"You Might As Well Face It, You're Addicted To .......Language Learning?!"

Last Friday I was ambushed by a stomach bug and spent most of the weekend in bed.  I was feeling too lethargic to do any reading or writing, so I was browsing around online, looking for some mental candy floss. On a whim, I chose a currently airing Taiwanese drama, called 'Refresh Man'.  It's been a few years since I watched any movies or dramas from Taiwan, but I remembered them as being light, sweet and wonderfully innocent.  Just the tonic for a girl who's feeling wretched.

Oh boy, did I land on a good 'un!  I marathoned the first eight episodes but sadly, now I'm all caught up and will have to wait for each weekly installment like everyone else. Le sigh.  In the meantime, I have the ending credits theme song firmly lodged in my brain.  Which is fine, because it's a gorgeous song........but it's also a Chinese song. And I don't speak Chinese.

The language I am actually trying to learn is Korean, and having mumbled Chinese running through my brain does not help. Though, I have noticed over the last few days that when I'm not paying attention, my subconscious plays the song and shoehorns random Korean phrases into it.
So there's that.

In a desperate bid to get the song out of my system, I decided to try and transcribe the lyrics, learn the damn thing, and try to move on.  Which led to this conversation last night:

Me:    Jeez! This romanised Chinese........almost every vowel has a flipping squiggle over it!

Ms.Amused:  Are you learning Chinese?!

Me:  (defensively) No!  It's just one song!

Ms.Amused: (laughs) It's just one song! I can quit anytime I like!

***********

Heh. She has a point. The evidence against me is pretty damning. I rarely go on holiday without swallowing the phrase book first, my weekly Korean class is at 1am (because my teacher is in Korea) and I think it's totally worth it, and just a few days ago, I went into the Google Play Store to looking for a particular app for my mum and ended up downloading three Korean language learning apps for myself instead!

So yeah, Ms. Amused is probably right. It's only a matter of time before I properly tackle Chinese.
Especially if I keep watching these adorable Taiwanese dramas! ;)

And here is the song that started this whole train of thought, 'Think of You First', from 'Refresh Man':

Sky Lanterns and Polo Biscuits

I've been thinking a lot about death rituals recently.
I promise you, this is not remotely as EMO or morbid as it sounds - merely further proof that I have inherited Dad's insatiable curiosity about EVERYTHING.

We have been enjoying a delightful spell of most un-Irish weather (i.e dry), so Mum, Ms. Amused and I have spent the last several days out in the garden, doing a major spring clean.  The hours of manual labour have given me plenty of time for reflection, and as this week is the third anniversary of Dad's death, it's only natural I suppose, that I have been looking back on the anniversaries that I marked in Korea and comparing them to this year's experience.

I have been repeating ad nauseum for the last five years that the Irish and Korean cultures are ridiculously alike, and one of these endless points of intersection is how both countries deal with death and funerals. Now, while Koreans don't get comfy round the corpse the way we do, (then again, who does?) they match us point for point when it comes to eating, drinking and telling stories, and also in the fact that if you knew the deceased at all, or any of the family members, you go to the funeral - no invitations needed.

As Dad's first anniversary approached, I was feeling nervous about how I would handle it, so far from my family and everyone who knew him.
Two things helped me through:
One - my amazing, fantastic and simply heaven sent ex-pat family. They didn't know Dad, but they knew and loved me and they way they gathered round and nurtured me just blew me away.

Two - The Korean tradition of 'Jaesa'.  On the anniversary of the person's death, the family set up a table of food for a memorial ceremony. (More about this in a later post) Of course, not being a Korean, I wasn't going to set up a Jaesa table, but it was such a comfort to have a short hand for talking about my Dad's  anniversary.  With my Korean friends I only needed to say that "Sunday will be my Dad's first Jaesa." and they immediately understood that this weekend would be tough for me and that I wanted to take some time out to do something to remember Dad.

In Ireland, the whole family would go to a Mass offered in Dad's name, then we would visit the grave and go back to the house for food.
In Korea, I had to get a little creative and I hit on the idea of sending up Sky Lanterns.  My darling friend Dr. Doolittle met a guy outside McDonnells and bought a pack of ten.  Then I started to fret whether or not I needed an official permit.  Happily, that was sorted out in no time. I reached out to an Elder Lemon in the ex-pat community, who put me in touch with the Foreign Liaison Officer with Ulsan police.  Who not only gave me the necessary permission, but even offered the roof of the police station as a venue.
Part of me regrets that I didn't accept the invitation, as I know that Dad would have gotten a huge kick out of it, but it was the first anniversary and I was feeling vulnerable, so I wanted to keep it private.

So instead, Dr. Doolittle and her boyfriend, with FDA and I, drove out to Jinha Beach just after sunset to startle some seagulls.

 

   




It was different and intimate and exactly what I needed.  AND, thanks to the magic of time zones, I was sending up the lanterns at the same time that the family were gathering back in Ireland.

This year, for the first time, I was marking the anniversary at home, with the whole family.... in fact, with the whole village.  It was wonderful to fall back into the utterly familiar process. It started with Maura in the Post Office, who remembered that it was Dad's anniversary, then it was the folk group at Mass, who gave me the space to sing Dad's favourite hymn. It was all the aunts and uncles and cousins, who gathered to mark the day with us.
It was going home afterwards to a feed which included Dad's favourite biscuits, Jacob's Chocolate Polos.

         
 It was just so good to be home for it all.

Crack K Drama Recommendations - Part 1: Saeguks - Historical Dramas: Swords, Silks and Subterfuge.

Saeguk dramas, (pronounced 'sahguk') are historical / period dramas. These are most commonly set during the Joseon Dynasty, 1392 - 1897, with a few exceptions being set in the earlier Goryeo and Silla Dynasties or later, during Japanese Occupation.

The Joseon Dynastic family was a royal hot mess of dysfunction, intrigue and treachery that made the Tudors look like the Brady Bunch, all set against a backdrop of trying to increase their own prestige, while simultaneously appeasing their Chinese overlords and fending off Japanese incursions.

What makes the Joseon Dynasty such a rich and unique source of drama is 'The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty'.  Now, bureaucracies the world over obsessively record the daily minutiae of government, but what separates the Annals is that they also obsessively recorded every utterance of the king. Crucially, the King was forbidden from editing, or even reading these annals, so they paint some 'warts and all' character portraits for us.  Consequently, we know that King Sejong wanted meat for every meal, against doctor's orders, and constantly teased his personal bodyguard and that Crown Prince SuYoung often wore robes that were too big for him!

For the sake of accuracy, I must point out that the following dramas are more properly know as 'Fusion Saeguks', because they stray somewhat from the path of historical accuracy to be more speculative, as well as sometimes adding elements of fantasy.
If it's pure history you're after, you need to head back to the saeguks of the 80's and 90's.

But that's another story........in the meantime, buckle up and enjoy the ride!

Arang and the Magistrate  / Arang Sato  /  아랑사또

Where to begin with this wonderful gem?  I think that I will start with what struck me first - the stunning, sumptuous and imaginative visuals.
This drama is a pure fantasy, the titular Arang is a virgin ghost who enlists (ahem, blackmails) the aid of the magistrate to solve the mystery of her death and help her to move on to heaven.  The depictions of the her journey to the Underworld were so amazing that by the end of the second episode, I was emailing artist friends with strict instructions to check it out.

This is a fully realised world with a rock solid internal logic. There are no wishy-washy 'it's just magic' cop outs. There are rules and they are not only explained, but followed. It's really quite refreshing!

The writing is excellent, with a fully developed, complex cast of characters playing for the highest of stakes - more than life and death, it is Arang's very soul which is at risk. This is balanced by some fantastic moments of humour and top-notch chemistry between the leads.

And the bonus of watching any drama starring  Lee Joon Ki - as a 4th Dan Black Belt, he does hella good fight scenes!

Bridal Mask / Gaksital / 각시탈

Our next saeguk takes place in 1930's Seoul, at the height of Japanese Occupation.
This show was brave even before it started production! "How so?" I hear you ask. Korean pop culture; the pop music, the dramas and the movies, are big business across the rest of Asia. Incredibly big. HUGE. And their biggest market is Japan.  This drama, dealing as it does with all the dark and nasty corners of colonialism will never......EVER..... air in Japan. For this reason, several actors turned down the lead role, until it was offered to Joo Won, who considered the story too important to pass up.

This is a period of time which is still in living memory, and still quite raw, mostly due to Japan's unwillingness to deal with it's murky past. And much like France after WWII, there is still deep bitterness against the collaborators. Gaksital pulled no punches in depicting the depravity of both the Japanese occupiers and the Korean collaborators.  There were scenes which gave me goosebumps and one particular scene which froze me to the bone.

In a nutshell, Gaksital, the titular hero, works with the Japanese Government by day and as a masked freedom fighter by night.

It was great to be watching this in Korea as it aired - it became a runaway hit, EVERYBODY was watching this one.  I have a lovely memory of one of my seven year old students whispering in my ear to tell me 'Gaksital's' real identity.

Six Flying Dragons / Yook Rongi Nareusha / 육령이 나르샤

I give you fair warning - it's going to be difficult for me not to gush like a giddy fangirl for this one. This drama is utter perfection in every single aspect and in every single episode, from one to fifty.  Fifty episodes may sound like a daunting commitment, (most saeguks are 24 eps) but I promise you, I ABSOLUTELY GUARANTEE YOU that you will eat up every last bit and beg for more. ( I have the withdrawal symptoms to prove it!)

Six Flying Dragons is the prequel to Tree With Deep Roots, another drama on this list.  Tree With Deep Roots tells the story of King Sejong the Great and the political and ideological ramifications of the creation of the Korean alphabet, hangul.
When if finished, I wondered to myself, "How could this exquisite drama possibly be improved upon?" The answer?
Take the same production team, set the story a generation earlier, at the foundation of the dynasty, given them a larger ensemble cast and twice the time to tell the story.

It is a trademark of both dramas that the ideological conversations are every bit as gripping and exciting as the breathtaking fight scenes.
And if amazing dialogue and mind blowing martial arts aren't enough to float your boat, (you weirdo!), well then, just sit back and enjoy the pretty!!

Here are three of the six dragons:

And trust me, it does not hurt that the top guy, Byun Yo Han, is channeling the young Errol Flynn for the early days of his character!

Middle Main Man, Yoo Ah In, in an actor of such incredible intensity that I look forward to watching him for many years to come.

Lastly, Yoon Kyun Sang manages the delicate task of playing a character of humbling innocence and strength.

Just watch it, m'kay?!

Sungkyunkwan Scandal / 성균관 스캔들

Ohmygodthisdramaissofreakencuuuuuute!!!!!!

This drama is listed under 'Saeguk' but could just as comfortably be filed under 'Gender Bendy Shenanigans', as the heroine is a girl who dresses as a young man in order to work as a book seller and support her family.  Through mischief and misfortune, she ends up attending the epynonymous Sungkyunkwan University. (Not only an actual university, but one of the oldest in Asia, founded in 1398)  Cue hijinks galore!

This drama not only has the fun of gender bendy shenanigans, but the bromance is off the charts!!  You'll be squeeing for days! And the romance is just adorable. Feck it. I'm just going to have to watch it again!

Take this drama as a gift wrapped tonic from me, and stream it the next time you need a pick me up.

The Princess' Man / Gongjooui Namja / 공주의 남자

Hand's up who loves 'Romeo and Juliet'?

Now imagine if our darling Romeo and Juliet were a few years older, intelligent and had a strength of conviction so rock solid that you could build a house on it - sounds pretty good, huh?  You're in for a treat then, cos that's this drama.

I discovered this drama while a friend and I were having Sunday lunch at a restaurant, and this was playing on the telly.  My friend and I were busy chatting and eating, not paying it any mind, when we suddenly realised that every other diner in the place was riveted to the screen as the episode's cliffhanger played out. And damn! As soon as we looked, we were hooked!

This drama is based on the bloody and vicious coup of Prince Su-Yang in his bid to become the seventh king of Joseon in 1453. The stakes are high and the scope is epic. The show has a tightly constructed plot which will keep you guessing until the end.  This is a drama you can really sink your teeth into.

The Return of Iljimae / Doraohn Iljimae / 돌아온 일지매

This drama is such a sumptuous feast for the senses!  Lush cinematography, thoughtful editing, beautiful music which enhances the scenes without ever overwhelming them, and all in support of a thoughtful and complex character arc of our hero, Iljimae. And the swordfights are pure art!

And would someone please explain to me how the hell Jung Il Woo can emote such much just with his eyes!!!!

This is a drama which I will be happily rewatching for years to come.

Tree With Deep Roots / Puri Gippeun Namu / 뿌리 깊은 나무

Oh, Show, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways?

Based on the best selling novel of the same name, words fail me in trying to praise the excellence of the script. It's exploration of the dictum, 'Knowledge is Power' is thought provoking to a degree which is deeply satisfying.  It showcases the colossal talent of Han Seok Kyu in his tour de force role of King Sejong the Great.

How epic was this show? The actor Song Joon Ki, currently taking Asia by storm in the hit drama Descendents of the Sun, turned down the chance to play the lead in a drama, so that he could play the young King Sejong for only four episodes and one Oscar worthy scene further down the line. And that decision transformed his career. This show is just that damn good and if I ever win the lottery, I'll be buying a desert island so that I can kidnap my friends and make them watch it!!



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Well my lovelies, I hope that some of these luscious offerings will lure you over to the dark side! heh heh.

These dramas can be streamed on subscription sites like Dramafever or Viki, and can be streamed for free on Dramafire.com.

To get the full historical context, as well as references to Korean legends and customs, go to Dramabeans.com and read the recaps after each episode.


Coming up in Part Two: Crime and Punishment in the Land of the Morning Calm.

Crack K-Drama Recommendations - These'll get you hooked! - Part 0

Over the last few years, several of my friends, (who well knew of my passion for Korean drama) have asked me to recommend a few shows to them.  These conversations usually took place over a bottle of soju (or 3) in a Samgyupsal restaurant, or while walking our dogs in the park. So I would give them a few names and tell them, "Whatever you watch, go to Dramabeans.com and read the recaps, they will explain everything." Far better than watching it with me and having to bear my constant twitching as I restrained myself from explaining every nuance of every scene!  The most recent request came this week, so I finally got organised to compile a proper blog post and do justice to the subject.

It is said that, 'Acknowledging that you have a problem is the first step in overcoming it'. By this logic, I am screwed, for the denial is strong in this one. I honestly believed that I would be able to cover all this material in one post!  Idiot.
I don't want to rattle off a quick 'Top 10' list, as both my friends and Korean dramas are varied enough to make a quick list impossible.

So instead, I am going to break this down by genre. And suddenly this simple post has hatched into a seven part series.  I'd say that I was a sucker for punishment, except that I'm going to utterly relish every bit of it!

So here's what will be coming in the next few days:

Part 1: Saeguks - Historical Dramas: Swords, Silks and Subterfuge.

Part 2: Crime and Punishment in the Land of the Morning Calm.

Part 3: Time Travel: A Wibbly Wobbly......Timey Wimey......Ball of Stuff.

Part 4: Gender Bendy Shenanigans.

Part 5: Medical and Mental Mayhem.

Part 6: Drama, Drama, Drama - A Cornucopia of Tropes.

Part 7: I Took The Bullet, So You Don't Have To.


(rubs hands gleefully) This is gonna be fuuuuuun!!!!

Normal Service Will Be Resumed Shortly, Thank You For Your Patience

Dear Readers,
I hardly know where to begin this post, just as I can hardly believe that it has been three years since my last one. I have been procrastinating over this for quite some time now, as I struggled to find a killer opening hook, but I finally remembered the words of G.K Chesterton, "If something is worth doing, it's worth doing badly."

So here I am, willing to be clumsy and awkward.

When last I posted it was the 13th of March, 2011 and I was full of plans for travelling in Australia and Europe and staying at home for a month, before returning back to Korea for more adventures.

Sadly, just one week after posting, Ms. Amused and I got a phonecall from Ireland. Rather, we got THE phonecall from Ireland:  "You need to come home immediately, your father is dying."
Three days later, having quit our jobs and packed up our apartments (thanks to staggering amounts of help from our friends, for which we are eternally grateful), we were on our way back to Ireland.

We had almost exactly a month with Dad before he died. It was difficult and painful and blessed and wonderful. But since the day he died I had not wanted to write a single word.......until now.

So much has happened in the last three years, so much tears and laughter, adventures and catastrophes:  I returned to Korea, started a new job, started a bakery business, adopted a dog, dated, travelled, coped with grief, and now I have come back to Ireland.

So for the foreseeable future, this blog will be a mixture of reminiscences of my Korean adventures, a safe place to vent my reverse culture shock and terrible homesickness, and a record of my journey to build a new life here in Ireland.

Ok, thank you for sticking with me through the awkward bit.  The next posts will be back to my usual charm and wit, I promise!  ;)

Kindy Teachers - The OTHER Rock Stars

I'm coming to the end of my deskwarming stint here in kindergarten before starting the new year classes next Monday, so for the last two weeks, the students have only caught fleeting glimpses of me as I coast down the hallways or as they pass by my office.

Today I encountered one class of seven year olds as they were on their way to play in the yard. Chaos erupted in the stairwell as they realised here was Kate Teacher - in the flesh!  

They poured down the stairs in a flood which nearly washed me off my feet, all eager to hug and high five me, bellowing my name and then theirs, as if I would somehow have forgotten who they were in the last fortnight!

Whenever they see me during the day, there are whispered and surprised exclamations of 'Kate Teacher 있다!"  (Kate Teacher is here!)  

The students whom I taught last year will point me out to the new kids with a delightfully worldly air of 'See that foreigner over there? That's MY foreigner! Watch and learn rookie, as I converse with her in her strange, barbaric tongue!'

Seven year olds can be so condescending!

So on Monday I will once again have the heady experience of entering a classroom to universal delight and leaving the classroom with at least one child clinging to my leg and entreating '가지마!' (Don't go!).

For two more weeks I'll get to live it up as a Kindergarten Rock Star, then my contract ends and I will head off for some travelling before returning to Korea and a different school.

I won't be teaching kindergarten though, so I better milk the celebrity status while it lasts.

A nice cup of tea and a sit down.

I have three more weeks in Korea before I begin a nice, meandering trip home via Australia, Amsterdam and the UK, and as the departure date draws closer I find myself remembering my last trip home.
There was a single activity which highlighted more clearly than anything else, just how long and how far I had been from home.
It was the humble cup of tea.

Irish people take our tea very seriously.  We are very fussy about the tea itself  and while the ritual of making the tea may lack the aesthetics of, say, a Japenese Tea Ceremony, make no mistake - it IS a ritual.

Irish people drink more tea per capita than any other country in the world. Think about that for a minute.  We drink more tea than the Chinese, the Japanese, even more than the English for crying out loud!
Though now that I am living in Asia, I think this is explained by the fact that in the U.K and Ireland when we say tea, what we really mean is black tea, whereas here in Asia you can make tea out of anything even vaguely botanical. So while we beat them out drinking black tea, they have the market cornered in consumption of say, Chrysanthemum or Quince teas.
The blends we drink in Ireland are mostly Indian and Kenyan teas which are very high in tannins. This makes for a very strong tea to which we add milk and often, sugar. A notion that would have most Asians turning green at the gills.

The ritual comes into the making of the tea itself. Now, most households in the Northern Europe know how to make a decent cup of tea, but my parents elevated it to an art form. A precise dance of intricate and measured steps.

First, boil the kettle and choose a teapot of a size appropriate for your party. My Dad, the Science teacher, drilled us that  while making tea the kettle should only be boiled once - as each successive boiling reduces the oxygen content of the water and oxygen is necessary to draw the tannins from the tea leaves. ( I DID say that my parents take tea seriously, right?!)

The very second the kettle boils, pour some of the water into your teapot and swirl it around - thus 'scalding the pot'. This must be done quickly and deftly (it's all in the wrist). You want to heat the pot while not taking so long that the water has gone fully off the boil.

Put one or two scoops of tea leaves into the pot. In our house, tea bags are for sad losers who drink alone.
Fill the teapot, place it on the pot stand, cover with the tea cosy and leave to 'brew'.

While the tea is brewing, gather the rest of the required paraphernalia; the cups, milk, sugar and of course something to eat.

In the words of my grandfather, "You can't ate tae without bread!"

To have a cup of tea in one hand and no cut of cake, no bit of brack, not  even a fig roll biscuit in the other hand..... well! That's simply unthinkable! Barbarous, even!

By now the tea is well brewed to the color of aged amber. The next step in the ritual is serving it up just how everyone likes it.
This is done with knowledge which has accreted though the thousands of tea ceremonies which have gone before.
Who likes the first cup out of the pot? Who insists on having the last and therefore strongest cup?
Who likes the milk to be poured in the cup first and who likes no milk at all - though I hesitate to even type that last option, as it happens so rarely.
We brew our tea so strong that drinking it without milk is hardly feasible.

Once that mysterious alchemy has been performed the cups must be handed around according to a subtle hierarchy. This might explain why the Irish, when we actually bother ourselves, are quite good at diplomacy. Years of figuring out who gets the good china cup and the first serving without starting a family feud makes more overt forms of negotiation a cake walk.

Once the tea has been dispensed, it's back to refill the kettle for round two: The Hot Sup.  Good hospitality dictates that when the cup is down to the last quarter, it must be refilled with fresh, hot tea, because in Ireland, no one ever drinks just one cup!

Unfortunately for me, after two years of drinking delicate infusions of hibiscus blossom or chrysanthemum tea and various other blooms - whom I had previously only encountered in the titles of the more artsy kind of martial arts films - my ability to appreciate (i.e. cope with) tannins in all their glory, has been almost entirely eroded.
One Lyons teabag, which for any other Irish person will make one cup of tea, will do me for four!

Last Sunday I was at my sisters place and when she offered me a cup of Irish tea I asked her to simply dip the bag in my cup and then use it to make her own cup.
She physically recoiled in horror and the look of revulsion on her face was priceless - her nose wrinkles so adorably!

And this is why, for the three weeks I am home in Ireland, I will be making every pot of tea in EVERY house I set foot in - all the better to avoid lengthly explanations and the look of uncomprehending horror at my drinking tea which my Grandmother would delicately dismiss as 'maiden's water'!
Or as my father would say, "It's too weak to climb out of the pot!".

Or maybe I'll just stick to coffee!