and into the real Korea where we will be left to fend for ourselves (mostly).  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared shitless, but I am definitely looking forward to unpacking and settling into my apartment!  No internet at home until I get my ARC (alien registration card), so the blogs might be a bit sporadic for a while (not like I've been on the ball so far or anything).  Just so you know.