Getting more comfortable...

• Merry Christmas Everyone!

  I hope this posting finds you amidst much snow and Christmas carols...

  Although I am still having trouble believing it never snows in Korea (it has snowed three times since I've been here, and that- as far as I can see- is three times more than never)- I have to admit that it looks as though it will be a brown Christmas for us. Don't worry- it's still cold... well, -5, maybe not that cold. It's been strange to hear familiar Christmas carols sung with Korean lyrics- and an even stranger experience with the drunken Santa Claus we took the kids to see. Alright maybe not drunk- but I'm sure Santa was hung over sincehe refused to take off his sunglasses- and he was no healthy North American Santa Claus, let me tell you. Poor Santa was so skinny all the kids said they would have to leave him milk and cookies as he's lost too much weight since last year...

  For Christmas, what am I doing? Well, to begin with I will be having a big Christmas dinner with some Canadian friends of mine, so fear not- I will not be alone- although this year it seems strangely appealing. The most exciting part of my Christmas vacation will be my move to a new apartment. Some of you sensed a bit of frustration in my emails- and I was trying not to give into it- but alas, I have been really cranky. The apartment I have lived in since I arrived is not one that I entered with a sigh of relief. I tentatively looked around and decided it would do- it was nothing fancy, but it wouldn't be the end of the world. And then I started to see cockroaches, and I thought- that's gross, but maybe it's normal here. So I checked with my Korean contacts at work and discovered that no, it was not normal and they all looked very disgusted and taken back. And then people who had seen the apartment before I moved started to look at me with pity in their eyes, asking how I was faring in the apartment... And then I saw the apartment that the couple lives in- and it was like night and day. Their apartment was big, fully furnished- new and clean. Mine was sparcely furnished, old and dirty. Holes in the walls are plugged with paper- which may explain how I still have moths in December. And I was mad, but didn't know how to raise the issue with my boss without sounding like a princess. Then my hot water stopped working, so I've been showering at the gym for over a month now. At any rate, two weeks into this apartment experience, I asked for a new apartment... and my boss didn't miss a beat. He said yes, of course and went about looking for a new one. Having said that, he would not have found one for me yet had I not insisted that I would not spend my Christmas vacation in my current apartment. So I'm appropriately moving on boxing day. The new apartment is ridiculous- I don't really understand- it's a 5 1/2 (two bedrooms for Calgarians) with a huge wrap around balcony and looks very new. I don't really understand since I barely have enough furniture in my current apartment, but here we are moving to a bigger place for little old me. That alright- I'm a big fan of big, empty spaces. So, that's the highlight of my Christmas- I suppose it pays to play the princess- next up on my list of demands- an air conditioner. In conclusion I apologize if I have sounded frustrated and cranky- all I've wanted is a hot shower in my very own bathroom...

  What's new in Korea this week? Well, I've discovered that Christmas is not celebrated here the same way at all... it seems it's the exact opposite of Canada. Koreans don't spend Christmas with their families at home around a big dinner, they go out with friends to the movies and to restaurants. So apparently I don't have to worry about nothing being open. Malls in the big shopping districts stay open for Christmas as well- and apparently many people do attend midnight mass. Christmas is also a lot less commercial here, which is refreshing. It struck me the other day how much we take for granted in Canada- how much of our own culture we don't appreciate. As I sat with the other Canadian teachers watching the kids playing on our fieldtrip the other day- all the kids from the other schools would stop and stare at us. The three of us and a tall black teacher from another school seemed to be the highlight of their fieldtrip. And it made me wonder, do we really appreciate our diversity as Canadians? When I think of the looks of curiosity, of terror and of excitement that I've gotten over the last two months- do we ever consider how unique it is that anyone can step into a big Canadian city and look Canadian? Another thing that sets Canada apart- which is slipping and we need to hold onto- are the social assistance programs. In Korea, they are non-existant. If you are old, sick or disabled, your family is expected to care for you- and if they don't, you take to begging on the subway or on the street. I started crying on the subway last week as I watched a young blind man having difficulty making it down the aisle on the subway, as his feet were turned inwards- begging, and sure to bow to each person who put change in his hat. It was so sad. You see these elderly women- and I mean pushing 85-90, still working- selling vegetables in the market and walking at a 90 degree angle... These extremes are rarely seen in Canada, but here they are the norm- I hope that in light of all our government saving, money hungry ventures, we don't lose sight of the fact that this can become a reality in Canada overnight.... what would happen if our friend Ralph Klein ran the country? Hmmm, I think I have an idea... On a happier note- I was getting off the subway the other day and there was a man playing the sax to a huge group of Koreans gathered around him. People had pulled up chairs and were intently listening. As I walked by, I realized that I had not seen any musicians in the subway until now. And it struck me that this is another of those things that is common in Canada (or at least in Montreal), but people rarely stop to listen. We are in much too big of a hurry to get home- and the sax player will be there tomorrow, after all. As I become more and more comfortable and friendly with the girls at work, I am learning more about the Canadian image from outside the country. And it's interesting- although sometimes, a little depressing. One teacher asked me this week if Canadians liked sports. I was a little weirded out, and told her that Canadians loved hockey. She answered that from our showings in the Olympics and at World Cup Events, it seemed that Canada didn't care at all about sports... except hockey, of course...

  In closing, just a reminder that since I'm moving on Boxing Day, only my cell phone number will be working for the time being. Merry Christmas & a la prochaine!