Thursday, May 27, 2010

A Nice Change

Since I started to measure my weight in stones instead of pounds on May 17, I have lost 3/4th of a stone or whatever that means. I am purposely not determining the exact amount of pounds. However, there is a change that did happen this last week that I am quite pleased about. I can now walk to my job at the university without stopping at the bus stop to rest. Instead of taking 30 minutes to get to my classroom, I take 20 minutes now and I am not out of breath anymore. I even made plans to start doing Yoga here at home later.

Last night, I went to the store, Home Plus, and did some "eye shopping" as some of the Koreans call it. My grandsons want some gifts from Korea and I don't want to buy until next pay day which is on the 7th or 8th of June. One grandson has just learned how to tell time so I will be getting him a watch and found one that he should like. The other grandson likes anything train related and found one set that he should like. I want to buy something that looks like it is from Korea. The third grandson is a mystery as he is 14 years of age and even his father does not know what to get him and I certainly do not know but there is time for that. The point is I walked all over that huge store and normally I get very tired, but I didn't. I am usually looking for a place to sit down and rest. I did not even think about it until later when I got home.

I have been going to Seoul on the weekends and this weekend I am staying home. I have a lot to do and welcome the chance to stay here. I enjoy Daejeon very much although there is much to do in Seoul but it is too big for my tastes. Besides, I eat far more than I usually do here in Daejeon. I have far less time to myself than I do here. I enjoy my teaching duties at the university and like the people I work with. My apartment is in a much smaller building than the one in Seoul although the apartment in Seoul is much bigger and nicer. I like just walking out and sitting in one of the small parks here that Samsung maintains for its employees. No one uses it except on Sundays. The company employees are very friendly and one of the managers lives next door to me.

Walking around is far more of a pleasure than it used to be as I don't have as much pain as I used to have. I have cut down on my pain relievers 50 percent. I am not huffing and puffing as I used to do. I could write that I can't believe how out of shape I had let myself get, but today is today and the past no longer exists and tomorrow is not here yet. The Buddhists call that mindful living and I try to remember that all of the time but unfortunately I forget. My ego gets in the way. All I can do is celebrate the small victories that come from time to time. I am celebrating this one.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Stealing




I found a key in my classroom and thought it might belong to a student and asked both of my classes. No one said it was theirs so I turned it in to the office. The person I usually talked with was surprised to see the key as it was the key to the 3rd floor library.

The next morning the office informed me that the computer equipment that was kept in my classroom for my use had been stolen. I had never used it as I did not know how to hook it all up and the students did not want to hear other people pronouncing English words when they had me doing it.

In Korea, there is a atmosphere of honesty; so having such a crime occur here in the university seemed to be a contradiction of what the Koreans take great pride in especially during a time when their country is edging closer to a possible war with North Korea. The students are all too young to have any real memories of the Korean War of 1950's, but its impact on their parents and grandparents is very real to them. We now have increased airplane traffic overhead. There are soldiers marching on the campus. All young men have either served in the military or are in the military now. It seems so impossible that someone would do something like that. I don't have a key to the classroom and it was opened and closed by office staff. Still, I feel some sort of responsibility too.

There are notices all over the school for the guilty party to turn themselves in because the notice states they have their image on a security camera. I have no idea whether or not this is true or if this will work. In the States, the equipment would have been sold to someone else already. I am not sure how much it was worth anyhow. Many of the classrooms are loaded with computers. Maybe, mine was special. As I said I never really looked at it. Many times when I came to school, the room was already unlocked. It probably won't be anymore.

Life in Korea is difficult for everyone now as it is. I am hoping the equipment will be found and returned but enough of a pragmatist to know it won't.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Old Clothes



I sent an Email to my son at my house requesting that he throw away all of my old clothes, shoes, coats, everything. It took this trip to show how much I have been hoarding in my house. It is true that I have lost weight and much of what I have does not fit anymore, but I had too much anyhow. I can see that clearly now. Most of what I had, I did not wear anyhow. I kept it just in case I did need it. When I retired from my regular job, I kept most of what I wore to my regular 40 hour a week job. I did not need it anymore.

There is a lot of things that I can see I was hoarding in my house. When the clothes is gone, I am going to start getting rid of other things as well. No one is using most of the stuff I have been keeping in my house as I said. My son said they threw out much of my old food as it was outdated. I just could not get myself to throw it out. Now, I live in a small apartment and there is no hoarding here at all. What is not used is thrown out or not bought at all.

One of the professors who is married to a Korean said that he got his furniture by visiting the trash containers of the large apartment complexes where he lives because when foreigners move they throw out everything. If there are any repairs to be made on what he finds, they are very slight.

I got my stuff for very little and there were no delivery charges. I bought three items and two of them were brand new and one was used and in good shape. I got just enough dishes, pots to serve two people and that is all. When I leave they all stay here.

I have a small wardrobe and make repairs to what I have. There is no such thing as large sizes in Korea and by large size I mean anything over the size of 9. I know many people who are size 12 who can't get anything here at all. One teacher waits for her yearly trip to her home in the US to buy needed items. You can't imagine how hard it is for someone who is losing weight. I make guesses and ask for things to be sent here. So far, I have been lucky.

There are Koreans who are larger than the average and I have no idea where they are getting their clothes. They are still a small miniority and suffer greatly from other Koreans. One woman who is not over-weight but not pencil thin is asked by her husband to lose weight often. I think the entire country must have an eating disorder and what they must think of me with my real over-weight is up to question.

That is not to say that I have not learned from this whole experience. I have. I have learned to live on a whole less. I have learned that it is best not to keep the huge amount of stuff that I have been gathering in my home. I didn't need it anyway. There is a saying that you can't take it with you when you finally die and although I am not counting on doing that in the very near future, it is something to think about. Just what was I saving all that stuff for anyway?

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Scale


I bought a new scale from the British store, Home Plus. The reason I mentioned that the store was British was the simple fact that I did not notice the measure the scale used. It uses 'stones'. That was a surprise when I got it back to my apartment.

I did find out how to convert stones into pounds: One stone equals 14 pounds. However, I do like the idea of using stones as it eliminates the problems and issues associated with losing weight that I may have had in the past. People here in Korea have noticed that I have lost weight and ask how much I have lost. I think I will like giving them the information in stones. I find that loss of weight and the amount to be a very personal question. (In Korea, people feel free to ask you how old you are. It really shocked me at first. Now, I am used to it. There are all sort of social reasons for Koreans to ask this question as it makes a difference how they relate to you.)

I thought the use of stones was given up by the United Kingdom a while back. Maybe the scale was an old one or they use stones in weight loss. There is a smaller line of numbers in kilograms, but those are as equally strange as the stones. I like stones as it seems a bit more fun.

For a period of time, I did not have a pay day and I was seriously low on money. I had a problem finding enough food to eat. I do not have this problem anymore. Still, I find Korean food to be very useful in the loss of weight. There are some overweight individuals here, but there is some food on the market in Korea that is very conductive to weight gain such as pies, cakes and other such things. I don't buy them and can't eat them anyhow. I see kids eating them ever so often and at bus stops. Cars are very expensive here and jobs do not pay all that much. Koreans as a whole do exercise and walk quite a bit. I know that I do as well and that helps me in weight loss. I never watch television either as I do not own one. I can't see buying one as I would have to leave it here. I never knew how much the television made me hungry in the evening when I did watch it with its commercials. Now, I rarely eat in the evening and just drink tea or decaffeinated coffee.

Over the weekend, I got so tired that I miscalulated a step and fell. It wasn't a serious fall but I am sore. I will be taking it easy to some degree although I will still be walking to school and eating very little. It helps that I really don't have all that much food here.

I still can't go to many restaurants and order food as the Korean diet has a lot of hot sauce and it is consists of red paste which is full of gluten which I cannot eat. There are a few restaurants that will cater to my allergy problems and I go to them when out shopping. Home Plus has one restaurant where I can get a salad with chicken and peanuts and a cola. The restaurant is very nice and the whole cost is about $7.50 and there is no tipping here in Korea. The university has many cheap meals for the students but everyone of them has hot sauce and there is no chance of the sauce not being included as the price is $2.50. I can't just order a dish of rice and vegetables. The cafeteria is run on an assembly type model which is too bad for me but great for the students.

Well, I have started a record of my weight on my laptop that will be using stones and I will not convert it. I just want to see what works and what does not. I think there is a good chance that I will be down to my normal weight by the end of my first year here if that is how it goes. When I started this blog, I had no idea all that has occurred would happen. I guess no one know what will be around the corner even if it is as small as a scale that measures things in stones.

Seoul Weekend




It seems the English lessons with my special student are back on again. I went on the bus to Seoul and spent a very eventful Friday, Saturday and Sunday there. I even gave the English lessons so long promised. I did find out that my special student will be learning Japanese as well. He is smart enough to do this.

On Friday, the lady of the house where I am staying took me to a delightful park not far from her house where there was a small lake and boats. There were many people there in the evening. People were biking, hiking walking and using the exercise equipment that is free for all to use. Many people had their small dogs and all were on leashes. Many children were allowed to run free and I was bothered by how far they were allowed to go from their parents. I was told the children were safe, but I don't think I would have been so trusting.

On Saturday, I went to a flower festival for a flower that I am sure is called the Scotch Broom in Northern California. It is a flower that is cultivated for its rare oils in Korea. I looked at the pictures and it still looks the same and it certainly looked the same on the ground. I also heard a wonderful ccncert by some people from Equador. They played some traditional music and they were also some dancers although the leader of the group apologized in Spanish that the dancing resembled more of the North American dances. Still with the different instruments that they played very well, they were a smash at the festival. They played many kinds of flutes. I was very impressed and enchanted by the three.

Afterwards, we went to a traditional Korean restaurant and had dinner. Because I have some allergies, I make sure I stay away from certain food by not eating anything that is red. This may sound a bit silly but it does work. I still found plenty to eat. It was all so very good.

On Sunday, I was told we were going to some Korean Air Force Show. I was not dressed all that much and had no idea that my student was one of the special guests of the show. I met many people in my capacity as professor and English teacher of the student. I met the general of the Korean Air Force who was very delightful. I also met many other wonderful people. We had a cadet assigned to us who stayed with our group. It was a wonderful time and the general gave a few of us including me a special medalian. We had lunch in the mess hall and it was very good. I found plenty to eat.

By the time I was driven home, I was exhausted and slept about an hour and a half. I am to see my special student on Tuesday.

Friday, May 7, 2010

New Home




I am in my new apartment. If one was to compare this apartment to one in the USA it would be very small. It is one room, a laundry room and a bathroom. The rent is about $200 per month and it includes utilities. That is remarkable. However, the wireless Internet did not work out. I had to get cable and it cost about 40 dollars a month. I did not get a television cable as I don't have a set. I read the New York Times and the BBC for my news.

There are two plugs for the entire apartment. The modem for the Internet goes in one plug. I bought an extension cord and a converter for my lap top so I can have an English computer. Korea is full of these super apartment buildings and this is not one of them so my view from my one window is of trees and the sky and a mountain. Daejeon is in the mountains and is now just full of flowers.

My classes at the university are going very well. I did teach my special student last week, but the English classes that were scheduled for this weekend were cancelled which is normal. I don't worry about it. I walk to class every morning and so I don't worry about getting exercise. If I don't walk to class, I walk to the bus stop.

I have this big pad that I put on the floor and sleep on it. Sitting on the floor is very hard for me and I went shopping and found a small desk and office chair and when I get paid on Monday (hopefully)I will purchase them for about 140 dollars. The store will deliver it for free.

I found a wonderful restaurant downtown and had a wonderful lunch and the amount of lunch was so much I could take it home and have it for dinner. There does not seem to be any taxes and no tipping anywhere.

The apartment that I am at is very quiet and as I said flowers are everywhere. The landlords are always giving me food which is fresh fruit and rice cakes. Now, that I have my Sony Reader recharged, I have plenty of books to read. I can't watch any of my favorite programs on Hulu, or PBS as they won't broadcast outside of the USA. Darn. The library at the university has books in English as well.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Update



I am using someone's computer while I am in Seoul. A lot has happened since my last posting.

First, I want to set something straight. Someone said that there was no way that I saw dog in a supermarket although several people told me it was dog. So, I am making a retraction. Please, dog lovers. I was repeating what others told me since I do not speak Korean. Again, I got it from several sources, but there you are.

Second, I have a new apartment that is really nice with some very nice people across the street from the university where I teach. I also will have wireless Internet service along with a English laptop. I think I fried my MP3 player when I tried to load up my player with a Korean laptop.

Third, I have no idea what is happening with the special student since the mother changes from one moment to the other not only with me but with just about everyone. I am happy with my present situation so it is sad since I like the kid I worked with and we got along. It is a situation that is out of my control.

I have lost weight and am healthier than I have ever been before although I have a long way to go. What an adventure this life is getting to be. I am not alone in this quest right now and have plenty of help. I think I will finally get to know the real Korea. It is so beautiful. I met this wonderful family this weekend. It was great that I did not have to worry about whether or not Ihad a place to go back to. The apartment is mine and the owners live on the floor above me.
Sometimes a little rain must fall for there to be rainbows.