Settlers of Catan and Cats

My first week of teaching is over!

I have a new-found respect for all of the teachers I had growing up. American kids give their teachers such a hard time, but Korean students are way more respectful. I think they are also super intimidated by my height; they just stare at me when I walk by in the halls and mutter, "teachaaaah...so tall." Also, my students only understand 10% of what I say, so I can get away with a lot more here. I can make little jokes in class that only I can understand. It's kind of fun.

The only negative is that Big Brother is always watching. Every classroom has CCTV cameras, so the director of my campus or Avalon headquarters can listen/watch my classes at any time. Apparently headquarters was watching all campuses the first week and they told our head teacher that our campus needs to work on classroom management. I have also been told that the Avalon CEO has a massive projector screen in his office so that he can be constantly watching different campuses. It is really intimidating not knowing when someone might be listening to everything I am saying. Not that I am trying to brainwash my students, but I am not used to being monitored like this.

Friday night all of the foreign teachers from my school went to a 말 티 방 Multi-bang (pronounced bahng) in Chenho. In Korea, living with one's parents is common even in adulthood. That's where this "bang" culture comes in. The word "bang" (방) means "room," and in Korea that usually equates to privacy. There are many different types of entertainment and activity bangs.

1. Jjimjilbang (찜 질 방) is a Korean spa or public bathhouse. For about 10,000 won (less than $10) you'll get a change of clothes, towels, showers, and access to saunas and hot tubs, and even a room with a sleeping mat where you can take a nap or spend the night (these are popular places to go after a night of drinking if you can't make it home). You can also pay a little extra for a massage. Most also have communal snack bars, wide-screen TVs, exercise rooms, ice rooms, PC bang, and noraebang. Most jjimjilbangs are open 24 hours and are a popular weekend getaway for Korean families.
2. PCbang is an Internet cafe. Korea has a huge gaming culture, and some of the world's best gamers start out in PCbangs. You can also go for the cheap Internet access if you don't mind the game sound effects and rowdy kids. 
3. DVDbang is a DVD room or essentially a home theater with surround sound, a huge projection screen, comfy couch/bed, and tons of DVDs to choose from. They sometimes have a reputation for being cheap options for young people that can't afford hotel (or love motel) rooms.
4. Noraebang (노 래 방) is a karaoke room. Noraebangs are the most well known of all the bangs and can be found on every block in Seoul. These are, of course, private karaoke rooms where you can sing the latest K-pop songs and drink.
5. Manhwabang (만 화 방) is a comic room where kids can read all the comics their hearts desire. 
6. Gamebang (게 임 방) is where you can get together with friends and play board games and cards. There are usually free snacks and you can buy drinks.
7. Peulseubang (플 스 방) is a Playstation room.
8. Multibang (멀 티 방) is the godfather of all bangs. You can watch movies, play video games (Wii/Playstation), sing karaoke, watch TV, play computer games, surf the Internet, play board games, etc. 

The Multibang we went to on Friday night was inside of an arcade. The cost for everyone was 28,000 won for two hours, and we brought our own fried chicken and beer. Just a side note, the fried chicken here is phenomenal, way better than any fried chicken I have had in the States. There are tons and tons of restaurants that only sell "Chicken and Beer!" and every place prepares it a little differently.

We enjoyed a game of Catan with Avengers playing in the background.

Afterwards we went to a glow bar with unlimited drinks for 15,000 won. We didn't drink a lot because all of the drinks were super sweet. Korea repeatedly fools me by sweetening foods I expect to be savory (like sandwiches and crackers) and leaving sugar out of desserts (the cake is not sweet at all and I once ate a very bizarre nut-covered donut).

Saturday we went to Myeongdong (large shopping district in Seoul) in search of the only known store with size 10 shoes: Payless. After searching for a long time, we learned that it had recently closed. Emily and our friend Bethany ended up buying Toms from the men's shelf of a Korean shoe store.

Kitty catnip craze

We decided to relax in a cafe, and ended up choosing a cat cafe. Korea has cat cafes and dog cafes where animals can be watched and played with. The concept is both genius and totally bizarre. It is basically supervised indoor pet rental for people who don't have enough space or time to own a pet. We paid an 8,000 won "cover" that included a free coffee. The rules: be careful with the blue collar cats, no flash photography, and no picking up the cats. At one point, a girl that worked there sprinkled catnip on the rugs and all of the cats swarmed and went crazy.

I thought it would smell bad and have cat hair everywhere, but they keep it really clean. They also provide lint rollers and bags for your jackets if you want to protect them from cat hair.

Lots of grumpy smushed-face cats

They also have toys and towers for the cats to climb.

This cat preferred to snuggle with Emily's computer

All the cats loved this Korean couple

Hello friend or should I say 안 녕 하 세 요

This fluffernutter liked my scarf

Later that night, I went to Itaewon (neighborhood surrounding the US military base full of expats and all things Western) for an art Meetup group. It was at Jankura Artspace, and I thought the event was sketching a live model, but it ended up being a special event. There was wine tasting, comedy, poetry readings, music, and free sketching. So basically we sketched the performers "in motion" as they were performing. It cost 15,000 won and I used their materials for sketching. It was an interesting night, but a nice chance to interact with other foreigners and make some art.

Now it's Sunday and time to decompress before another busy week.