Kkeut!

Due to the insanity that was leaving Korea and the ensuing jet-lag, I am a bit late in posting this, my final post. As some of you already know, I have now left Korea in order to (hopefully!) pursue a PhD in Anthropology, my dream. So, it is now time to reflect on my year-and-a-month in Ulsan. Before arrving in Korea, I was clueless about basically all things Korea, short of the cursory research I did on the country and culture before I left. I originally chose Ulsan as my home for the enxt year because as an island boy I wanted to be near the sea and seafood. The seafood in Ulsan was fantastic, from hoe (raw fish) to king crab to blowfish stew, but as it turned out I ended up in Cheonsang, which is about as far as you can get from the sea and still technically be in Ulsan. I also imagined that Ulsan, being one of the smaller cities in Korea, would be less polluted than, say, Busan or Seoul. Of course, as any Ulsaner knows, we are actually the MOST polluted city in Korea (at least, that's what I've been told, but I don't have any data on the subject), although the mayor has been making steps toward creating the Ulsan "ecopolis." Suffice it to say, Ulsan was not what I expected, but it grew on me. I still wish Ulsan had more "cultural opportunities, i.e. museums, theaters, live music, but once you get to know the city and can explore beyond its facade of concrete behemoths you learn to love it. It seemed like every time I went to Seongnamdong I found something new in one of the many alleyways. Mugeodong was my usual weekend haunt, although I tended to steer clear of the foreigner bars. I got to see Mr. Song's pizza and the D.D.R. Zone come and go and Yoo Jae-Yong expand his business, "Yes" (my favorite bar) into three locations and a samgyeopsal restaurant. I spent a lot of time at the university studying Korean, preparing for my PhD applications, and assisting Professor Hong with her presentation. In that time, I learned that the University community, and by extension the community of 20-somethings of Ulsan, is deceptively small. It seemed that everyone new that I met was somehow connected to someone else I already knew! As to my life at the hagwon: I had orginally intended to write a well-thought out description of the system, somewhat critical, but I don't think it's worth the time it would take. Hagwons can be effective places for learning for certain students, but I often think they are simply places that parents send their children so that they can keep up with their neighbors, and that's too bad. It can be a very stressful environment at times, and at other times mind-numbingly boring. On the other hand, there were every so often times that I loved being a teacher. And with a few exceptions, I loved my students. I was also blessed with great co-workers and bosses who didn't cheat me, so I consider myself lucky in that regard. All in all, Ulsan is a place where I made many friends whom I hope to remain friends with forever and it is a city that I will never, ever forget. I will be back, hopefully as a PhD student in the field in a couple of years, and I'm sure the city will have changed immeausrably by then. As to this blog, I've tried to present some of the things about Korea that amazed me, annoyed me, and intrigued me and I hope that it has been amusing, interesting and maybe even educational for some. I tried to steer clear of controversy (any of you who know me personally know that even when I did touch on controversial subjects I tried to reign myself in), but I do know that sometimes I stepped on some toes, resulting in losing my best friend, so I apologize to anyone I may have offended. It's been fun and even a little therapeutic for me to write this for the past year, so thanks for reading!