Kumdori Land

This week has been strange for me. On Monday I sat at my desk for most of the day and taught one class. The youngest 2 grades were on a field trip so I didn't have anything to do. This being Korea, I was expected to be at school, keeping my seat warm. Today the 3rd grade middle-schoolers went on a field trip and I got to accompany them. They told me we were going to a park. What they meant was that we were going to an amusement park.

What struck me as the most unusual right away was not the rides or crazy food, but seeing all the students together in street clothes instead of uniforms. Everyone was decked out in normal, teenage fashions...except for the "bad" clique. These are the girls that wear the black North Face jackets in school in the winter and today they were all wearing clubbing clothes that a twenty-something would wear. It was cringe-worthy. At least the 4" heels they were wearing ensured that they'd be tall enough for all the rides.

As I walked into the park countless people apologized to me for the small size of the park. They told me that it wasn't anywhere as a large as Disney World and thought I might be disappointed. It was kind of them, but I assured them that the park was awesome and this was way better than being trapped indoors all day.

The first part of the morning was spent with the other teachers drinking coffee in a restaurant at the park. The students had zero supervision. (While we're on subject of student responsibility, all the students arrived at the appointed time on their own. There was no arranged bus for them. They got there, we took attendance and then they were free to have fun. They all behaved and that was that. What a contrast to the US...). A little before noon the principal showed up and all the teachers got a little more quiet and a little more reserved. Not me, though. Our principal seems to like me so I just joked around with him and asked him to come on some rides with me. When he agreed the other teachers looked shocked and then my friend Woon-gi joined us.

The 3 of us got on "Viking Ship" which was actually a pirate ship that acted as a pendulum, swinging back and forth until you hit that zero-gravity moment where your food thinks about escaping when you hit each apex. (They are ubiquitous at amusement parks and I'm sure you know exactly what they are. As soon as I get a copy of the picture I will post it.) There were several students on the ride as well that we were facing and Woon-gi, the principal and I took turns screaming like a girl at each swing.




I was pretty energized after the ride and the principal needed to go so I found some straggling students and rounded them up for the bumper cars. We did that for a bit, and I got called back to the restaurant. The PTA had made us lunch so we ate a huge, delicious meal of sushi, kimbap, several types of kimchi, and other food that I was trying for the first time and was delicious. I don't know how the Koreans handle it, but rides+sushi didn't sit well with me. It ended up being fine, but there were a few moments after lunch where I was nervous I'd chunder all over my students.

As soon as I stepped outside of the restaurant, I was dragged by students to the "Flume Ride" where they were in need of a gullible stooge to sit in the seat in the front of the log. I excitedly agreed and we were off. I was soaked at the end and met up with Woon-gi who'd also been wrangled into the first seat position where he'd been thoroughly drenched.

We were then dragged to the Space Explorer ride. This is a roller coaster in total blackness. It was fun and insane. The screaming was deafening. The strobe lights made me queasy. It was awesome. Before I knew it, we were done.

By the time the ride was over we were dried off and a ride called "The Blizzard" caught our eye. It was a maniacal rotating pendulum that traveled on a 200 degree path, stopping just beyond horizontal at each terminus. The sushi in my belly was a perfect excuse to keep me off of the ride, despite 5 students actively dragging me onto the ride with all of their might. Woon-gi wasn't so fortunate. His safety bar was locked into place and he was trapped for the duration of the ride before he knew what'd hit him.

I got some amazing video of the students on the ride and it was great to watch. I am totally satisfied that I didn't go on the ride. Woon-gi looked a little worn out when he wobbled off the ride. Students sprinted past him to get back in line to go again.

Before I knew it, the day was over. The students were all accounted for and there were no mishaps. It was a fun day. It was easy. I got to have fun with the students and they got to see me cut loose. This is something that doesn't happen in the US, and that's too bad. Every chance I get to interact with my students I am going to take it. Without knowing it, most of them spoke English to me all day long. It was perfect.

The soccer team getting whiplash together. Solidarity.

This is the Blizzard. The picture does not to the ride justice. It is insane.

Here is the video that I shot. Due to Korean format video, I had to do some wizardry to get it to work and in the process I lost the sound. Instead, feel free to play this (right click and open in a new tab) audio while you watch.