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During my time at Lotte Department Store with Simon we got thirsty and decided to go down to the food court. Coincidentally there was a little juice stand called happy juice. One of the employees at "Happy Juice" was kind enough to give me an interview after his shift ended. His name is Joon, he is a young kid, a student with a dream of studying in New Zealand. I'm not sure how happy he actually is but he had some interesting ideas that he picked up along his travels in India. I guess sometimes we need a guru, right? There is no photo of Joon, he is a shy kid and didn't want to provide a photo so here is one of my abstract works I made. I call it cave ghost. Folks, when the interviewee is not willing to provide a picture for the site I will substitute with one of my works. All are on sale. ^^
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Pursuing Happy Episode 3
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In this episode I walk around Lotte Department store with my friend Simon Hunter-Williams. He lives his life on his terms, and offers some great opinions on happiness. Enjoy the show and please comment and share your thoughts on happiness, this episode and nearly any other thought you have on the subject. - Jarod Guillette
Monday, May 19, 2014
Conspiracy in Culture: Spring-heeled Jack and the Monkey-Man
As we look at different cultures around the world, we can’t help but notice a few of the strange occurrences and coincidences that pop up from time to time, and from place to place. This segment will explore a few of the more outlandish cultural curios that we have come across in our research – side-stories that are often overlooked by history books and travel guides. We will begin with the strange tale of England’s Spring-heeled Jack.
In 1837, Great Britain was plagued by a spate of strangeness in the form of a bizarre entity that would leap out of the shadows to terrorize the country, perplex its police, and molest its women. Aside from a very odd appearance, the man-creature was said to be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Obviously, only one name came to the minds of Victorian-era Londoners: Spring-heeled Jack! Descriptions of this nefarious fiend varied depending on the location of the report and the amount of absinthe that had been consumed that night. Largely, descriptions described Spring-heeled Jack as a monstrous man with primitive, ape-like features, and a very peculiar fashion sense. He was clad in a dark cape, a silver helmet, and a white body suit like an oilskin. There was also a flashing blue light affixed to his chest, which he allegedly used to disorient his victims. Some say he could breathe blue fire and emit a noxious gas – which could have been any Victorian Londoner after a binge of rotgut and pickled herrings… or whatever the hell kind of noxious foods they ate back then. Despite the occasional reports of fire and toxic odors, Jack was always armed with a metal claw on at least one of his massive hands that he used to scratch at his victims.
[caption id="attachment_1903" align="alignnone" width="284"]
Artist's rendition[/caption]
Jack would then make good his escape by leaping incredible distances to avoid capture, hence his moniker. Although encounters with this ape-faced menace were reported as far away as Scotland, most of the sightings occurred in London, and most of the victims were female. One of the most popular accounts of such an encounter involved a servant girl by the name of Mary Stevens who was on her way to visit her parents one evening. As she walked through Clapham Common, Spring-heeled Jack pounced upon her. Not only did he rip her clothes and scratch her flesh with his claws, but the fiend also got fresh with the girl, giving her some dastardly smooches as he lightly mauled her. Terrified, the girl screamed, and Jack Spring-heeled away before the authorities could apprehend him. The next day, in the same neighborhood, he leaped in front of a carriage, spooking the horse and upsetting the coach. The coachman was severely injured, and Jack escaped by leaping over a 9-foot wall. England was in grips of terror as more sightings of varying degrees of ferocity and bizarre fashion sense were reported, and eventually, on the 9th of January in 1838, the Lord Mayor of London held a press conference on the issue, where he probably would have entreated the help of Sherlock Holmes, had Holmes been a real person. Instead, his public acknowledgement of the issue only fed the flames of rumor. Soon Spring-heeled Jack was said to be anything from a drunken playboy with a thing for the ladies (Henry de La Poer Beresford, The Marquees of Waterford, was the main suspect) to a ghost, demon or the devil himself.
[caption id="attachment_1904" align="alignnone" width="250"]
Victorian artist's rendition.[/caption]
Spring-heeled Jack became the subject of many pulp novels, or “penny dreadfuls”, of the day, and he was also the subject of some very bad theater. However, despite the terror he inflicted on the social conscious, there were never any deaths attributed to him. The sightings continued right up until the 1870s, around the time of the invention of the camera and the introduction of electric lights to London’s city streets. To this day, however, the true identity of Spring-heeled Jack – and whether any such beastie ever even existed at all – remains a mystery. Yet as strange as the tale of Spring-heeled Jack is, it gets even stranger.
Flash forward to the year 2001, in the city of New Delhi, India. The summer was very hot that year, and many residents of this overpopulated city took to sleeping on the roofs of their apartment buildings at night to escape the sweltering heat of their rooms. They found no respite on the rooftops, however, as they suddenly found themselves plagued by a monstrous apparition that leaped from rooftop to rooftop, attacking sleepers in the open night air. How did the victims and eyewitnesses describe this night terror? You guessed it: An ape-like guy in a silver helmet, long cloak, flashing light or lights on his chest, and a metal claw that he used to scratch people. Just as in England, the New Delhi media had given this fearsome character a name befitting a mysterious super-villain: Monkey-Man! The name was catchy, mainly because it was funnier than Spring-Heeled Jack, and so the story was soon carried in the global media, and it even became a running gag on the American late-night talk show circuit. Tragically, the Monkey-Man attacks were really no laughing matter. They turned out to be much more dangerous than Spring-heeled Jack attacks as at least two people died jumping off rooftops to escape their attacker. Fortunately, New Delhi only had to deal with this terror for six weeks in the summer of 2001, rather than the 40 some years of hysteria Victorian England endured.
[caption id="attachment_1911" align="alignnone" width="300"]
The usual suspects[/caption]
Neither Spring-heeled Jack nor the Monkey Man ever answered for their crimes, and both affairs were eventually chalked up to mass hysteria. Still, the similarities between these two bizarre cases are striking, especially when you look at the history of the two countries in question: England and India. In the 1600s, England saw India as a gateway to trade with all of Asia. With the Dutch, they pushed Portugal out of the region and moved in with their English East India Trading Company. At first, the British were only interested in the spice trade, and the British soldiers there were only concerned with protecting company holdings. However, the British were talked into assisting with the overthrow of the Nawab, the rulers of Bengal. Bengal was a very wealthy province, and the British could easily see the benefits of taking control of it. Despite the British forces being greatly outnumbered, the Nawab’s forces were defeated at the Battle of Plassey in 1757. Jafar, a puppet ruler who was friendly to England, was put on the throne. Realizing how easy it might be to take even more territory, the British began to move more military into the region. By the middle of the 19th century – when Spring-heeled Jack was terrorizing London – England had colonized India.
Could the Monkey-Man be a recessive form of acculturation, left over from the British colonization? Perhaps stories of Spring-heeled Jack were introduced to the Indian psyche, when the locals heard British soldiers telling wild tales from back in England about this terrifying phantom. Was the Monkey-Man of New Delhi just a bit of post-colonial anxiety manifesting in heat-induced hysteria? These seemingly supernatural tales, combined with the terror of occupation and with just a little bit of the Hindu traditions mixed in, could very well have produced a chimera like the Monkey-Man in the collective Indian imagination.
There is also the possibility that Britain didn’t introduce Spring-heeled Jack/Monkey-Man to India, but rather it was India that introduced Jack to the Brits as a type of psychic revenge during colonization. It’s no secret that the Indians resented British colonization, but felt powerless to do anything about it. Rather than try to fight the British, they embraced their own culture and traditions with a greater devotion. The Hindu god Hanuman was said to be an incarnation of Lord Shiva the Destroyer. Hanuman was described as having an ape-like face, and would have been the perfect avenging spirit to go after England as retribution for the colonization of India.
[caption id="attachment_1905" align="alignnone" width="204"]
Hanuman, monkey god extraordinaire[/caption]
According to the legend, Hanuman fought for Rama against evil in the Ramayana War and therefore may have been seen as a kind of avenging angel to many of the oppressed. Hanuman was also great at leaping, and was said to once have jumped over a great ocean. It was said that Brahma even gave Hanuman the power to strike fear into his enemies and to change his shape at will, which would account for the varying descriptions of Spring-heeled Jack.
Although, Jack gave up his wave of terror in England 77 years before the British finally decided to leave India, and for a Hindu god, Jack really didn't do much in the way of vengeance, other than frightening the occasional citizen and ripping a few petticoats. Perhaps he was just a manifestation of Empirical guilt felt collectively by the British citizenry? Conversely, could the Monkey-Man in India have been a manifestation of lingering resentment, perhaps now directed at India itself for allowing the colonization? Was Monkey-Man the vengeance of Hanuman, revisiting his own people to punish them for being colonized for so long? Was he the result of some sinister conspiracy, as William "Captain Kirk" Shatner might have us believe? Or could he have simply been some pranksters dressing up in a monkey suit -- in the 48-degree (118F) heat of the New Delhi summer -- to parkour their way across the rooftops? Perhaps Occam’s razor is the best tool for cutting to the truth of this mystery.
Still, for two figments of the human imagination, from two different continents and two different time periods, the similarities are oddly striking. Two cultures clash nearly 200 years ago, and the effects still reverberate to the present day in the form of an ape-faced phantom with a metal helmet and sharp, metal claws, leaping over buildings and centuries alike, to remind us of what we get when we don’t get along: We get leaping, helmeted monkey-men scratching at our evening wear with metal claws.
[caption id="attachment_1906" align="alignnone" width="235"]
Or some very freaky fodder for B-movie scripts.[/caption]
In 1837, Great Britain was plagued by a spate of strangeness in the form of a bizarre entity that would leap out of the shadows to terrorize the country, perplex its police, and molest its women. Aside from a very odd appearance, the man-creature was said to be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Obviously, only one name came to the minds of Victorian-era Londoners: Spring-heeled Jack! Descriptions of this nefarious fiend varied depending on the location of the report and the amount of absinthe that had been consumed that night. Largely, descriptions described Spring-heeled Jack as a monstrous man with primitive, ape-like features, and a very peculiar fashion sense. He was clad in a dark cape, a silver helmet, and a white body suit like an oilskin. There was also a flashing blue light affixed to his chest, which he allegedly used to disorient his victims. Some say he could breathe blue fire and emit a noxious gas – which could have been any Victorian Londoner after a binge of rotgut and pickled herrings… or whatever the hell kind of noxious foods they ate back then. Despite the occasional reports of fire and toxic odors, Jack was always armed with a metal claw on at least one of his massive hands that he used to scratch at his victims.
[caption id="attachment_1903" align="alignnone" width="284"]
Artist's rendition[/caption]Jack would then make good his escape by leaping incredible distances to avoid capture, hence his moniker. Although encounters with this ape-faced menace were reported as far away as Scotland, most of the sightings occurred in London, and most of the victims were female. One of the most popular accounts of such an encounter involved a servant girl by the name of Mary Stevens who was on her way to visit her parents one evening. As she walked through Clapham Common, Spring-heeled Jack pounced upon her. Not only did he rip her clothes and scratch her flesh with his claws, but the fiend also got fresh with the girl, giving her some dastardly smooches as he lightly mauled her. Terrified, the girl screamed, and Jack Spring-heeled away before the authorities could apprehend him. The next day, in the same neighborhood, he leaped in front of a carriage, spooking the horse and upsetting the coach. The coachman was severely injured, and Jack escaped by leaping over a 9-foot wall. England was in grips of terror as more sightings of varying degrees of ferocity and bizarre fashion sense were reported, and eventually, on the 9th of January in 1838, the Lord Mayor of London held a press conference on the issue, where he probably would have entreated the help of Sherlock Holmes, had Holmes been a real person. Instead, his public acknowledgement of the issue only fed the flames of rumor. Soon Spring-heeled Jack was said to be anything from a drunken playboy with a thing for the ladies (Henry de La Poer Beresford, The Marquees of Waterford, was the main suspect) to a ghost, demon or the devil himself.
[caption id="attachment_1904" align="alignnone" width="250"]
Victorian artist's rendition.[/caption]Spring-heeled Jack became the subject of many pulp novels, or “penny dreadfuls”, of the day, and he was also the subject of some very bad theater. However, despite the terror he inflicted on the social conscious, there were never any deaths attributed to him. The sightings continued right up until the 1870s, around the time of the invention of the camera and the introduction of electric lights to London’s city streets. To this day, however, the true identity of Spring-heeled Jack – and whether any such beastie ever even existed at all – remains a mystery. Yet as strange as the tale of Spring-heeled Jack is, it gets even stranger.
Flash forward to the year 2001, in the city of New Delhi, India. The summer was very hot that year, and many residents of this overpopulated city took to sleeping on the roofs of their apartment buildings at night to escape the sweltering heat of their rooms. They found no respite on the rooftops, however, as they suddenly found themselves plagued by a monstrous apparition that leaped from rooftop to rooftop, attacking sleepers in the open night air. How did the victims and eyewitnesses describe this night terror? You guessed it: An ape-like guy in a silver helmet, long cloak, flashing light or lights on his chest, and a metal claw that he used to scratch people. Just as in England, the New Delhi media had given this fearsome character a name befitting a mysterious super-villain: Monkey-Man! The name was catchy, mainly because it was funnier than Spring-Heeled Jack, and so the story was soon carried in the global media, and it even became a running gag on the American late-night talk show circuit. Tragically, the Monkey-Man attacks were really no laughing matter. They turned out to be much more dangerous than Spring-heeled Jack attacks as at least two people died jumping off rooftops to escape their attacker. Fortunately, New Delhi only had to deal with this terror for six weeks in the summer of 2001, rather than the 40 some years of hysteria Victorian England endured.
[caption id="attachment_1911" align="alignnone" width="300"]
The usual suspects[/caption]Neither Spring-heeled Jack nor the Monkey Man ever answered for their crimes, and both affairs were eventually chalked up to mass hysteria. Still, the similarities between these two bizarre cases are striking, especially when you look at the history of the two countries in question: England and India. In the 1600s, England saw India as a gateway to trade with all of Asia. With the Dutch, they pushed Portugal out of the region and moved in with their English East India Trading Company. At first, the British were only interested in the spice trade, and the British soldiers there were only concerned with protecting company holdings. However, the British were talked into assisting with the overthrow of the Nawab, the rulers of Bengal. Bengal was a very wealthy province, and the British could easily see the benefits of taking control of it. Despite the British forces being greatly outnumbered, the Nawab’s forces were defeated at the Battle of Plassey in 1757. Jafar, a puppet ruler who was friendly to England, was put on the throne. Realizing how easy it might be to take even more territory, the British began to move more military into the region. By the middle of the 19th century – when Spring-heeled Jack was terrorizing London – England had colonized India.
Could the Monkey-Man be a recessive form of acculturation, left over from the British colonization? Perhaps stories of Spring-heeled Jack were introduced to the Indian psyche, when the locals heard British soldiers telling wild tales from back in England about this terrifying phantom. Was the Monkey-Man of New Delhi just a bit of post-colonial anxiety manifesting in heat-induced hysteria? These seemingly supernatural tales, combined with the terror of occupation and with just a little bit of the Hindu traditions mixed in, could very well have produced a chimera like the Monkey-Man in the collective Indian imagination.
There is also the possibility that Britain didn’t introduce Spring-heeled Jack/Monkey-Man to India, but rather it was India that introduced Jack to the Brits as a type of psychic revenge during colonization. It’s no secret that the Indians resented British colonization, but felt powerless to do anything about it. Rather than try to fight the British, they embraced their own culture and traditions with a greater devotion. The Hindu god Hanuman was said to be an incarnation of Lord Shiva the Destroyer. Hanuman was described as having an ape-like face, and would have been the perfect avenging spirit to go after England as retribution for the colonization of India.
[caption id="attachment_1905" align="alignnone" width="204"]
Hanuman, monkey god extraordinaire[/caption]According to the legend, Hanuman fought for Rama against evil in the Ramayana War and therefore may have been seen as a kind of avenging angel to many of the oppressed. Hanuman was also great at leaping, and was said to once have jumped over a great ocean. It was said that Brahma even gave Hanuman the power to strike fear into his enemies and to change his shape at will, which would account for the varying descriptions of Spring-heeled Jack.
Although, Jack gave up his wave of terror in England 77 years before the British finally decided to leave India, and for a Hindu god, Jack really didn't do much in the way of vengeance, other than frightening the occasional citizen and ripping a few petticoats. Perhaps he was just a manifestation of Empirical guilt felt collectively by the British citizenry? Conversely, could the Monkey-Man in India have been a manifestation of lingering resentment, perhaps now directed at India itself for allowing the colonization? Was Monkey-Man the vengeance of Hanuman, revisiting his own people to punish them for being colonized for so long? Was he the result of some sinister conspiracy, as William "Captain Kirk" Shatner might have us believe? Or could he have simply been some pranksters dressing up in a monkey suit -- in the 48-degree (118F) heat of the New Delhi summer -- to parkour their way across the rooftops? Perhaps Occam’s razor is the best tool for cutting to the truth of this mystery.
Still, for two figments of the human imagination, from two different continents and two different time periods, the similarities are oddly striking. Two cultures clash nearly 200 years ago, and the effects still reverberate to the present day in the form of an ape-faced phantom with a metal helmet and sharp, metal claws, leaping over buildings and centuries alike, to remind us of what we get when we don’t get along: We get leaping, helmeted monkey-men scratching at our evening wear with metal claws.
[caption id="attachment_1906" align="alignnone" width="235"]
Or some very freaky fodder for B-movie scripts.[/caption]
5 Asian stereotypes in the 1990s/2000s
South Korea (along with its neighbor in the north) gained fame throughout the world for its K-pop, food, and internet. However, Korea only recently made its appearance on the international stage. For those that lived in the 1990s and early 2000s, not many people knew or even heard of Korea. I grew up in America and I, as well as other Koreans, faced a lot of stereotypes during my childhood. Among them, the most frustrating was…
The world has culturally developed so that these stereotypes aren't as present as they were 10 – 20 years ago. That doesn't mean they have completely disappeared. Asians, along with other cultures, face many stereotypes, and it’s our job to look past them and embrace the different backgrounds and cultures of people. The world and its citizens have become more international, and that’s great. But without understanding the truth and more importantly, the non-truths that have spread, becoming international has no real meaning. Thus, the next time you encounter a Korean or Asian, please don’t judge them based on what you have heard from someone else. I’d love to write more about this topic, but I have to go solve some math problems and eat a bowl of dog stew.
- Chinese or Japanese?
[caption id="attachment_1899" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
Where is Korea?[/caption]
Whenever I met new kids at school, they would always ask me whether I was Chinese or Japanese. For those that knew a tad bit more about Asia would even ask me if I was Mongolian. My response, “I’m Korean” would baffle them. They had never heard of Korea (south or north) and so they would simply assume I was from a remote country somewhere in the Far East. This continued throughout the ‘90s until people began recognizing Korea as a developed country. But the one thing they truly found interesting/weird about Korea was… - Eating dogs
[caption id="attachment_1897" align="aligncenter" width="259"]
Cucumbers - the best seasoning to go with a bowl of dog.[/caption]
Middle school proves a difficult time for young adolescents. Social cliques begin to form, kids start becoming moodier, and norms, to which all kids must adhere (lest they become social pariahs), are established. On top of that, Korean kids would have to suffer accusations of dining on man’s best friend. I highly doubt any Koreans would eat dog in the U.S. For one, it’s probably illegal to eat your dog there. Second, Koreans don’t eat their pets. However, the only thing kids saw was the consumption of dogs. If I went over to any of my American friends’ house, they would play “keep the dog away from the dog-eating Korean kid.” They were semi-joking of course, but still, they didn't leave me and their dogs alone in the room. If I confronted them about this, they would try to avoid a fight with me because apparently, I knew… - Martial arts
[caption id="attachment_1898" align="aligncenter" width="240"]
Don't mess with Asians - they'll jump kick you in the face[/caption]
Thanks to Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, Jet Li, and many other Asian martial artists/actors, people thought Asians could do kung-fu or karate. I had never taken any self-defense classes, but people always thought I could pull out a can of karate-whoop-ass on anyone if I so chose to do so. I had once gotten into a fist fight with one of the other kids during recess. One of the onlookers encouraged me to “karate-chop his ass.” To please the crowd, I attempted what I thought was a legitimate martial art move. It proved, but after the fight, everyone thought I had awakened my latent Asian martial abilities. If the kids weren't asking about my martial arts abilities, they were asking me about homework because… - Asians are really smart
Now it’s true that I may have achieved above average grades in school, but that’s because I applied myself to my studies. However, that doesn't mean all Asians are smart. Everyone in school automatically assumed I would do well in courses like math or science. I actually knew more than a handful of Koreans that were terrible at math or academics in general. When it came to assigning lab partners, everyone wanted to pair up with the Asian kids. Of course they would. Our intellectual oriental brain would help them get better grades. Another stereotype I truly despised was… - Chinky eyes
[caption id="attachment_1896" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
Just look at those small chinky eyes. It's a wonder how Asians walk around without stumbling.[/caption]
It may be true a majority of Asians have smaller eyes, but it still stung when the other kids pulled back their eyes to make fun of Asian people. When it came to portraying Asians, the only thing that other people could come up with was squinting their eyes. Sometimes, people would ask me if I could see well, what with my small squinty eyes. I would pay dearly if I made any mistakes concerning visual observation. The rant would pour down about how my small eyes limited my vision. When the staring game was still popular, all the kids played against each other, trying not to blink. Whenever it was my turn, the kids would say I would cheat. They said because my eyes were so small, they couldn't tell if I was blinking or not. Ouch.
The world has culturally developed so that these stereotypes aren't as present as they were 10 – 20 years ago. That doesn't mean they have completely disappeared. Asians, along with other cultures, face many stereotypes, and it’s our job to look past them and embrace the different backgrounds and cultures of people. The world and its citizens have become more international, and that’s great. But without understanding the truth and more importantly, the non-truths that have spread, becoming international has no real meaning. Thus, the next time you encounter a Korean or Asian, please don’t judge them based on what you have heard from someone else. I’d love to write more about this topic, but I have to go solve some math problems and eat a bowl of dog stew.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
8 Differences between Korea and Oman
These days, word around the ROK is that the EFL field is not what it once was. Foreign teachers are less in demand as there are now so many of them there, and schools can be much pickier about whom and how they hire. Many Korean schools now prefer to hire only those with at least an F-4 Visa, teachers who speak both Korean and English, and teachers who were born, raised and educated in Korea rather than overseas. In short, it seems the golden days for the foreign EFL teachers have come and gone. Granted, many expat educators still have great positions, but for any newbies coming in, they will be hard-pressed to find a job, let alone one that pays more than 2.1 after taxes. Other expats have found themselves pushed out of lucrative positions, and are disheartened to find that they must start at the bottom rung once again despite x amount of years of experience teaching in the ROK. More and more, we see people turning to the Gulf States of the Middle East as another option. The UAE, Oman, and Qatar have been popular choices.
Many conscience-minded expats are discouraged from working in Saudi Arabia, however, as their laws are seen as barbaric and their treatment of women is medieval. Purely from an ethical standpoint, no matter how good the money is, should you really support a society that still has weekly public beheadings? All too often the victims are innocent girls from poorer countries who take jobs as domestic servants. They may be assaulted by the man of the house, and if the girl presses charges she could be charged with adultery and face public execution. So yeah, maybe stay out of Saudi Arabia until they become a little bit more enlightened. This may sound harsh, but talk about harshness after visiting Deera Square (A.K.A. “Chop Chop Square”) on a Friday after prayer.
Oman, on the other hand, has earned a fairly solid reputation towards its treatment of people, and so many expats are now turning their eyes to the oases, wondering what it would be like to work in the Sultanate of Oman. Lest I beat the subject to death, let me first say that this will be my last article regarding Oman. Still, before I close the subject for good, I thought some might be interested in learning the 8 Big Differences between being an Expat in Oman as compared to Korea. Let's start with the most obvious:
8. The Jobs
EFL jobs tend to differ from country to country and culture to culture. In Korea, you will most likely work Monday to Friday, and quite often be asked to work a few Saturdays as well. You may find yourself working at any end of the education spectrum, from kindergarten and elementary to universities and adult language institutes, depending on your qualifications and the employer’s immediate needs. Your salary will most likely be somewhere between 2.1 and 2.6 million won ($2000-$2500) per month, before taxes. Housing and fifty per cent of your medical are also usually provided, plus a month’s severance pay at the end of your contract. Vacation days vary from 10 days for hagwons (private schools) to two months for some universities, although you may have to work summer and winter camps during that time. If you do, you will be paid extra. Also, some schools provide at least part of your airfare.
In Oman, most EFL jobs are at the collegiate level, working either for the Ministry of Higher Education, a recruiter, or the military. Your salary will range from 950 rial to 1400 rial ($2400-$3600) per month. If your salary is in the lower end of the spectrum, housing will be provided. If you land a job with a salary closer to the higher end, you will most likely be expected to find your own place, but rent is cheap. The apartments are spacious (the one I am in now has 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, living room and a big kitchen) and rent for as low as 200 rial. You may also need a car, as public transportation in Oman is not nearly as reliable as it is in Korea. You can rent little economy cars for as low as 160 rial a month, or buy your own car. You can buy new, but used cars are usually more popular with expats. Smaller used cars may cost as little as 300 rial, and larger four-by-four vehicles – such as a Jeep – will run you around 1600 rial. The latter is much more fun for driving in the mountains. Most expats who choose to buy a car will sell it when they leave to make most of that money back. More good news: All of your health care is paid, with the exception of a small co-payment that is usually no more than 500 baisa ($1.30). Also, gas/petrol is extremely cheap in Oman, and there is no tax, so you get to keep every bit of your salary. As far as jobs go in Oman, there is a saying: “They pay what they say, and they pay on time.” The paperwork is not nearly as frustrating and time-consuming as it is in Korea (at least not yet) as no criminal background check is required, and only copies of your degrees need to be submitted, no apostilles necessary. Also, your employer pays for your airfare both ways. When you leave, you tell them where in the world you want to go. If you plan to return for another contract, they provide you with a round-trip ticket. This may sound sweet, but you will need at least a Master's degree... but Korean jobs are demanding likewise these days. The working week in Oman is slightly different: Sunday to Thursday, with Friday and Saturday as your weekend. At the completion of your contract, you will receive severance pay and two month’s paid vacation. This is because no one wants to be in Oman for July and August. Why?
7. The Climate
It is hot here. I mean, it is HOT. I know, Korea gets hot and humid in the summer months, but Oman is a desert. A desert that is still really, really hot at night. When I first stepped off the plane here last August, the heat was like a punch in the face. I got sunburn just walking to the terminal from the tarmac. It took a couple of months for the temperature to drop a little bit and for things to cool down to a more comfortable temperature. From November until March, the average temperature is around 28 degrees Celsius (82 F), which isn't too bad. But from April until October, you will experience temperatures as high as 54 degrees Celsius (129 F). Bring sun block and light clothing, and drink lots of water. Don’t drink the tap water, as I am not sure how clean it is, and even if you did want to drink it, in the summer you only have two temperatures of tap water to choose from: Very warm and hot. Sunglasses are a necessity as it only rains about 5 times a year here, and it is rarely cloudy. Sunglasses also keep the dust out of your eyes. Due to the lack of rainfall, it is a very, very, very dusty country. In the summer, the ground is baked to a rock-hard surface. It is very hard on shoes, so you will want durable footwear. In my first weeks here, I had a pair of dress shoes melt. Literally melt. In the rainy months in the spring, it floods at least once because the ground cannot absorb water. By far, the hottest months are in the summer. You must have air conditioning or you will die. Well, maybe not die, but you will wish you did. It is highly recommended that you just get out of the country for the summer and head someplace a little cooler for your summer break. To cool off here in the Sultanate, there is no shortage of beautiful beaches and resorts with swimming pools, but the water will always be warm. And the sun is relentless, so you will burn. The winter months are actually quite pleasant, and Oman even sees snow occasionally up in the mountains, like Jebel Shams. The summers, however, are absolutely scorching.
[caption id="attachment_1865" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Jebel Shams: You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy... No, it's really quite striking.[/caption]
6. Religion
I will let you in on a well-kept secret: Oman is an Islamic country. Most of the population is Muslim, and there are mosques everywhere. Korea, from what I recall, is largely Christian with quite a bit of Buddhism sprinkled in to make it interesting. Before you get the wrong idea and go all Fox News in your head, Islam is actually not the terror that some might suspect – certainly not here in Oman, anyway. In fact, Sultan Qaboos has even donated some of his own land holdings to other religions so that they can build churches. Many Westerners here attend Christian services in Muscat, and there are many services to choose from. Services are performed in English, Arabic, Malayalam, Spanish, Tamil, Hindi, and several other languages. Unlike Saudi Arabia, you can be openly Christian in Oman and sport whatever symbols you like. However, it is recommended that you give all religions the respect they deserve. If you are of the hard-core Atheist set and you enjoy denouncing religions, Oman may not be a good fit for you. Religious tolerance is widely practiced here, but debate about the existence of God will make you some enemies, and it may even land you in jail depending on how far you push your argument. The Islamic tradition is very much predominant, and is, of course, a very big part of the local culture in every respect.
[caption id="attachment_1866" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Rustaq Mosque[/caption]
Many of the mosques here are very beautiful, and so is the religion that built them if you look at it with an open mind. Omanis are some of the kindest people you will meet, a statement which brings me to my next point.
5. Politeness
As many expats already know, it's always the little things that stand out when you are traveling from country to country. When I was in Korea, I often heard people talking about – and experienced first-hand – the bali-bali (hurry, hurry!) culture of Korea. Koreans move very fast and everyone is in a rush, as opposed to the Omanis, who do everything (except drive) very slowly. Whereas the key phrase in Korea is bali-bali, in Oman it is shway-shway, which means "in time" or "gradually; eventually." Or, if you want to really hit the nail on the head, try enshallah, which means "God willing." Use it in conversations like this:
A: Will we get into Muscat by 6:00?
B: Enshallah.
The Omanis are much more laid back and in no particular hurry, which makes dealing with them in crowded shopping malls a treat. If you have ever been pushed out of the way trying to get on a bus, subway, elevator, or escalator in Korea, then this Omani attitude will be one of the first things you notice when you arrive here. Omanis will step back, smile, and gesture "Please, you first" in these situations. After six years in Korea, it kind of caught me off guard.
[caption id="attachment_1867" align="alignnone" width="300"]
A wadi (natural pool)[/caption]
4. Drinking Culture
As I have mentioned in previous articles, alcohol is legal in Oman despite the Islamic prohibition of spirits. Even some of the Omanis enjoy taking a drink, but do not ask them if you can take their picture when they are imbibing as most of them like to keep it on the D.L. When in Oman – or any Muslim culture – if you have a predilection for alcohol, keep your predilection quiet. Whereas public intoxication is widely seen in Korea, it is heavily frowned upon in the Middle East. In Oman, it can get you a 48 hour layover in a jail cell, and it can cost you your job. Nonetheless, you can go to any number of hotels and pubs in Oman – usually around Muscat or Sohar – and drink to your heart's content. Just make sure you have a reliable way home that will draw little attention to you in public. As always, NEVER drive if you have been drinking. Drunken driving is treated as a serious crime here in Oman just as it should be anywhere else. If you don’t trust yourself to keep your composure in public, you can always get a liquor license, which will allow you to buy a certain amount of alcohol at discreetly located "catering shops" for personal use at home. In Korea, drinking together is often seen as a trust-building exercise, as you never really know a person until you've seen them inebriated. Here in Oman, they don't share that perspective as they tend to believe a drunken person is not the actual person, but a person possessed. Drinking is mostly left to the tourists here, but there is no reason a person living in Oman can't blow off some steam as well – just keep your wits about you and never forget where you are. You may end up with some hefty fines at the least, and according to Omani law, you cannot leave the country if you owe money to the local businesses or government. That is a good thing to keep in mind as well.
[caption id="attachment_1871" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Camel rides.[/caption]
3. Dating
This is an interesting topic in any culture. In Korea, there is a lot of cross-cultural dating going on, and more power to it. Here in Oman, it is a different story. Women can date anyone they choose, but they may have to expect a certain amount of disapproval from an Omani man's family – and this could include his wives. Polygamy is A-OK here, so even if a guy tells you he is single, he may just mean that he is available, and you may be eligible to be his first, second, third, or fourth wife. Non-Muslim men, however, are not allowed to date Omani women. The women here are very heavily protected. They enjoy much more freedom than women in other Islamic countries, but they are not allowed to see a man without their family's permission, and not without an escort. There are a lot of Filipino and Chinese women here, but you will certainly not have the options you may have had in other countries. Before I came here, I asked a friend of mine who was already here, "Will I have to live like a monk while I am there?" His answer: "Yes." While this answer is much more one-sided than the actual truth, it is really not far from the mark. There is definitely a shortage of single women here. It is a good country to come to if you are married and like extremely hot weather. Still, there are more and more female expats each year, so don't give up all hope. Getting back to the women's perspective, while you will have more opportunities than your male counterparts to meet someone, there is still real reason for caution. Men here tend to come on very strongly when they encounter a single female – sometimes more strongly than anyone would care to discuss. In short, it is always a good idea to travel with a friend.
[caption id="attachment_1868" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Dune-bashing in a 4x4[/caption]
2. Activities
Aside from the common weekend activity shared by both Korea and Oman – drinking – there is a lot more to both cultures than just that. In Korea, there are concerts, ski resorts, beaches, boat rides, camping (or as some Koreans like to call it, glamping, or glamorous camping), movies, etc. Oman is no different, and there are a lot of spectacularly fun activities you can do here that you may not get to do in other countries. Oman has miles and miles of beautiful beaches, 5-star resorts that offer everything from boat tours to snorkeling and scuba diving, spectacular mountains for hiking, thousand-year-old forts for exploring, spectacular caves for spelunking, and wadis (natural pools in the mountains) for camping. You can even attend camel races, or go on desert excursions and ride the camels yourself. Here's a funny fact: At the camel races, no one actually rides the camels. They have robots – little machines that are attached to the saddle and hit the camel with a riding crop, and the speed is adjusted by remote control. Picture that in your mind's eye. It looks like MST3k's Tom Servo is the jockey.
[caption id="attachment_1869" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Robot camel jockey[/caption]
The majority of activities in Oman take place outdoors, so it is good to remember the heat in the summer months and to dress accordingly and be prepared with lots of extra water and sunblock. The ocean here is very pristine, and pristine oceans are becoming a thing of the past. In Korea, the preferred local vacation spot is Jeju-do. In Oman, it is Salalah, which is to the south near the Yemeni border. Salalah is apparently nice in the summer months, as it remains very green. However, if you prefer something a bit more automotive, try dune-bashing or the popular Omani sport of "drifting."
http://youtu.be/cvCpBr8zxF8
This last one kills me, because I must say that I really miss the cuisine in Korea. When I was in Nepal a little while ago, I made a point of going to a few Korean restaurants. I have found one Korean restaurant here in Oman, and it wasn't very good. When comparing Oman and Korea, Korea has definitely won the food category for me. I miss galbi and samgyupsal, the all-you-can-eat meat places, manduguk, kalguksu, doenjang jigae . . . the list goes on. Also in Korea, there is no shortage of western-style foods, including many great Italian and Mexican restaurants. In this regard, Oman simply cannot hold a candle to Korea. Larger cities like Muscat and Sohar have a lot of western-style restaurants, including T.G.I. Friday's, Chili's, Subway, Pizza Hut, and, of course, McDonald's and Burger King. In fact, the version of Pizza Hut that Oman has is much more akin to the American version, which I like, but generally speaking, I prefer the food selections of Korea. Even the grocery stores in Korea have a better selection. Although you can get good food in Muscat, when you live out in the rural areas of Oman as I do now, there really isn't anything good to eat. You get sick of the limited selection within a month as you can only take so much curry, chicken and rice. All of the food at the grocery store is frozen and heavily processed, although the produce is good if you get there after a fresh delivery. The food out here on the perimeters is generally not as healthy for you as the food you can get in Muscat, and it is certainly nowhere near the variety and deliciousness that you can get in Korea. In Oman, T.G.I. Friday’s is the closest you will come to a four-star restaurant, at least as far as I have seen.
[caption id="attachment_1870" align="alignnone" width="300"]
I miss this.[/caption]
I hope this lengthy article has helped to illustrate some key differences in the lifestyles of these two popular expat destinations. As I promised, this is the last article about Oman I plan to write. If you have any other questions, you may contact me directly at this site.
Many conscience-minded expats are discouraged from working in Saudi Arabia, however, as their laws are seen as barbaric and their treatment of women is medieval. Purely from an ethical standpoint, no matter how good the money is, should you really support a society that still has weekly public beheadings? All too often the victims are innocent girls from poorer countries who take jobs as domestic servants. They may be assaulted by the man of the house, and if the girl presses charges she could be charged with adultery and face public execution. So yeah, maybe stay out of Saudi Arabia until they become a little bit more enlightened. This may sound harsh, but talk about harshness after visiting Deera Square (A.K.A. “Chop Chop Square”) on a Friday after prayer.
Oman, on the other hand, has earned a fairly solid reputation towards its treatment of people, and so many expats are now turning their eyes to the oases, wondering what it would be like to work in the Sultanate of Oman. Lest I beat the subject to death, let me first say that this will be my last article regarding Oman. Still, before I close the subject for good, I thought some might be interested in learning the 8 Big Differences between being an Expat in Oman as compared to Korea. Let's start with the most obvious:
8. The Jobs
EFL jobs tend to differ from country to country and culture to culture. In Korea, you will most likely work Monday to Friday, and quite often be asked to work a few Saturdays as well. You may find yourself working at any end of the education spectrum, from kindergarten and elementary to universities and adult language institutes, depending on your qualifications and the employer’s immediate needs. Your salary will most likely be somewhere between 2.1 and 2.6 million won ($2000-$2500) per month, before taxes. Housing and fifty per cent of your medical are also usually provided, plus a month’s severance pay at the end of your contract. Vacation days vary from 10 days for hagwons (private schools) to two months for some universities, although you may have to work summer and winter camps during that time. If you do, you will be paid extra. Also, some schools provide at least part of your airfare.
In Oman, most EFL jobs are at the collegiate level, working either for the Ministry of Higher Education, a recruiter, or the military. Your salary will range from 950 rial to 1400 rial ($2400-$3600) per month. If your salary is in the lower end of the spectrum, housing will be provided. If you land a job with a salary closer to the higher end, you will most likely be expected to find your own place, but rent is cheap. The apartments are spacious (the one I am in now has 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, living room and a big kitchen) and rent for as low as 200 rial. You may also need a car, as public transportation in Oman is not nearly as reliable as it is in Korea. You can rent little economy cars for as low as 160 rial a month, or buy your own car. You can buy new, but used cars are usually more popular with expats. Smaller used cars may cost as little as 300 rial, and larger four-by-four vehicles – such as a Jeep – will run you around 1600 rial. The latter is much more fun for driving in the mountains. Most expats who choose to buy a car will sell it when they leave to make most of that money back. More good news: All of your health care is paid, with the exception of a small co-payment that is usually no more than 500 baisa ($1.30). Also, gas/petrol is extremely cheap in Oman, and there is no tax, so you get to keep every bit of your salary. As far as jobs go in Oman, there is a saying: “They pay what they say, and they pay on time.” The paperwork is not nearly as frustrating and time-consuming as it is in Korea (at least not yet) as no criminal background check is required, and only copies of your degrees need to be submitted, no apostilles necessary. Also, your employer pays for your airfare both ways. When you leave, you tell them where in the world you want to go. If you plan to return for another contract, they provide you with a round-trip ticket. This may sound sweet, but you will need at least a Master's degree... but Korean jobs are demanding likewise these days. The working week in Oman is slightly different: Sunday to Thursday, with Friday and Saturday as your weekend. At the completion of your contract, you will receive severance pay and two month’s paid vacation. This is because no one wants to be in Oman for July and August. Why?
7. The Climate
It is hot here. I mean, it is HOT. I know, Korea gets hot and humid in the summer months, but Oman is a desert. A desert that is still really, really hot at night. When I first stepped off the plane here last August, the heat was like a punch in the face. I got sunburn just walking to the terminal from the tarmac. It took a couple of months for the temperature to drop a little bit and for things to cool down to a more comfortable temperature. From November until March, the average temperature is around 28 degrees Celsius (82 F), which isn't too bad. But from April until October, you will experience temperatures as high as 54 degrees Celsius (129 F). Bring sun block and light clothing, and drink lots of water. Don’t drink the tap water, as I am not sure how clean it is, and even if you did want to drink it, in the summer you only have two temperatures of tap water to choose from: Very warm and hot. Sunglasses are a necessity as it only rains about 5 times a year here, and it is rarely cloudy. Sunglasses also keep the dust out of your eyes. Due to the lack of rainfall, it is a very, very, very dusty country. In the summer, the ground is baked to a rock-hard surface. It is very hard on shoes, so you will want durable footwear. In my first weeks here, I had a pair of dress shoes melt. Literally melt. In the rainy months in the spring, it floods at least once because the ground cannot absorb water. By far, the hottest months are in the summer. You must have air conditioning or you will die. Well, maybe not die, but you will wish you did. It is highly recommended that you just get out of the country for the summer and head someplace a little cooler for your summer break. To cool off here in the Sultanate, there is no shortage of beautiful beaches and resorts with swimming pools, but the water will always be warm. And the sun is relentless, so you will burn. The winter months are actually quite pleasant, and Oman even sees snow occasionally up in the mountains, like Jebel Shams. The summers, however, are absolutely scorching.
[caption id="attachment_1865" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Jebel Shams: You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy... No, it's really quite striking.[/caption]6. Religion
I will let you in on a well-kept secret: Oman is an Islamic country. Most of the population is Muslim, and there are mosques everywhere. Korea, from what I recall, is largely Christian with quite a bit of Buddhism sprinkled in to make it interesting. Before you get the wrong idea and go all Fox News in your head, Islam is actually not the terror that some might suspect – certainly not here in Oman, anyway. In fact, Sultan Qaboos has even donated some of his own land holdings to other religions so that they can build churches. Many Westerners here attend Christian services in Muscat, and there are many services to choose from. Services are performed in English, Arabic, Malayalam, Spanish, Tamil, Hindi, and several other languages. Unlike Saudi Arabia, you can be openly Christian in Oman and sport whatever symbols you like. However, it is recommended that you give all religions the respect they deserve. If you are of the hard-core Atheist set and you enjoy denouncing religions, Oman may not be a good fit for you. Religious tolerance is widely practiced here, but debate about the existence of God will make you some enemies, and it may even land you in jail depending on how far you push your argument. The Islamic tradition is very much predominant, and is, of course, a very big part of the local culture in every respect.
[caption id="attachment_1866" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Rustaq Mosque[/caption]Many of the mosques here are very beautiful, and so is the religion that built them if you look at it with an open mind. Omanis are some of the kindest people you will meet, a statement which brings me to my next point.
5. Politeness
As many expats already know, it's always the little things that stand out when you are traveling from country to country. When I was in Korea, I often heard people talking about – and experienced first-hand – the bali-bali (hurry, hurry!) culture of Korea. Koreans move very fast and everyone is in a rush, as opposed to the Omanis, who do everything (except drive) very slowly. Whereas the key phrase in Korea is bali-bali, in Oman it is shway-shway, which means "in time" or "gradually; eventually." Or, if you want to really hit the nail on the head, try enshallah, which means "God willing." Use it in conversations like this:
A: Will we get into Muscat by 6:00?
B: Enshallah.
The Omanis are much more laid back and in no particular hurry, which makes dealing with them in crowded shopping malls a treat. If you have ever been pushed out of the way trying to get on a bus, subway, elevator, or escalator in Korea, then this Omani attitude will be one of the first things you notice when you arrive here. Omanis will step back, smile, and gesture "Please, you first" in these situations. After six years in Korea, it kind of caught me off guard.
[caption id="attachment_1867" align="alignnone" width="300"]
A wadi (natural pool)[/caption]4. Drinking Culture
As I have mentioned in previous articles, alcohol is legal in Oman despite the Islamic prohibition of spirits. Even some of the Omanis enjoy taking a drink, but do not ask them if you can take their picture when they are imbibing as most of them like to keep it on the D.L. When in Oman – or any Muslim culture – if you have a predilection for alcohol, keep your predilection quiet. Whereas public intoxication is widely seen in Korea, it is heavily frowned upon in the Middle East. In Oman, it can get you a 48 hour layover in a jail cell, and it can cost you your job. Nonetheless, you can go to any number of hotels and pubs in Oman – usually around Muscat or Sohar – and drink to your heart's content. Just make sure you have a reliable way home that will draw little attention to you in public. As always, NEVER drive if you have been drinking. Drunken driving is treated as a serious crime here in Oman just as it should be anywhere else. If you don’t trust yourself to keep your composure in public, you can always get a liquor license, which will allow you to buy a certain amount of alcohol at discreetly located "catering shops" for personal use at home. In Korea, drinking together is often seen as a trust-building exercise, as you never really know a person until you've seen them inebriated. Here in Oman, they don't share that perspective as they tend to believe a drunken person is not the actual person, but a person possessed. Drinking is mostly left to the tourists here, but there is no reason a person living in Oman can't blow off some steam as well – just keep your wits about you and never forget where you are. You may end up with some hefty fines at the least, and according to Omani law, you cannot leave the country if you owe money to the local businesses or government. That is a good thing to keep in mind as well.
[caption id="attachment_1871" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Camel rides.[/caption]3. Dating
This is an interesting topic in any culture. In Korea, there is a lot of cross-cultural dating going on, and more power to it. Here in Oman, it is a different story. Women can date anyone they choose, but they may have to expect a certain amount of disapproval from an Omani man's family – and this could include his wives. Polygamy is A-OK here, so even if a guy tells you he is single, he may just mean that he is available, and you may be eligible to be his first, second, third, or fourth wife. Non-Muslim men, however, are not allowed to date Omani women. The women here are very heavily protected. They enjoy much more freedom than women in other Islamic countries, but they are not allowed to see a man without their family's permission, and not without an escort. There are a lot of Filipino and Chinese women here, but you will certainly not have the options you may have had in other countries. Before I came here, I asked a friend of mine who was already here, "Will I have to live like a monk while I am there?" His answer: "Yes." While this answer is much more one-sided than the actual truth, it is really not far from the mark. There is definitely a shortage of single women here. It is a good country to come to if you are married and like extremely hot weather. Still, there are more and more female expats each year, so don't give up all hope. Getting back to the women's perspective, while you will have more opportunities than your male counterparts to meet someone, there is still real reason for caution. Men here tend to come on very strongly when they encounter a single female – sometimes more strongly than anyone would care to discuss. In short, it is always a good idea to travel with a friend.
[caption id="attachment_1868" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Dune-bashing in a 4x4[/caption]2. Activities
Aside from the common weekend activity shared by both Korea and Oman – drinking – there is a lot more to both cultures than just that. In Korea, there are concerts, ski resorts, beaches, boat rides, camping (or as some Koreans like to call it, glamping, or glamorous camping), movies, etc. Oman is no different, and there are a lot of spectacularly fun activities you can do here that you may not get to do in other countries. Oman has miles and miles of beautiful beaches, 5-star resorts that offer everything from boat tours to snorkeling and scuba diving, spectacular mountains for hiking, thousand-year-old forts for exploring, spectacular caves for spelunking, and wadis (natural pools in the mountains) for camping. You can even attend camel races, or go on desert excursions and ride the camels yourself. Here's a funny fact: At the camel races, no one actually rides the camels. They have robots – little machines that are attached to the saddle and hit the camel with a riding crop, and the speed is adjusted by remote control. Picture that in your mind's eye. It looks like MST3k's Tom Servo is the jockey.
[caption id="attachment_1869" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Robot camel jockey[/caption]The majority of activities in Oman take place outdoors, so it is good to remember the heat in the summer months and to dress accordingly and be prepared with lots of extra water and sunblock. The ocean here is very pristine, and pristine oceans are becoming a thing of the past. In Korea, the preferred local vacation spot is Jeju-do. In Oman, it is Salalah, which is to the south near the Yemeni border. Salalah is apparently nice in the summer months, as it remains very green. However, if you prefer something a bit more automotive, try dune-bashing or the popular Omani sport of "drifting."
http://youtu.be/cvCpBr8zxF8
- Food
This last one kills me, because I must say that I really miss the cuisine in Korea. When I was in Nepal a little while ago, I made a point of going to a few Korean restaurants. I have found one Korean restaurant here in Oman, and it wasn't very good. When comparing Oman and Korea, Korea has definitely won the food category for me. I miss galbi and samgyupsal, the all-you-can-eat meat places, manduguk, kalguksu, doenjang jigae . . . the list goes on. Also in Korea, there is no shortage of western-style foods, including many great Italian and Mexican restaurants. In this regard, Oman simply cannot hold a candle to Korea. Larger cities like Muscat and Sohar have a lot of western-style restaurants, including T.G.I. Friday's, Chili's, Subway, Pizza Hut, and, of course, McDonald's and Burger King. In fact, the version of Pizza Hut that Oman has is much more akin to the American version, which I like, but generally speaking, I prefer the food selections of Korea. Even the grocery stores in Korea have a better selection. Although you can get good food in Muscat, when you live out in the rural areas of Oman as I do now, there really isn't anything good to eat. You get sick of the limited selection within a month as you can only take so much curry, chicken and rice. All of the food at the grocery store is frozen and heavily processed, although the produce is good if you get there after a fresh delivery. The food out here on the perimeters is generally not as healthy for you as the food you can get in Muscat, and it is certainly nowhere near the variety and deliciousness that you can get in Korea. In Oman, T.G.I. Friday’s is the closest you will come to a four-star restaurant, at least as far as I have seen.
[caption id="attachment_1870" align="alignnone" width="300"]
I miss this.[/caption]I hope this lengthy article has helped to illustrate some key differences in the lifestyles of these two popular expat destinations. As I promised, this is the last article about Oman I plan to write. If you have any other questions, you may contact me directly at this site.
Monday, May 12, 2014
6 Things to do in Macau
My friend and I went abroad to finally see what the Macau hype was all about. It’s actually more fun than I had imagined. However, our low budget restricted us to a few brief but exciting outings. Casinos lined up against each other, great food, and beautiful women (some were working women) are just some of the sights you take in as soon as you set foot on the island. Even if your pockets aren't that deep, there are still many things to do. We stayed there for about three to four days, and here are the things you must do while you’re in Macau.
I wish I could’ve explored Macau a bit more, but thanks to my lavish spending on booze, I was limited to a few select sites. If you’re interested in enjoying the gambling scene, Macau is the biggest place in Asia. Even if gambling is not your forte, there are many things to see and experience while you’re there. In terms of partying, Macau may be a bit dull compared to its Western counterpart. But that’s not to say you won’t enjoy a few drinks with your buddies while you’re there. Macau is definitely one place you will want to visit if you want to explore Asia.
- Macau Tower
The Macau stands 338 meters tall and is located right at the foot of the bridge that connects the northern and southern part of Macau (Macau is divided into two main islands). The view from the observation deck is breathtaking, although fog hazed our vision throughout our time there. Parts of the deck are made with glass so you can peer straight down to the ground floor (which is quite disturbing for people like me who are afraid of heights). From the observation deck, you can take the elevator up to the upper observation deck, where the roof is semi-open. The entire experience up there freaked me out because of the high altitude, but I soldiered on, taking pictures as quickly as possible.
There are two extreme attractions at the Macau Tower: the Sky Jump and the Sky Walk.
As you can probably guess, the Sky Jump means bungee jumping from the tower. The Sky Walk is walking outside on the ledges of the main tower. Oh don’t worry, you can’t fall off and plummet to your death because you’re roped to the tower. I saw the promotion videos for the attractions and it seemed fun, but everything is ten, nay, hundred times scarier when you don’t have the safety of the ground beneath your feet. - Poker
Though there are a lot of casinos in Macau, gambling is quite expensive unless you’re willing to bet 500 Hong Kong Dollars (roughly 70 USD) per hand. Thus, I stuck to Texas Hold’em at the Live! Poker Room in the City of Dreams. The minimum buy-in was 2000 HKD for the 25-50 game. Poker isn’t too popular in Macau because it doesn't generate as much revenue as the Baccarat tables. However, because the poker games are cash games, you can just have fun playing against other players, and you can even participate in the tournament game (2000 HKD buy-in). Like I said before, if you have the money, go nuts on the other casino games, but if you’re not really looking to gamble a lot but want to get in on some casino action, poker is your safest bet. Oh, did I mention you don’t have to tip the dealer? - The Venetian
The Venetian Macau is the largest casino in the world. That is no boast. I've been to Vegas and the Venetian there is smaller than the one in Macau. My friend and I lost our way more than a couple of times while we were sightseeing there. The artwork at this massive casino is very intricate and the architecture jumps out at you. It really makes you think about the other casinos on the Cotai Strip (kind of like the Vegas strip) and how they fade when compared to the Venetian.
The Bellini Lounge in the Venetian was amazing. The bar features live music and the waitresses are ready to cater to your every needs. Plus, it’s one of the few bars where smokers can enjoy their drinks and smoke simultaneously (most bars are non-smoking). - House of Dancing Water
This is a MUST. Make this one of your top priorities when you get to Macau. The show is so popular tickets sell out quickly. I reserved my tickets a month prior to my arrival.
Acrobats, tons and tons of water, dangerous stunts, motorbikes – need I say more? Ticket prices range from 700 – 2000 HKD, depending on your seats. If you sit close enough to the stage, you’re in danger of getting splashed with water – multiple times. But don’t worry, the staff provides you with towels well before the show so that you can keep dry (but where’s the fun without a bit of watery risks?). Also, as long as you’re not videotaping or using flash photography, you can take as many pictures as you want (unlike shows in Vegas). I won’t ruin the story for you, but it keeps you occupied and really has you on the edge of your seats. Did I mention the amazing acrobatic stunts? Imagine cirque du soleil but with a huge pool of water and motocross. - Senado Square / Ruins of St. Paul
Welcome to the shopping district of Macau. The entire area, decked out in beautiful Portuguese-style buildings, is filled with places to go shopping. At the forefront are modern shops you expect to see in any major shopping district around the world. However, take to the back alleyways and you find yourself immersed with traditional Macau shops. It felt kind of like Seoul’s Myeongdong district. As you explore and go eye-shopping, you’ll easily wind up at the infamous Ruins of St. Paul, which is a staple landmark of Macau.
All that stands of the once divine cathedral is nothing but the southern stone façade. The cathedral was once the biggest of its kind in Asia during the 17th century. Unfortunately, a fire in the 19th century brought the entire structure to what it is now. Still, it’s a true mark of Macau’s religious history, and you can’t help wonder about the local history and how it shaped Macau as it is today. - Egg Tarts
No trip to Macau is complete without tasting these small delectable pastries. The pastry is originally from Portugal, but Macau bakers have found an outstanding recipe to make them truly stand out. There are many bakeries in Macau that boast of having the best egg tarts, but because of my tight schedule (as well as insufficient funds), I had time only to try one bakery. Lord Stow’s Bakery & Café had delicious egg tarts. There are two shops in Macau – one at the Venetian and the other in Coloane. Because we were hopelessly lost, we had to settle for the one at the Venetian. At nine HKD per tart, the investment is more than worth it. Whatever you do, be sure to make time for authentic Macau egg tarts.
I wish I could’ve explored Macau a bit more, but thanks to my lavish spending on booze, I was limited to a few select sites. If you’re interested in enjoying the gambling scene, Macau is the biggest place in Asia. Even if gambling is not your forte, there are many things to see and experience while you’re there. In terms of partying, Macau may be a bit dull compared to its Western counterpart. But that’s not to say you won’t enjoy a few drinks with your buddies while you’re there. Macau is definitely one place you will want to visit if you want to explore Asia.
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Advertising Around the World
You may have seen the IDC Video Team’s take on advertising trends in America and Korea. As their... disturbing conclusion showed, American advertisers tend to be more direct and aggressive, where Korean style tends to be softer, with a focus that is more on features rather than force. This raises the question: What about advertisements you may see in other counties? Before we get down to the hard hitting advertising realities of our world’s diverse cultures, let’s start with something lighthearted. This is a cell phone commercial made for Korea’s own Samsung, marketed to India. During a recent 12-day visit to Nepal, this commercial’s jingle managed to become so ingrained in my mind that the tune now makes me think of the streets of Kathmandu. Considering Kathmandu has roving blackouts, and I spent very little time near a TV set, I am startled at how quickly the song became burned into my mind. I still find myself singing it in my head when I am traveling.
http://youtu.be/qwfKxsDxYAI
You have to admit, it is very catchy. And as far as my research has concluded, the song was made specifically for this advertisement. I could not find any other version of this tune anywhere on the internet.
Before we begin to think that advertising is all fun jingles and amusing pictures, we must remember that it is also a hard-science, data-driven medium with mores that are socially driven and often enforced by law. As we know, American advertisements are aggressive, loud, and flashy. In American TV commercials, it is rare for the same image to stay on the screen for more than a second, which can lead to headaches. As a result, a lot of viewers simply choose to DVR their programs and skip the multi-million dollar ads altogether. I guess it is a good thing that in the U.S., no one DVRs the Super Bowl, where a thirty second spot can cost an advertiser over $3 million. Here’s a popular Super Bowl ad that made golden-age actress Betty White a TV super star – again – and launched several variations in an international advertising campaign for Mars, Inc.
http://youtu.be/18ya0-OZ58s
Did anyone spot Abe Vigoda at the end of that ad? He played Tessio in The Godfather. Here’s the Korean version of that same TV spot:
http://youtu.be/xEOy62YZOpM
Although television is still the largest advertising medium in most developed countries, the internet and magazines still carry their bulk of the load. Depending on the culture the ad runs in, the styles can be noticeably different. Western magazine titles are available in convenience stores across the Middle East, but the “sex sells” style is still very much haram (sinful), so it is not uncommon to see certain images blackened out with a permanent marker. Yes, apparently, somewhere in the Middle East, there is a team of men armed with Sharpies sitting in an office, coloring in side-boob shots to protect the local social mores and decency laws.
And yet, somehow images of rude gestures like this one slip through the screening process:
[caption id="attachment_1754" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Photo courtesy of www.peninsularityensues.com[/caption]
There isn’t much call for scanty fashion advertisements in the Middle East, but they make up for the lack of content with adverts for jewelry and perfumes, which are a huge part of the market. This is not to say that Middle Eastern fashion shies away from sexy – on the contrary. They just do a more modest version of it. These are issues of Grazia International, the “authoritative voice of style in the Middle East.”
The local mall in the Omani capital of Muscat even has a Victoria’s Secret… but they only sell accessories, fragrances and perfumes. As for magazine adverts, it is a little alarming how many of the ads contain fair-haired, Western-style models. Rather than a preference for the appearance, I am told these models are used for ads that Muslim women would not wish to appear in for stylistic reasons.
On the other side of the globe, the Russians have their own distinctive style as well, but they have decided to not only follow the styles of the decadent U.S., but to surpass them entirely. If sex sells in America, it sells in bulk in Moscow. This was, of course, not always the case. It wasn’t until after the collapse of the Soviet system, when Russia’s market was in dire need of a make-over, that they accepted Western marketing traditions. “Accepted” may be the wrong word, in fact. Russia relied so heavily on trade with Western economies during those hard times that they had very little say in the sort of trade they received in the form of advertising. Right up through the early Perestroika days, Russian advertising was very basic, since most businesses were only concerned with the movement of goods to the vast regions of Russia. Eleven time zones can make this a daunting and expensive task, so very little – in fact, nothing – was given to flash and dazzle advertising. Soon, however, greedy Western markets pushed their way into a Russia that was awakening to a need for mass marketing. Western styles caught on, and Russia ran with it. Now Russian women are seen as sexy and stunning—a very different description than the one Westerners heard during the Cold War. It’s not like the women have changed that much – turns out, they were always sexy and stunning. It’s terrible how a cold war can distort the facts. Check out this classic Cold War commercial for a popular American fast food chain.
http://youtu.be/DWAKtYGJZSM
Russian advertisers quickly set about destroying the myth, and man, have they succeeded. They took the tool of modern Western-style advertising, and used it to kill the Western myth of modern Russia.
And yes, there is even something for the ladies.
Today's Russia is all about the glitz and glamor in much of their advertising. This is actually kind of sad in this writer’s opinion: Russian women are stunningly beautiful, glitz and glam be damned.
As a final note to what was meant to be a short, shallow commentary on advertising around the world, I would be remiss if I did not add the following comments to the previous ones regarding glitz and glam. The advertising industry everywhere really needs to recognize all women – all people, of all shapes, colors, and sizes – can be beautiful. Kindness is true beauty, and not the digitally-doctored images that are splashed before our eyes on a non-stop daily basis. Did you know that the average person today sees more advertisements in a year than their grandparents saw in their entire lives? It’s true. Sadly, very few of those advertisements are made to make us feel good about ourselves. If we felt good, we wouldn't feel a need to buy their stuff to fill that hole in our self-esteem. Don’t buy into it. You are beautiful. It’s the ads that have gotten ugly.
So feel good. To help, here is that catchy jingle again. Or for a laugh at the whole digitally-altered concept of fake beauty, watch this, and enjoy being who you are.
http://youtu.be/qwfKxsDxYAI
You have to admit, it is very catchy. And as far as my research has concluded, the song was made specifically for this advertisement. I could not find any other version of this tune anywhere on the internet.
Before we begin to think that advertising is all fun jingles and amusing pictures, we must remember that it is also a hard-science, data-driven medium with mores that are socially driven and often enforced by law. As we know, American advertisements are aggressive, loud, and flashy. In American TV commercials, it is rare for the same image to stay on the screen for more than a second, which can lead to headaches. As a result, a lot of viewers simply choose to DVR their programs and skip the multi-million dollar ads altogether. I guess it is a good thing that in the U.S., no one DVRs the Super Bowl, where a thirty second spot can cost an advertiser over $3 million. Here’s a popular Super Bowl ad that made golden-age actress Betty White a TV super star – again – and launched several variations in an international advertising campaign for Mars, Inc.
http://youtu.be/18ya0-OZ58s
Did anyone spot Abe Vigoda at the end of that ad? He played Tessio in The Godfather. Here’s the Korean version of that same TV spot:
http://youtu.be/xEOy62YZOpM
Although television is still the largest advertising medium in most developed countries, the internet and magazines still carry their bulk of the load. Depending on the culture the ad runs in, the styles can be noticeably different. Western magazine titles are available in convenience stores across the Middle East, but the “sex sells” style is still very much haram (sinful), so it is not uncommon to see certain images blackened out with a permanent marker. Yes, apparently, somewhere in the Middle East, there is a team of men armed with Sharpies sitting in an office, coloring in side-boob shots to protect the local social mores and decency laws.
And yet, somehow images of rude gestures like this one slip through the screening process:
[caption id="attachment_1754" align="alignnone" width="300"]
Photo courtesy of www.peninsularityensues.com[/caption]There isn’t much call for scanty fashion advertisements in the Middle East, but they make up for the lack of content with adverts for jewelry and perfumes, which are a huge part of the market. This is not to say that Middle Eastern fashion shies away from sexy – on the contrary. They just do a more modest version of it. These are issues of Grazia International, the “authoritative voice of style in the Middle East.”
The local mall in the Omani capital of Muscat even has a Victoria’s Secret… but they only sell accessories, fragrances and perfumes. As for magazine adverts, it is a little alarming how many of the ads contain fair-haired, Western-style models. Rather than a preference for the appearance, I am told these models are used for ads that Muslim women would not wish to appear in for stylistic reasons.
On the other side of the globe, the Russians have their own distinctive style as well, but they have decided to not only follow the styles of the decadent U.S., but to surpass them entirely. If sex sells in America, it sells in bulk in Moscow. This was, of course, not always the case. It wasn’t until after the collapse of the Soviet system, when Russia’s market was in dire need of a make-over, that they accepted Western marketing traditions. “Accepted” may be the wrong word, in fact. Russia relied so heavily on trade with Western economies during those hard times that they had very little say in the sort of trade they received in the form of advertising. Right up through the early Perestroika days, Russian advertising was very basic, since most businesses were only concerned with the movement of goods to the vast regions of Russia. Eleven time zones can make this a daunting and expensive task, so very little – in fact, nothing – was given to flash and dazzle advertising. Soon, however, greedy Western markets pushed their way into a Russia that was awakening to a need for mass marketing. Western styles caught on, and Russia ran with it. Now Russian women are seen as sexy and stunning—a very different description than the one Westerners heard during the Cold War. It’s not like the women have changed that much – turns out, they were always sexy and stunning. It’s terrible how a cold war can distort the facts. Check out this classic Cold War commercial for a popular American fast food chain.
http://youtu.be/DWAKtYGJZSM
Russian advertisers quickly set about destroying the myth, and man, have they succeeded. They took the tool of modern Western-style advertising, and used it to kill the Western myth of modern Russia.
And yes, there is even something for the ladies.
Today's Russia is all about the glitz and glamor in much of their advertising. This is actually kind of sad in this writer’s opinion: Russian women are stunningly beautiful, glitz and glam be damned.
As a final note to what was meant to be a short, shallow commentary on advertising around the world, I would be remiss if I did not add the following comments to the previous ones regarding glitz and glam. The advertising industry everywhere really needs to recognize all women – all people, of all shapes, colors, and sizes – can be beautiful. Kindness is true beauty, and not the digitally-doctored images that are splashed before our eyes on a non-stop daily basis. Did you know that the average person today sees more advertisements in a year than their grandparents saw in their entire lives? It’s true. Sadly, very few of those advertisements are made to make us feel good about ourselves. If we felt good, we wouldn't feel a need to buy their stuff to fill that hole in our self-esteem. Don’t buy into it. You are beautiful. It’s the ads that have gotten ugly.
So feel good. To help, here is that catchy jingle again. Or for a laugh at the whole digitally-altered concept of fake beauty, watch this, and enjoy being who you are.
Thursday, May 1, 2014
What I Learned from the Amish
Whilst waiting in a long line to board onto the Chicago AmTrak train one afternoon, I couldn’t help but to study and enjoy the presence of a large Amish family nearby. The bearded man wearing suspenders was accompanied by three adult women and four absolutely adorable small children. They had suitcases of various vibrant colors and sipped from just-purchased plastic water containers. The line of travelers started to descend as everyone was loaded onto the train. To my surprise, I would be surrounded by the Amish family on the seats to the left and front of mine.
The little children would stare at me, and we would have smiling contests. I did not have much to share with the children or show them. Trying to respect the culture’s preference of a non-technological lifestyle and the choice to avoid excessive dress and style, I was somewhat nervous to show them things I had with me. My worries of what the children could be exposed to could somehow affect the rest of their lives. They were so innocent and sweet. I instead wanted them to show me their things, and learn more about their way of life.
They spoke in a language I could not decipher, but could only assume it to be of Dutch origin. They also spoke in English, but not as often. The women would read to the little children in their preferred language rather than in English, although the books were written in the latter. The books appeared to be youth primers for their religion, and they included songs, poems, stories, pictures, and coloring pages. One adult sat in a separate section and allowed the children to walk back and forth to the different seats and would all sit on the adults' laps. I wondered if the family practiced polygamy because the man had so many adult women with him and all of the children were clinging to each adult, especially the man. However, the Amish do not practice polygamy, and these families were just working together like a small community.
Their dress is plain and simple, and they sew their own fashions. How do they acquire the dark blue, black, and brown materials? Rural markets and dry goods stores. The women do not cut their hair, and the men, once married, do not cut their beards. Bonnets cover the heads of the baptized women and little girls, while males sport a traditional hair cut fashion and are forbidden to have mustaches. Men are not allowed to wear mustaches in Amish communities because it is thought to resemble men in the military. The Amish do not partake in violence and therefore are not forced to join the military.
The woman sitting to my upper left seemed to be much more confident with the children. She looked to the man often to tell him a feeling or thought with her eyes, and also using their unique dialect. The woman sitting to my left, however, sparked my curiosity even more. She was quieter, younger, and wore glasses. She would cuddle the visiting children and would read to them. When she wasn't taking care of the children, she would look at her surroundings and seemed to be philosophizing about what and why things were. She would stare out of the train window and take in all of the urban outside life. Was she wondering what life was like for the "modern folk"? Did she want to walk in the old abandoned buildings to investigate and dream up a place for the family’s sofa? Did she want to experience driving a car? Or was her faith so deeply rooted that none of things crossed her mind as they would mine? Perhaps she just loved and enjoyed the life she was blessed with and was content with what she already had. Either way, it somehow felt really special to witness that Amish woman looking out of her window.
A funnier experience was when one of the Amish women accidentally walked in on me using the train's restroom. As the door opened and our eyes met, she looked almost horrified and said, “Oh! Sorry!” I really could only laugh about the situation.
The sweetest experience was noticing two sleeping children sprawled all over their father figure. I had just gotten up to leave as the train had reached its destination. I looked at the man and he gave me a smile and nod as I whispered, “They are so sweet."
Since my experiences among the Amish family, I have become much more interested about the Amish and even Mennonite culture. What a beautiful and simplistic way to live.
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