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Speaking Ideas for Class - Games	Sunday, August 17, 2008

Here is an awesome site that has many activities one could improvise for teaching ESL... The site is actually used for improv activities for acting class but I found many of them useful.. Improv Games

To Come or Go	Sunday, February 10, 2008

Recently I had to choose whether or not to return to Korea. It was not an easy decision. After being in Korea for 2 years I was really becoming comfortable with my way of life there. To think that I really didn't even scratch the surface with learning Korean and still felt(feel) like it is a place I could call home..... well... that amazes me. It's almost as amazing as how long that last sentence was. I mean with my limited brain power I learned some vocabulary and other nifty things but my lack of time and a girlfriend really hindered me learning Korean well. THE POINT: I was looking for a public school position in South Korea recently. Working for a public school is completely different from the hagwon(private academy) work I did for Ewha in Gumi. The process for getting a position is different, the job is different, and ya you get the picture. So I will outline this procedure at some time but... Basically, for now, I have decided to stay in the US for a bit and still use this journal to supplement my interests in Korea and my "Other" life. It's a decision that has been ping ponging around in my brain for about a month. For me the love of a different life in Korea and the opportunity there to live comfortably(monetarily and emotionally) doing something I had grown to love(teaching)... well that was battling with the good things about my life here in Indianapolis, Indiana. Believe me in saying finding emotional happiness in Korea or anywhere is not easy. Maybe perhaps it could be that it's just me...no it has to be that happiness is not so easy to find at first. Looking back I know it was and is right now difficult for me. I focus on the simple things and make decisions that I feel are the best I can make but I know my travels are not over.

Pension in South Korea	Saturday, January 19, 2008

In a recent report travel to and from South Korea has rose 11% in 2007. Among these travelers were no doubt foreign teachers who will teach ESL to young and adult minds. Business is business and the most common area to get screwed on your time in Korea is with your pension. Now only certain nationalities are actually entitled to get this back. The US and Canadian citizens who go to Korea do but many others do not... What this pension boils down to is about 2,000 US. Here's how it works... Much like a 401k in the US you and your employer pay equal amounts to the pension. Mine was about 80,000 a month or about $80 US. So I would pay 80 and my boss would pay 80. The most common trick is for your boss to not pay at all and sometimes even keep your half. The best policy is to actually call the pension office itself. A safe bet would be to go with what other teachers got from your organization but the sure way is to call. By talking around you can find the number or location from someone. You can even ask your boss. If they have a problem with that then you know that something is not right. Stay safe look into it!!

Overview of a South Korea ESL Teacher's Customers	Thursday, January 17, 2008

At most private academies in Korea it seems there is a balance of three powers. First and foremost you have to make your employer happy. As a teacher you have to follow there curriculum, rules, etc. Though this seems easy I think alot of new teachers forget where they are and what they are doing. They feel trapped in a corner because they are out of their element. Not enough can be said about how hard it is to leave one's friends, family, culture, and other things behind. The second group of people to please are the students. For the majority of the students in Korea... they have had several English professors in the past. If you are working at a private academy you have to remember they have other options. I saw alot of teachers that tried the "my way or the highway approach" of forcing students to do what they wanted. In the long run this will not work with most students, expecially the older ones like teenagers who hate living anyway. You have to remember how much these students study and how many times they have taken these courses. The last group are the parents. While it is true that most parents will be dealt with by the Korean staff.. it still holds that these people want value for their money. They are the ultimate decision maker and really just want to make sure their kids are working hard because they are paying you to make them work. They are also the ones who will hear all kinds of stories about you which may or may not be true. Kids say the craziest things if they want to get out of their mess. The bottomline is that there is a tightrope to walk with homework and classroom activity. You have to get good at gauging when and how much to push or you end up shutting down your kids. Constant communication with your Korean staff and supervisor helps but in most cases this is not as possible as one would like. In the end the formula can never be 100% correct but knowing who the players are and realizing that you can't force anyone into doing anything will get you better results than trying to bully your students into doing work. The pretense for this discussion comes from the almost inevitable realization by most foreign teachers that, yes, Korean kids study very hard. When it actually sinks in how much work they are doing new teachers begin to feel sorry for their students. REMEMBER... This is more of a cultural difference than anything else. I equate it to sports in the USA. In the US, a father watching his son practice football most likely is not going to yell at a coach for making the boy run more laps. He would think... it's good for him... it builds character. The same could be said of studying in Korea.

Trips to China from Korea	Sunday, January 13, 2008

Recently a friend of mine posted an article in the Korea Times about a trip he took to China. It gives some insight into what you can expect from a guided tour in China. This is a trip that many ESL teachers in South Korea make so it might be of use to know what to expect. A Trip to China by ESL Teacher Michael Braun

Free Korean Lessons in Korea	Thursday, January 10, 2008

Here is a great place to start learning Korean if you are in Korea. The name of the place is the Migrant Catholic Worker Center. It is a religious organization that helps mixed families and foreigners in Korea. Mostly when I took a few classes they were two times a week and the only money I needed to pay was for the book which was about $10.00. The majority of the students were wives of Korean men who were from various different countries. Now this is particular phone number and link are for the branch in Gumi, Gyeongbuk but there probably are other organizations like this throughout Korea. Definitely worth looking into. 054-455-2816 The website is at: Migrant Catholic Worker Center - Korean Lessons If you do not have the korean language software installed for internet explorer just hit cancel and you should be able to get to an english page. Also if you don't live in Gumi call and ask about your city!!

Trains From South to North Korea	Wednesday, January 9, 2008

This is by no means new news but it is quite interesting and I thought worth writing about. For the first time since 1951 trains have began to cross from South Korea to North Korea. For years the South has been trying to make ties with the North to shorten the economic gap. Let's not be blind to the fact that the North also has the advantage of actually being connected by land to the rest of the continent. I believe this is one of the big reasons South Korea wants to have better ties with the North. South Korea isn't stupid... they want to be able to use trains to move goods across to China, Russia, Europe, etc. The unification of the two Koreas by train began with a single train being allowed to transport goods to and from Kaesong. Kaesong is a city on the border of North and South where many people from both sides work. Workers from South Korea are not allowed to take the train to work as of yet but there are talks. Possibly within the next year trains will carry both cargo and passengers to the plant. Maybe even to other places. For now North Korea continues to trade raw materials for South Korean finished goods. I guess they have been doing this for sometime with trucks and recently the trade has increased dramatically. Unification is a far off goal I think but a possibility in my lifetime... I'm 27 so we have some time. First Cargo Train from South to North Korea Since 1951 and Economic Implications Possible Passenger Train from South Korea to North in Sight

Mexican Boy Uses Glue To Escape School	Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Here is a funny article about a Mexican boy trying to skip school. I remember a boy who would do similar things in Korea. Personally, as much as children study in Korea I would think there would be alot more skipping than there is. This particular boy in our academy would go to the PC room instead of class. Some students would show up late all the time leading you to wonder. Anyway this young man did something entirely different. Mexican Boy Uses Glue To Escape School

Glow in the dark cats cloned in Korea	Monday, January 7, 2008

I found this article and I thought it interesting. Cloning and science in general seem to be on the forefront in Korea. I think alot of Americans are surprised to know that Korea is as developed as they are. We all no doubt remember Dr. Hwang who last year was found to have lied about his achievements with stem cell research. The country and scientific community of the world was shocked when that news hit the stands. Little however would have guessed that Koreans would continue there quest in cloning only to produce glow in the dark cats. Apparently, in a strange side effect cats that were genetically manipulated are now glow in the dark under UV rays!! Quite an interesting feat. I guess the main implications for this cloning technology is that in the future cats could be produced that would have similar illnesses as humans and so we could then learn from the cats. Still it would be kind of cool to have a glow in the dark cat!! Below are some related articles. The Cloned Glow in the dark Cats of Korea Wikipedia Page for Dr. Hwang

Funny Korean Visors	Saturday, January 5, 2008

Below is a picture of a very famous object in South Korea. If you frequent the mountain at all you will find hundreds of ladies adorning these lovely visors. The pic below has me with the visor down. To me these things look like space age welding masks. At first I found it very humorous but actually most Koreans have very pale complexion and alot even have allergies to the sun so I guess they make sense. Still the look a bit funny!!

Korean Boxer Dies : (	Thursday, January 3, 2008

On January 2nd a Korean boxer's life support was cut off and he died because of related trauma from a fight. Choi Yo-sam collapsed after a fight on Christmas which he won by points. The fight lasted 12 rounds and Choi Yo-sam was knocked down right before the end of the fight but got up but collapsed after the fight was over. After being taken to the hospital he fell into a coma and later was pronounced brain dead. What a horrific story!! Since I wrestled myself I understand the sacrifice and dedication these kind of sports take. True there is always an element of danger but it doesn't make it any less tragic when someone actually dies. The decision to cut the fighter's life line was made by his family(mother) and done on Jan. 2nd because the fighter's father died on the exact same day. They decided turning it off on this day would be a tribute in a way to the man who helped bring the fighter into this world. His organs were harvested to help 6 people!! It also mentioned that the wages of a fighter aren't much and this brave Korean fighter would always try to help his mother. He recieved $3,000.00 for the fight in which he died. People have been reminded of a similar fight between a Korean fighter named Kim Duk-koo who died in the same fashion in Las Vegas. Several different articles about this incident Life story of the other Korean Fighter who died in 1982

The Growing Acceptance of Women in the Korean Workforce	Wednesday, January 2, 2008

The times they are a changing and yes women are becoming more of a powerhouse in business and other arenas. Most shovenistic(sp?) males of old would have never dreamed that women would have come this far in their struggle for equality. In the US women have moved past burning their bras to burning the competition. Still it is not like this everywhere and equality for men, women, and minorities will probably always be a problem. Difference is not looked upon with favor very often. In Korea, I would say the system is catching up with the US but by and large women are still treated a little less than desirable. Ask any foreigner and she/he (notice how I put she 1st)... he/she would probably have a tall tale about how they saw a Korean man abusing a Korean lady. The reality is that this probably happens in every country. Still women do seem to be treated a little less respectable than in the states, in most cases. The good news is that ladies are making great progress in Korea. This is mostly due to the fact that the economy has shifted over time and now women are working in places of power. It used to be that women stayed at home and took care of the kids, much like the old US standard. In those times girl babies were not looked on favorably... It wasn't just Korea either... China and other eastern countries felt the same. This has caused major problems in China, particularly, where now the number of men outweighs women. This equals alot of lonely guys. :( The reason for boys babies being more favorable was of course money. It reminds me of the times of old with Kings who tried to make an heir but couldn't and then blamed their queens. In Korea the same happened. Some men left their wives because they blamed them for not having a son. They felt disgraced. Since the parents needed some security for when they got older.. a boy child offered alot more chance for money and safety. But as I stated before times have changed and now ladies are working alot more. Since they are making the big bucks there are also alot more stay-at-home dads in South Korea. This concept is one that is not even fully embraced in the US. I think it is because for some reason making money has been associated with manhood. In any event the times are changing according to the statistics. I myself from experience seemed to find that most of my students had the typical 50s style household. Dad worked hard, mom took care of the house and kids, etc. etc. I was subjected to a small demographic though so I was happy to hear about this news. Mad respect to the ladies and their growing power. Great Article about how times have changed and girls/women are becoming more accepted into society About stay at home dads in South Korea and its rise

Daewoo President Pardoned	Tuesday, January 1, 2008

The old Daewoo head honcho was pardoned of his criminal obligations as part of a New Year's Amnesty set forth by the government. I guess back when the company went under, english teacher's were losing a ton of money because inflation was crazy and the value of the Korean Won went straight down. Teacher's were trapped basically because they were in the middle of contracts getting paid what their contract said but meanwhile the costs went through the roof. While I am all for forgiveness.. it seems that these HUGE crimes should be accountable by someone. Now I guess this Daewoo king is 71 years old now which leaves me thinking... let the poor old soul alone. Still another part of me thinks why can this guy commit a major crime and get away with it while the law makes criminals out of several people every year who really don't do that bad of things at all. About the collapse of Daewoo About the South Korean New Year Amnesty

Korea and her treachorous(sp?) Seas	Monday, December 31, 2007

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Yellow Dust Largest Solar Power Plant In South Korea


Several things are going on in and around the peninsula that hosts South Korea. Korea's seas seem to be taking a beating and her ships can't seem to stay out of trouble. So I decided to give a short rundown of some of the things I found interesting. 14 sailors remain missing after a toxic chemical cargo ship went down off the coast of Korea. Pray for their souls as it doesn't look good. 14 Korean Sailors Missing Sunken Wreckage Found Other Korean problems in the sea caused the worst oil spill in Korean history. South Korea Oil Spill 2007 Korean Oil Spill Pics from Yahoo 2007 This is not long after that huge spill in the San Francisco Bay area. Bay Area Oil Spill In the midst of all this turmoil.. get it turmOIL.. well in the middle of all this Korea is also being hit with the YELLOW DUST earlier than expected this year. Usually the dust that comes from the Gobi Desert makes its way over to Korea from China sometime in February to start the new year. This year it comes early almost like another ironic twist on all these other problems.. Its too bad really because... despite these problems Korea really does make efforts to be environmental.

<< Related Articles

Yellow Dust

Largest Solar Power Plant In South Korea

Korean Driving Article Causes A U-Turn In My Head	Friday, September 7, 2007

What an interesting feature I found on driving... the article was mainly aimed towards military personel and family members but it was still very truthful and acknowledges some things about police and translation that are totally true... Here's the article: Stars and Stripes - A crash course on crashing in South Korea What it really brought to light in my mind was a similar instance I had here where I had to file a police report. I remember feeling railroaded, I think now more so for reasons quite clear in the article... because I couldn't express my side of the story fully I felt a little cheated. What an easy yet interesting concept to consider when using another language!?! Still one of the main points about driving expressed in the article... the one about cars, walkers, bikers, and scooters jolting out at you.... that ...... that stuff is dead on... NO PUN INTENDED

Appearance Is a Strange Thing	Wednesday, September 5, 2007

As I wind down my second year here in South Korea I realize that I am lucky in a lot of respects. I am currently beginning the search for a new career and I want to go back to my own country. The funny thing is that back in the US I will have to change to get a job and here I got to do as I wished. In the US, appearance is such a big part of having a job that it makes me sick kind of. I sometimes wonder if I will be able to make there. I am not the clean cut type. I am a grunge guy that showers and brushes his teeth. I'm not sick but I don't want to shave everyday either. How or when the extreme emphasis went from being a good person on the inside to being a good looking FAKE person is beyond my recollection of history. Looks are deceiving and it is kind of ironic that I can even make it here in Korea. When I first came here I was worried about how I would make it. I remember the long bus ride from Incheon Airport to my new home in Gumi. I was half alive living off a drug I like to call airline sleep and peanuts. I was delirious and all I saw were the big neon red crosses that adorn churches here. I was worried. How would they accept a loon like me... unwilling to conform to what SOCIETY sees as normal? Well two years later I have made a name for myself. My personality has been accepted and embraced. Not only this but I feel more free than ever but still with that freedom has come certain sacrifices. How did I make it in what I consider a fairly conservative land? The people here for the most part are shy and difference is not looked on highly... Well the only thing I can figure is that because I am foreign anyway, they just accepted the fact that I would be different and went with it... I certainly don't accurately represent a large demographic of the US but there are some good souls there that share my thoughts. I guess the irony is that I was able to come to a similar society to the US and make my difference work for me.... but I feel in the US it will be much more difficult for me to do this... even though I am an intelligent man who boasts alot of good qualities and a native there... on paper I look funny..... I'd like to draw a picture of the inside of some people and compare....

Korean Teachers: Why are they treated differently?	Tuesday, September 4, 2007

It amazes me everytime I think about the fact that I make more than a person who is bilingual and in their own country no less. Korean teachers at hagwans and possibly other places(not sure on this one), make significantly less money than their foreign english teaching counterparts. This has become the norm in Korea. It happens even in cases where a Korean teacher might have much more experience than a foreign teacher... Why? Money... love of money and a lack of understanding as to what kind of benefit you would truly get from giving a little instead of taking it all for yourself. Owners are perhaps some of the most ruthless people to look out for when teaching in Korea... They can be good at times and often can even be generous but underlying the whole thing is a big pile of money they are sitting on. So what? So why the big fuss if this is the way it is... because I have a conscience and this has been bothering me tremendously. The times it is the worst is when you can feel the resentment from your Korean co-workers for a system you had no part in creating. Foreign or Korean alike we each make sacrifices and have very different roles at the school. Still I believe equal pay would be groundbreaking and is most certainly called for. Why invest so much in the youth of a nation, with education in hagwans ranging from english, taekwondo, math, and various other subjects....only to shoot them down after they try to return and give back to the system... Of course the US education system has its flaws too but I think this blatantly unfair treatment towards Korea's own teachers speaks very loudly indeed...

The Man At The Corner Store	Saturday, August 11, 2007

So I made my way to the corner store which is actually located in the middle of a block near a company called Pegasus. It was around 3:30 in the a.m. 24 hours open is not a new concept by any means but I suppose if you are going to pull such hellish hours it should be done with a certain pizzazz... I myself used to work the clean-up shift....3rd...night of the living dead.... I call it these things sometimes. I hated 3rd shift because it seemed to me that I had a very firm window on when I could fall asleep. If I didn't go to sleep by a certain time that was it I was staying up for another day of the tour. Anyway what makes this story a little unique and I would guess special to more than just people in America, is the way in which the corner store shop man runs his establishment. As I walked in at about 3:30:05 am I could see that there was a little bed right behind the counter. The friendly man was watching the news and it had come to a screen that was displaying the current tempature(sp?), wind velocity, etc... other weather shit... Basically the most appropriate thing you could ever watch to make you fall asleep. His eyez were red and rosey.... What I initially felt was sympathy for this man but then I thought this is the way you should do it if you worked the night shift. He can sleep and then make some cash... It also reminded me of a movie I saw here called gaymool, or monster. This famous Korean flic had a family of characters who ran a stand very similar to the one I was in at 3:30:05 am.... Good movie too....

Ramon, Ramon Everywhere But Not a Bite to Eat	Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Ramon or Ramyeon as Korean people pronounce it, is a wonderful invention. Through conversation I had heard that this little treat was originally thought up for space travel but later have heard that it was invented to solve the food crisis certain Asian countries were facing some time ago. Whatever the case it is certainly a tasty treat. You can get it here anywhere and in so many different varieties it will boggle your mind. It comes in square form In a cup of its own that you can cook it with... just add hot water and wait In little chip like pieces to be eaten uncooked There are virtually no end to the means at which you can obtain the great noodle sustenance(sp?) ramon has to offer. Ramon is on par to America's sauce aisle. American people are sauce crazy and Koreans are Ramyeon crazy. What's so bad about being crazy about that? Many Korean places(stores,businesses,etc) and homes have water purifiers. Not really like the Culligan Man of the US but kind of like that. These machines filter the tap water right then and there. I often wonder what came first... The machine or ramon because there is a hot water feature that works perfectly for making it. One little trick I learned from eating with Korean people has been with the cup ramon. In the US its called Cup of Noodle.... Well after you heat that thing up, if you fold the foil top you can actually use it as a plate with your chopsticks. Rest your noodles on it as you bring it to your mouth. This way you don't burn your face off trying to stay over the cup and you don't get any juices on your clothes!!!

Table Manners zzzzzzzzz	Sunday, July 29, 2007

Slurrrrrrp... your Korean friend just took a nice stab at some seafood soup you are eating together. He then chews up the octopus with a hearty vigor, smacking his lips intensely as he enjoys the flavor of it all. You look behind him to see two girls eating together. One is obviously staring at you as you digs into a heaping plate of some other sea assortment. She is obviously embarrassed about her wondering eyez being seen. She holds her hand up to her mouth and makes a shy coy glance away as if trying to stop the words that seemingly starve to leak from her brain out her mouth. Your friend offers you more to drink. You pick your glass up with two hands and extend your cup out to him. He grabs the bottle of boos with his left hand and covers his heart with his right. Just when you think the pledge of allegiance(sp?) is about to start, he pours you out a generous bit of beer and tops it off with a little bit of soju(Korea's Liquor)... After some good hearted conversation about the ways of the world it's time to take off. Your Korean friend grabs the tab. You try hard to split it with him or even make a contribution but he won't have any of that. Next time you should get it to even the score.

Gas Stations	Friday, July 20, 2007

I write about cultural differences because I want others to know about them. Not because I think they are funny or I am making fun of Korea but more so just because they exist. Differences are interesting. One very nice difference in South Korea is going to the gas station. Now prices in the US are outrageous these days and that is why it got me thinking about this subject the other day. What happened to the full service in the states? It used to be quite prevelant in some areas but now it doesn't even register on the radar... Well I am happy to say it is quite different in Korea. Full service here means.. a complimentary gift like cookies or tissues... often a free beverage like tea or coffee... and also a clean windshield if you ask... Wow... now gas is expensive here too but what the hell is the US doing... Service rulz in Korea... One interesting sidenote is this.... I was eating with a Korean couple today and the man said he would actually prefer to pump his own gas. Being a man I sympathized(sp?) with his need for power over such matters. He was like "I would like to pump just once. Just once." We want what we don't have... Difference is good!!!

Beef it's what pisses off Korean people these days	Tuesday, July 17, 2007

After the mad cow outbreak back in the day, Korea decided to enforce strict laws on the practice of importing US beef. In fact, it was actually completely banned at one time... Living here has taught me that for the most part this culture is a huge consumer of meat... Pork, Chicken, and of course beef... not to mention several other meats that are less frequently eaten in the US(Dog, Goat, etc.) I guess taking this into account, it was not surprising that some people have been very concerned about the arrival of US meat in accordance to the newly signed US / South Korea trade pact. Apparently, several people waited outside major retailers and protested. Some went as far as buying the meat and throwing it at windows... One store had a broken window and several stores were forced to take the meat off the shelf and reconsider selling it. I guess I will never get a T-bone here!!

Cartoons Have Wisdom?	Wednesday, July 11, 2007

So the energy crisis and global environmental catastrophe has been looming its beak, head, and indescent(sp?) pieces into everything these days.... And yet we knew about all of this a long long time ago!!! After watching tranformers the movie here in Korea, which is where it made its world debut, I started to check out some old cartoons.. I was thinking about what I watched and game up with a few... Transformers, GI Joe, Gummi Bears, Smurfs, Thunder Cats, etc... Well watch for yourself and see what all the fighting is about... you guessed it energy... It's what we strive for... and yet this is what will kill us in the end... Why don't the Care Bears make a new movie?

Teacher or Brochure Picture	Tuesday, July 10, 2007

In most jobs people would like to think they are taken seriously about their endevours(sp?). I guess if I was really worried about it then I would actually look up all words I had trouble spelling like the one above and be a good little english teacher. In my time here I've run across the thought that when you are teaching in South Korea its not always teaching but rather it could be more of a figurehead role. I agree to certain extent... We are not only here to try to teach but because people are interested in the culture in general and where else would you find a foreigner pet store but in Korea. Examples are high and low but a recent story about a private tutoring adventure at a kindergarten seems to show it best. The teacher described how often the very atmosphere of the class wasn't even a concern... The kids ran madd... and the only real worry was getting the teacher in a picture for the internet for the parents.... don't get me wrong I'm sure some learning went on but how much will a group of 5-7 year old kids listen to babbling nonsense they like to make funny faces at.

Planning vacations is hard work	Sunday, July 8, 2007

Well... I got hammered this weekend and I feel great about it... Soon I will be vacationing and will get a well deserved break but for now I have to take a vacation from planning my vacations. Man it's alot of work to get traveling plans together. Next week I will be attending the Boryeong Mud Festival. I'm excited but getting help to get a reservation sucks. Apparently, showing up the day of and looking is a viable option but I like to have my ducks in a row when I do things. In August, I'll be headed to Thailand so that is more planning... Oh gosh... so anyway it was nice to cut loose this weekend...

Masks

Saturday, June 30, 2007

This has been an itch of mine for a bit... I have wanted to write something but keep failing to remember to include it. Having some downtime this weekend I am cleaning and I found a mask.

In Korea, especially in the winter, it is not uncommon to see young and old alike adorned in face masks. At first thought I assumed they were just freaky hipocondriaks(sp?) that feared the mass infection. I can remember at my University, there was an oriental student in the computer labs who always had on white gloves and a mask... This was very strange but it was about the time that SARS was on the loose.

I guess because it was different I thought it strange. That is until not too long ago when someone proposed the thought that maybe the mask was not because of a fear of infection but rather a common courtesy(sp?). Maybe the mask wearer themself was the one with the illness. They were just trying not to spread their cold. My view changed... So here I am before and after... What do you think should I become a terrorist? Notice the happy animal face... this is a mask for kids... they often have nice little animals on them..

Where's the Beef?	Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Apparently the new trade pact between the US and South Korea has benefits but US beef producers have yet to see that realized. After the mad cow thing South Korea was very leary of taking US beef and banned it more than 3 years ago. Since they have lifted that ban but with certain policies and rules in place. Only cattle that are younger than 30 months are permitted for consumption. Also the meat must be bone free. Apparently certain US companies have already broken the rules and a few shipments have arrived in Korea only to be turned away. It leaves me to wonder if Korean people will ever get some cheap steaks? No T-bones..that's for sure..

Men Hand In Hand	Sunday, June 17, 2007

Possibly it's a absence of fear of homosexuality or the fact that women and men are somewhat segregated throughout a large part of their lives in school. Whatever the reason(s), men definitely do not care about touch between each other. It is not an uncommon sight to see two drunken fellows walking home hand in hand. It is also not uncommon to be touched by a Korean friend or sales clerk in what by American standards would seem inappropriate. I must admit at first this was a hard thing to accept. While I wouldn't completely adopt it, I do feel that I have accepted it for what it is... Good touch, Bad touch.. you decide!!

Crossing the Road	Friday, June 15, 2007

This could just be in my small town as I am sure it is not the same in Seoul but I have definitely picked up on a extreme loyalty to the lights at crosswalks. Jaywalking is a hobby of mine so I often get bad glances for crossing when the little red man is up. I have even gotten sweared at I think... wasn't too sure what he was saying but it wasn't good I deduced from his face and flying fist. Often there is absolutely no cars coming or going and people still are obediently waiting... after this observation it really didn't surprise me that many people don't smoke the forbidden WEED.... Rules seem to be taken alot more serious than in the states.

Unrest and Complaints About South Korea	Friday, June 8, 2007

Seems more and more these days I come to realize what it takes to be a teacher over here. It's not an easy thing and yet I find so many others who are here when really they came for the wrong reasons. Why come a great jaunt(sp?) from the things and people you know/love just for some cash? Teaching here is more than a job because like many jobs your work becomes a huge part of your life. If you are considering dropping in then make sure you keep that in mind. Otherwise you are going to find yourself bitching about all the little insignificant differences in culture because you can't handle it. I just don't get it sometimes. I hear alot of bitching here and yet I see alot of people having a good time. I suppose it is like that anywhere but... still when you go to a different place you can't expect the culture to wrap itself around you. If you do then you are in for a big surprise. I've met people here who didn't even consider the food and then get here and don't enjoy anything bitching about spicy food and seafood and ... I mean come on... think a bit more instead of throwing yourself into the wind... unless you are able to be free to fly..

Climbing in Busan in the past	Thursday, May 31, 2007

I just finally got around to posting some past things. This is a pic from my adventure in Busan with a fellow homie who came over not too long ago. We made our way to this spot through the help of a very well run and organized website called Korea on the Rocks After choosing our location we ventured out one early morning. Upon finding the location we were skeptical about climbing because the rock was a little wet. Soon we met a fellow woman climber who erased our doubts. She is in the picture below with the huge smile!!! What nice people!! They shared food, ropes, and advice with us, although little english was used at all. Nothing but good things to say about Korean hospitality when you find the right kind.

A Funny Sign	Wednesday, May 30, 2007

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A Funny Picture of a Sign


This was a very funny sign we saw in Daegu's electronics market. Get it while it's hot and do it while you can!!

Red Names	Tuesday, May 29, 2007

It's funny the little superstitious tendancies we pick up as people. South Korea is no different and I was reminded of this once again the other day. At my school, I have to interview new students in order to place them in the appropriate level at our school. It also serves other purposes. Anyway being a teacher I frequently have a red pen in my hand. I take in an interview sheet and the questions usually start with me asking their name and asking them to write their name on the interview sheet. The problem is that in Korea writing your name in red is a bad thing. I suppose it is bad luck in general but you can see the symbolism. RED >> BLOOD >> DEATH Anyway I keep taking these red pens in there because I am often in a hurray and I end up with kids looking at me like "There is no way I am writing my name on THAT paper with THAT RED PEN!!"

Some Good Drinks

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

I thought for sure I had written about this before but I don't see the pictures anywhere so I'm gonna show them off now.

Besides drinks of the alcoholic variety there are a couple things here I have never seen that I have found to be quite tasty. I would say these are the most popular soft drinks.

Pepsi
Coke
Cider(like 7up kind of)
Gatorade

There are of course other things but I would say these are the main stream. Finding Mountain Dew or Dr. Pepper is a treat and not really too common unless you head to the big city. There are also some other sodas here but for the most part I don't really care for them. So what do you like? Well, here are a couple of really tasty treats...

Aloe Drink

Coco Palm Drink

These are the two drinks that I think are the best and they are drinks I have never seen before.

The aloe drink has real bits of aloe in the mixture and is sweet. It sounds kind of strange but it's great. The closest thing I could relate it to would be pulpy orange juice. The chunks seem like they might not be very satisfying but they are actually quite tasty.

The Coco Palm drink has small squared chunks in the drink so there are floaters in this one too. It is also very nice.

Check them out!!

Recently	Saturday, May 19, 2007

Wow time just flies... I've been really busy at work with a new website idea that will help us organize our tests and quizzes... We also got a new teacher so I've been trying my best to help him out as well... and then you almost forget but there's teaching too. This session I really feel like I am on top of my game. It's hard to describe but I get a feeling after every class and I know I did my best to give these kids the concept. Just yesterday I had students staying after class to ask me questions so I guess they are interested. This was in an older class who on their best day are only about 60% there mentally. They just have alot of other things going on in their young adult lives. Here's an update of my grill.... I was trying to download a pic of my buddy Michael and accidently got this one of me so I thought what the heck.. This is from our trip in Busan.

Largest Solar Power Plant In South Korea	Friday, May 11, 2007

I haven't written in a while because I have been super busy and well I guess there has been alot going on. Recently I read an article which said that Korea will try to build a solar power plant which will be the largest in the world. This is all part of a push to make 10% of Korea's energy from renewable resources by 2010. I thought this was pretty impressive but I wasn't really surprised. You see Korea is definitely a dirty looking place but for the amount of people who trapes(sp?) across these streets they do their best to keep it running smoothly. Here we have this example of the largest solar power plant but in addition to this there is also a large push to recycle. In fact, they impose fines in my city if you do not seperate your things or put your trash out at a certain time. All this together makes me very angry the US can't be more of a leader in these areas. Here one of the articles which discusses the solar energy plant in detail.

Children's Day Blues	Wednesday, May 2, 2007

So another session is done and gone. We have a total of five sessions throughout the year and each one brings new books/work/classes/problems/fun. My last classes were today and we had a party. I brought my guitar and played some songs. The small eyes seemed unimpressed until I motioned for one boy to strum while I made the chords. Within 60 seconds the three boys in the class were wailing on the strings in a surprisingly rhythmic manner. I couldn't help but think how terrible my friends would have thought this to be so I had to stop it after a bit. Still they wanted to play and play. I nearly had to cut one kid's hands off because he wouldn't stay away from it. The title of this article is so because this year Children's Day falls on a Saturday. Normally we get this day off from work and so I am quite disappointed that we don't get it this year. Not sure why it is such a big holiday but from a non biblical view it makes sense to make one of the biggest holidays during the nice summer days. I can't imagine what traffic will be like in some places.

Korean Word Fun	Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Ok so there are a few words in Korean that I have learned since being here which seem very funny. The first being the english word shiver which means of course to shake when you are cold. Well here it comes very close to saying their version of the English swear word FUCK. Imagine my feeling of stupidity when I was explaining a story about winter. In Korean its pronounced more like shivar but the similarity is more than enough to get some snickers out of the kids. Slightly more interesting is the fact that pee is actually blood here in Korea. Yes the English word for urine "pee" is actually what Koreans call blood. Interesting that two body fluids are so closely related through language. The last one that I have found, which is possibly the funniest is salsa. Salsa in English is of course a delicious chip dip made from tomatoes, onions, peppers, etc. In Korean the word salsa bears resemblance to what you might have after you eat alot of mexican food. You guessed it... Salsa in Korean actually means diarrhea(sp?). This is my favorite coincidence by far. No wonder no one wanted to try it after I found some at the store.

The Guest Teacher Game	Saturday, April 28, 2007

We had a book this session at my school that was for our speaking and listening class but was really a combination of a grammar book and a speaking book. I only bring this fact up to illustrate that grammar is of course tedious and going over the answers in class was a chore. The kids were very restless halfway through the session.... When I put my thinking cap on this issue I came up with a little idea. I call it the "Guest Teacher Game". Really its not a game at all but rather a trick that gives the illusion that the kids are in control... It's a role reversal that involves them personally.. Hell i guess they are sometimes in control anyway. Here's how the game works>> I would pick someone at random from the class and they would become the teacher. At first students are very shy and don't want to do it. They are afraid a bit so it helps to choose a strong student or I used choosing a number from 1 to 50 so that it was very random. The new "teacher" then takes over the role of calling on students and assigning reading parts for conversations. It was great and left room for plenty of jokes as I sat in as a "Student". The guest teacher would call on me as if I was a student and then I would refuse to read. They would threaten me to do it or else go home. Of course, I would intervene when needed but with a strong student I didn't even really have to say anything. It really got them talking too. I was thoroughly amazed at how great this simple idea worked for reviewing homework and tedious grammar exercises. It didn't work for everyone but the classes it did work for would ask to play everyday. Give it a try. I used it with kids about 11-13 in age... at our school these kids can form sentences but mostly speak in one word responses and small phrases. They have pretty good listening skills though. Students any younger might have difficulty with the idea so you have to gauge what's best for your school.

A Funny Picture of a Sign	Wednesday, April 18, 2007

In the wake(sp?) of all this terror I thought this picture was a bit ironic. Another teacher gave it to me a while back.

An Uncanny Coincidence and A Terrible Korean Dish	Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Alot of my eating here is eating out. After going head to head with kids all day I am often too tired to cook or I go in spurts where I will cook alot and then not cook anything. People leave flyers for food all over my door all the time. Often I get booklet ads that have a magnet. Today I got one that I found had a strange but cool coincidence on it and I wondered?..?..? To dial an emergency in Korea you dial 119 which is the opposite of 911 in the states... is information also opposite because 411 is an information source in the states... possibly every number is backwards... right now every United States citizen has an Asian twin that can be called by dialing their own US phone number backwards... Ok so maybe that's a stretch but... One thing that is not a stretch are the 20 advertisements for a popular Korean food called "Jokebar" which are found inside these flyers. There are at least 20 and here's a pic of the delightful dish. In case you can't tell what it is... It's pig's feet... Served luke warm to cold with a couple sauces, cross sections of pigs feet are served on a platter. It is probably the most disgusting dish I myself have tried here in Korea. Disgusting to me because of the amount of fat there. This is no rarity for Korean meat though as most meat is served with a healthy amount of fat. Nothing is wasted.

Big Trouble In Little Korea	Sunday, April 15, 2007

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This is a specific single incident... This is an opinion of a society... This is a true story... A close friend who has been having a rough patch recently got assaulted. I got the news yesterday and have her sleeping in my bed right now because she was frightened to stay at her place alone. I can't blame her... She must have shuddered awake about 15 times last night before passing out. You know the kind of waking up you might do in class, a jolt to a startling reality... The attack goes on in her mind apparently... She was coming home from a night of caravaning through town and had some drinks with some friends. Nothing extreme but enough to make people consider it might be her fault when questioned. Why can't people take something like this for face value? There is always a question in their minds like "Maybe it was her fault!!" or "She should have done this!!". She lives at the top of a five story building alone in a big apartment. The stairwell locks from the outside but is home to several businesses including her school. Unfortunately, he had already made it through that first security measure and was waiting patiently to unleash his fury. He was waiting on the second floor and as she came up the stairs he grabbed her and threw her to the ground. Sandwiched between a hard marble floor and a muscular Korean man, he proceeded to beat her in the face pausing in short intervals to ask "Do you Love Me?". The answer was always no and so he beat her again. This went on for a bit until her screams were heard by some people outside. A lucky thing considering not a whole lot of people are out and about near her area at that time. Police came and took the man in custody. She suffered a night long ordeal that will stay in her thoughts forever. Her lip like a balloon and her eye swollen shut the next morning. Countless other scrapes and bruises remain leaving like a wounded victim of an animal attack. This is the bad side of Korea and life. It is this writers personal opinion that although for the most part these people are very mild mannered and they are very nice there is also an animal lurking inside. Something horrible that is not released properly in there society. This bottling up of emotion and a strain on the emotional fabric that makes up their soul is the rub I see in Korea. Particularly in men, the use of alcohol gets out of control creating dominant unthinking idiots. Sure it is like this with any use of alcohol but here it is worse. Coupled with a sometimes outrageous disrespect for women... well I think you can see where I'm going with this one.

Gyeongju Rice and Wine Festival	Sunday, April 15, 2007

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Just recovering from a hard weekend... I started off on Friday abusing my liver heavily and then went to a rice wine tasting just yesterday. Man I am abused. The festival was in Gyeongju, which is one the biggest tourist spots in Korea. There are all kinds of museums and old artifacts. Its basically there national spot for relics of the past. My friend drove and I remember thinking this would be a god awful place to live because of all the tourism and traffic. After arriving and locating the festival from a map we got near the train station we were on our way to tasting some of Korea's finest liquors. I say finest in very loose terms because there were some of the nastiest thing on earth at this place. A few curled my blood. The best were the wines which were made from pomegranate. I felt and feel like a walking cocktail to this very minute. I would not necessarily recommend this festival unless you are going to Gyeongju to check out the historic sites as well. It was not really a main event though.

Student Respect	Wednesday, April 11, 2007

This article has been a long time coming... not that a recent episode has spurred it on or anything but behaviour has got to be one of the pitfalls of ESL teaching, especially when teaching young people. What is nice about classes here are it seems like students are very kind to you for the first month or so while they feel you out. I find that since they are a bit shy it usually takes a month til the real disruption begins. They decide what they can and can't get away with and the game begins. I must admit that regardless of class or students, I feel like foreign teachers are disrespected the most because of the language barrier. This can be a hard thing to deal with. You've had a bad day let's say and then ten kids are talking over you while you are trying to explain something. The worst is when it is the older students(teenagers). I find this group(teenagers) particularly difficult. They frustrate me because they should know that it is rude to talk while you do. They are just beginning to be social so they really like to talk in class. You know they work their buns off compared to American students so you feel a bit sorry for them. If you try to be a hard ass you can push them away.... Ahh the woes of teaching. I suspect I am about the most easy going of teachers around and sometimes it bites me in the butt. I give them a little rope and they hang me with it, still the connections I have made with some because of my style of teaching has made it worth it. I just have to remember that in the end taking a deep breath and reminding myself they are kids is better than screaming my head off just to frustrate myself.

Cherry Blossoms Outside Daegu, South Korea	Monday, April 9, 2007

Breathtaking cherry blossoms which have made Korea and Japan famous. Also a reason why I haven't been writing lately, it's just to nice.

Strange Korean Ginseng Candy

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

It seems that most things that enter my mouth here.. wo that was almost the start of a strange joke.....

no but seriously the eating festivities I enjoy with my Korean co-workers always involve them telling me how certain things are good for your health. While this may be true I have heard it so much that sometimes I wonder what foods actually are that great. Regardless I am not trying to bash the food but rather present it here. The other day I had a first, ginseng candy!?!??? I thought what the?

As an American I remember when this first became popular in the media. They put ginseng in every drink imaginable. It does after all have a bunch of different positive effects including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer effects to name a few. I believe the type of ginseng will determine what positive effects it has because there are different types.(when I first heard about it I guess there was just one type) No doubt many US drink makers used crappy ginseng just to claim it was in the product.

The point... oh yeah.. the candy... Oh what god awful stuff this is!! A Korean co-worker even agreed with me so you know I am not being predjudice. It tastes like a terrible cough drop. Some other candies here do too though so I was not really that surprised. Good for health? Maybe but terrible for candy!! Sorry ginseng God!!

Yellow Dust	Sunday, April 1, 2007

Yesterday while visiting my friend in Daegu I experienced an attack of the 'Yellow Dust' or 'hwangsa' in Korean. Every spring the country of South Korea is bombarded by a storm of yellow dust from China's Gobi Desert. In my city here, it is not much of a problem because we are protected by a mountain in a valley but in Daegu and Seoul they are more open. The result is that the best time of the year to get out and enjoy nature becomes the most dangerous. You could see a thick layer of dust on all the parked cars and the sky was a strange yellow color that was a bit freaky. This problem is getting worse too apparently for a couple of reasons. For one thing the Gobi Desert is expanding from industrialization. They cut down vegetation for economic growth and expansion but in the process the desert grows. Also Mongolian herders let their animals eat what little grass the desert has. Compounding this problem is the fact that the sand and chemicals from industry bond together. So chemicals from factories are bonding with the sand and then blowing their way into South Korean lungs!!! Beware of the yellow dust. Here's a link to the incident yesterday >> Stars and Stripes: Yellow Dust Attack of 3/28/2007 The only real solution is to get yourself a mask and be prepared!!

Hotel Ariana - The Place For Beer?	Sunday, April 1, 2007

Possibly one of the best places in my opinion to have a celebration, the Ariana is a restaurant/brewery/hotel all rolled into one. I had the pleasure of working over their buffet which includes all you can drink beer and food for a reasonable 16,000 Won or around $17-$18 US. It lasts for about 3 hours, from 6-9 pm. Now what makes this place really nice is the fact that for me the mainstream beer is lacking in tasty appeal. I had first ventured to this place about 6 months ago and after being pelted(sp?) by the regular Cass and Hite I was in heaven. Cass and Hite are like the Budweiser of Korea. The lack of dark beer sucks because I really enjoy a dark beer. Ariana hosts three beers. They have a stout, pilsner, and a wiezen(sp?). Thank the lord. After all this drinking and eating I must have been to the bathroom 40 times. By the end of the night it was in the thousands.

Little Update	Thursday, March 29, 2007

So it was my b-day on Tues. and since my 'new' responsibilities at the shop require me to sit in on a meeting on Tues nights and I had another required meeting the next day at 11 am... well I think you can guess what happened. My bday came and went and I am forced to celebrate this weekend on Sat. The more I work here the more I realize how much my boss demands of me vs other institutions. It's groovy because I have experience but it blows too. I just all and all am looking to coast through to the other side. I think the start of another session will help with that. The kids right now are just bored and difficult to manage as they always are about 3/4 of the way through the book. I think I have had to kick kids out and yell for about one week straight now. In a way it's fun because it makes it interesting but it also blows. Especially with my older kids who don't seem to care at all. They are very disrespectful and talking all the time. I don't enjoy being with those guys.

A Nice News Resource for South Korea	Sunday, March 25, 2007

I bumped into a nice resource the other day for news in South Korea. Drum roll... and ya it's in English too >> The Korea Times I will add this to my new ESL Directory which can be added to and viewed by the link.

Top Five Things I like and Don't Like About South Korea

Thursday, March 22, 2007

In no particular order...

Likes

Cheap Transportation: Taxis are like 4-5 dollars wherever you want to go!!
Virtually No Taxes: As an ESL teacher you are taxed practically nothing.
Kids: It's great to hear what they have to say about issues. Also their alot of fun because of their open minds
Bonus: There's a bonus paid to you at the end of your contract. One month's salary usually!! Few other places do that.
Boss's Gifts: At my school we often receive meals and gifts from our boss. Especially on holidays!! For Solar, the Korean Lunar New Year, my boss gave everyone $50.00!!

Dislikes

Lack of Diversity: The culture is diverse but living in a small town does not provide enough entertainment.
Drunk Korean Men: Maybe it is because they are so mild mannered most of the time but whatever the reason a large concentration of drunk Korean men are quite confrontational.
Solitude: This can be a very lonely life sometimes and that gets boring.
Work is life: Sometimes the work seems to become your life because of the grading, etc. I think all teaching involves these measures though.
Food: The food can be quite boring. Perhaps it is a lack of knowledge but really I feel like I am eating the same things over and over. Also some of my favorite foods, Mexican for example, that I am accustomed to is really hard to find sometimes.

A Nice Alternative to Water

Monday, March 19, 2007

I feel I have stumbled upon the nectar of the gods. Well I guess I could have gotten this stuff in the US but by chance my first encounter was here in the land of a thousand vinegars. After all that is what it calls this on the package. By US terms I would probably call it some kind of concentrate.

There are however several of these different kinds of vinegars, uh concentrates in South Korea. I was amazed because what they lack in sauces and salad dressing is definitely made up substantially in this area.

So that said mix this delight with some water and you have a tasty treat that could easily adorn some alcohol as well. Pomegranate juice offers great health benefits because of its high concentration of antioxidants so it will clear out the system as well.

Korean School Lunches and Education Funding	Saturday, March 17, 2007

While talking with some of my kids I learned some new facts about Korean Public Schools. I have never been to a public school so I know very little but what the kids say. Word of mouth from a kid is not always accurate but then again you can't discount any information. I have to remind myself to take their advice and comments with a grain of salt. Several children had told me many times how the public schools were so poor. From listening I believe that funding for public schools must be quite different here. This would explain why taxes are minimal from my paycheck. Another thing that supports this is the fact that their lunches are actually made and served by their mothers for the most part. I thought this was very interesting. Most mothers are housewives and so they have time to help. I guess they take turns making and serving food at the schools. I guess that is why they have so much money for extra academies...their public schools are a bit dodgy, crappy, or run down. The kids also clean their own rooms on Saturdays. This kind of saddened(sp?) me when I thought about America and the situation there. Here we use a ton of money for education but it goes to facilities. How much money do you need to learn? Don't get me wrong nice equipment and facilities are great but it isn't absolutely necessary. Maybe we could take some tips from the east on this issue.

Land of the Sweet Crackers	Thursday, March 15, 2007

Earlier I needed some crackers for some cheese I found on sale at Homeplus, the local superstore. This was the soft almost spreadable type of cheese that only works on crackers... What was I to do? It was past 12 and that meant only the local Seven-11 was open... it's called FlashMart near my house but it's a 24-7 convenient shop like Seven-11. I enter the store and selection is low... Two brands to be precise and neither look like the mini cheese plates I think of as visions of Ritz crackers dance in my head. I bought one and left... later one bite brought back a shocking and in this case devastating culture difference in crackers... That's right cookies have somehow taken over crackers in South Korea. No doubt the result of a secret plot by the North Koreans to put subliminal(sp?) markers in the South Korean diet.... Be Sweet... Let us take you over.... That's right I said it.... Now sweetness is not a bad thing on its own because the crackers were rather enjoyable but not really with the cheese. What it reminded me of though was my first cracker cookie experience in Korea. It had green filling sandwiched in between two saltine crackers. This was a type of sweet cookie? What's next? Doughnuts are spicy and covered in dog bits... just kidding... It did however remind me that these little differences were and are what make living here difficult sometimes. It's like the last straw on the camel's back so to speak. You're tired from an already stressful job of dealing with people...coupled with the fact that they're little people...coupled with the fact that they don't understand you alot...coupled with the.. well you get the point...All I wanted was some crackers you think as you drift further into depression and loneliness. Like somehow that one comfort from home would make it all better. I guess that's why I complain sometimes on this blog. Sometimes I get sweet crackers at the wrong time. Sometimes things don't fit right in my mind. I lose it. Life is tough here make no mistake about it but in the end if all you can do is get mad about sweet crackers then you aren't doin' too bad. I constantly try to remind myself of that.

Update	Friday, March 9, 2007

So recently I was feeling some bad vibes from work and life but I think I have overcome some of those feelings. Thank God for the weekend. My job, as crazy as it is sometimes, is still not that bad. I vent on here about my little pains and aches but in the end I love my work. Yesterday, I came into work recovering from a hangover! It sucked but even in this state I was able to have a good time with the kids. I think more than anything I want to have a good wholesome feeling at the end of the day. I want to know that we learned some things and the kids had some fun. In other news I just got my climbing gear I ordered from REI. My friend and I are planning on doing some rock climbing here in Korea. He is far more experienced than I am and has most of the equipment so I had to get a harness and he got a rope bag. We probably could have gotten the stuff here somewhere but it was much easier to order. REI was great and we were able to keep the order under the $150.00 level that South Korea begins charging custom taxes on. So we will be hitting the wall this weekend here in town for some fun. The weather here has been warm one week and cold the next so our plans of camping have been delayed. This week it was chilly because the wind was cutting through my body.

Korean Bosses	Tuesday, March 6, 2007

This could be more my hogwan, academy, than anything else but what I have come to find is my boss asks entirely too much out of her employees. I realized this last night for sure but it has been a growing suspicion for some time now. A new teacher at our work is having some difficulties adjusting to our system. We had a meeting to try and help correct this. Basically I worked a ten hour day. After my boss tells me I now have to come in at 2 pm instead of 2:30 everyday. The purpose is to talk with my Korean superviser... the result is I hate my job more and more each day. I already feel like I live there sometimes and now I have to live there even more. During times like this it makes me questions my value as a human and I really think I am worth more. The problem is when I resigned my contract my boss included a clause that said I would 'help' with some management duties. These duties were not described in detail and now my boss just keeps making up more duties. Ya, not sure how much more I am willing to put up with.

Phone Call Hell	Monday, March 5, 2007

So it is that time of the month again.... I am required by my job to make phone calls to some of my students and talk for approximately 5 minutes with each student. This phone call thing.. if your school does it will most likely be snuck(word?) under the radar on your contract. It is listed without details and rules usually but it really amounts to a ton of extra time and effort, so beware. This time for instance I have 47 kids to call so even if a phone call only took 5 minutes, that is 235 minutes or about 4 hours of direct calling!!! That is being very optimistic because I actually have to leave a comment about the phone call in writing which probably never gets seen and all of this amounts to about 8 minutes for each call. I actually enjoy the conversation itself but all that extra time that I do not see a dime for gets me very upset. The estimation above does not take into consideration the pain in the ass of tracking down each and every one of these kids who might not be home and in alot of cases are not until late at night... So actually the total time could be around 7-8 hours. That is one extra day a month I use. Translated into English this amounts to a big pain in my ass. It is also why I suggest for all those who are signing a new contract to consider those contracts without phone calls with glee. Of course there are things we all hate about our jobs but if it can be avoided why not try. I have heard some schools pay outside Indian companies to call their students. Other schools do not have the phone calls at all. From a business standpoint, why would a school not offer it to their students? It provides an image of caring on the behalf of the teachers. From the perspective of the teacher... well you already heard it.

Korean Hand Gestures	Friday, March 2, 2007

So I taught a class on body gestures / language the other day... It was fun because my students were higher level and we got to share some common signals we make with our hands. When I first got here I have to admit the hardest thing to overcome was not a gesture but rather the use of yes in Korean which is phonetically... Nay... So Nay = yes but I was always thinking of no when people were saying yes because well it sounds close to no... beyond this there was one hand gesture that always threw me off as well. The gesture to tell someone to come here. In the US we would do this by moving our hand upward and towards our body with the palm up. Another option is using a single finger in the same motion. In South Korea this is just the opposite. The hand motion is to move your hand sort of down but more so.. away from the body with the palm down. This is what we would use in the US to shoo someone or tell them to go away. So... As if this was not enough my kids were also quick to mention the Korean equivalent to the middle finger which is below as well as money. Money I guess... from what they were saying... means you are money, you are cool, or this is cool.

Babel - literally	Thursday, March 1, 2007

Just saw the NEW movie Babel.. It is new here in Korea which means it has been out for a few months in the states. That is generally how it works although some titles are sped up I believe. This was my first movie where I just did not have enough research invested and it hurt bad... What research would you have to do for a movie.. it is intertainment right? well Babel has 4 different languages featured in it including english... so what that translated to were a lot of Korean subtitles i did not understand. I kept hoping the movie would take a turn for the better and it was a long time to wait because the movie was actually 2 and a half hours long. Conclusion...make sure you know a little about the movie before heading in there.. All I can truthfully say is Babel lived up to its name...

What bloodtype are you?	Tuesday, February 20, 2007

It seems that many things are bustling back and forth in my mind these days. Some things I had seen months ago but somehow they filtered through the cracks down in a puddle that I seem to be stepping in right now. What bloodtype are you? Bloodtype is apparently a judge of character here in Korea and in other Asian countries. If you look it up on the net most sites refer to this as starting in Japan. This would probably anger my kids as they seem to have a distaste for the Japanese, a long held prejudice passed down through the generations for things done in the past. Anyway, the bloodtype thing can be compared to how we in the western world ask for people's astrological sign. The kids bring this up every so often and while chatting with a fellow teacher she confirmed that her kids do it to. I personally do not know what type I am or what it means but I aim to find out.. Here is a list of what the Japanese say for each of the bloodtype's.

South Korea Traffic Enforcement

Sunday, February 18, 2007

For the most part I would have to say that the police in South Korea are super relaxed. I have never had any issues with them and rarely see them. I do live in a smaller city but even on my trips to Daegu I have been hard pressed to find them. Here in Gumi the only time I have ever seen them trying to enforce anything was a checkpoint on the road to check for drunk drivers... there must be a ton of drunk drivers in Korea...

So with so few police doing anything how are the traffic laws enforced? I found out the answer to this query on a recent car trip. The interstate or major roads here are called the IC. We recently took the IC to Daegu to go to Costco and on the way I noticed alot of these...

Here is one of the many traffic cameras we encountered

My surprise is not really in the use of cameras because we have these in the US too.

Rather I thought it different because of the extent of the use. They were everywhere and I did not see one policeman. In fact, I haven't seen one policeman in all the times I have been on the IC, which has been a few believe you me. In the states there are few cameras and more policemen. So it is pretty much the opposite. What made the observation even stranger was the GPS system my Korean co-worker had in her car. This was no ordinary GPS, it was the hyped up tell you if there was a mouse on the road model. It would talk with us and tell us whenever a camera was coming up, warning of our speed. I guess since I am from a pretty rural area I have not had enough experience with the GPS and maybe I am making a mountain out of an ant hill but it was still pretty sweet.. I even picked up some Korean from listening to it talk. Below is a pic of the GPS monitor that I have warmly named Gomer.

Lunar New Year	Saturday, February 17, 2007

Monday I do not have to work because of the Lunar New Year. Many of the teachers in town have taken trips but I am just kind of hanging out. The popular destinations are: Phillipines Thailand Temple Stays in Korea For me these seemed either too much money or not enough time to really do. The temple stay just seemed like the wrong time of the year. A temple stay involves going to a buddhist temple to see how they live. You actually live like they do for one day. This sounded a little cool until I thought about the time of the year. I do not get along with the cold so well!!! So for my short vacation I have been trying to destroy my cold. I got a nasty cold the other day. Congestion city... On another note I got 50.00 from my boss as a Lunar New Year present.

A Crazy Coincidence for ESL

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Well.. I have wanted to put something about this for some time but the lack of a camera made it quite difficult to capture. Ironically enough there is a milk called ESL here in South Korea......get it ESL English as a Second Language. The milk here is a little swanky not sure if that means the teaching is too?!? It does say everyday fresh though which is exactly how I would describe my own teaching... I guess..

Rock Climbing In South Korea - Gumi	Sunday, February 11, 2007

Gumi has its own artificial rock climbing wall and I got to try her out today. I had brought my rock climbing shoes to Korea last year in hopes to use them one day and the recent arrival of my friend has allowed me the motivation to do so. Today we went for a test run and did some traverse climbing at about 15 feet. We only have one harness right now so it is kind of difficult to go much higher. Since finding our own wall we have become interested in other climbing areas and will try to do some climbs next weekend over the lunar new year. One site that I stumbled upon was Korea on the Rocks which has been very helpful for climbing sites in South Korea. I posted our wall on this site and here is a pic...

New Friend, Costco, and Korea	Saturday, February 10, 2007

Recently a friend of mine decided that he too would like to come to South Korea so I was able to get him a job at my school. I guess I just assumed it would be great because we are pretty good friends and so far it has been good but there have been a few pitfalls... For one thing we both have very different outlooks on things and this causes some strife. I also had been used to being on my own and to have him just walk into my room and take things out was a little jarring(sp?). It has taken some getting used to but I think it is going ok... I think there were certain things we both might have overlooked or not have really considered when we arranged the whole thing. We are adjusting though and that is what matters I guess... Today I made my third trip to Costco, the land of forbidden fruit. For those new to the scene. Costco is a global bulk item store, located in certain areas of South Korea. It offers some of the harder things to find items at reasonable prices. To list a few things which I enjoy.... Cheese in Bulk and Variety Certain Cereal Brands Salsa in Bulk Soups(Campbell,etc.) Many snacks(Candy,Cookies,etc.) Tortillas These are only a few of the many things you can find. It is a grand place indeed. I ventured to North Daegu, Chilgok where the closest store is located. Luckily, a Korean co-worker offered to take some of us along with her. It was great because of all the free samples and all the nice things I got... I will post the spoils of war below soon...

Superbowl Times	Monday, February 5, 2007

Well the schedule on the internet was incorrect and I ended up missing the first quarter of the superbowl. It began at 9am in South Korea and I presumed since their schedule said ten online that this was the correct time. I really did not mind though. I really wanted the Bears to win, damn... I also managed to sleep through alot of it since my head was a bit clouded from drinking a barrel of wine. In other news a new friend has arrived to teach so I am busy getting my buddy Michael customized to his new surroundings.

Watching Superbowl XLI: Bears vs. Colts in South Korea	Wednesday, January 31, 2007

My boss gets satellite tv and according to the SBS website, they will be airing the superbowl on Monday February 5, 2007. SBS is one of the five sports stations he gets so I am pretty excited. To watch the superbowl live you have to get up at 10:00 AM but according to their schedule SBS will also show a replay of the superbowl at 11:00 PM. Conclusion: Superbowl party for this year is going to have to start early!!!

Hatred of Cheese	Wednesday, January 31, 2007

I found it amusing to myself at least that I wrote something about camera shyness in my students and used cheese in the title. Actually all my kids seem to hate cheese. It is like the kryptonite of Korean young people. In fact the only time I have seen adults eat it was with drinks. They use it like some kind of drinking snack along with peanuts, etc.

Say Cheese but not really!?!	Monday, January 22, 2007

Recently, while looking at another blog I read a caption below a photo of riot police which said something to the effect that the picture taker himself was lucky the police did not pistol whip him for attempting to take their immortal image. While this was no real shock to me since I believe most police to be dicks somewhat... it did remind me of something. Also Recently, I have been considering getting a camera to capture some cultural items for my blog and to inform others of some of the shit I see here. As I ponder this I wonder how much I will really be able to capture. I suppose the same is true in many places but here a foreigner with a camera seems to be a walking target. My thoughts were further confirmed that cameras are an unwanted thing by other times I have used the camera on the street and the other day when I took mine to school. I took my friends video camera to school to take video my students for a class. They decided they really did not want to put forth any effort on their speeches so I decided to send a video cd to their parents. I am the devil, hee hee Now I can understand them not liking the fact that I was taping them but many students would not let me take their picture period. I guess what utterly blows my mind about the whole ordeal is that oriental people are so often depicted as camera freaks on American TV and in film. They pretty much own that industry as well soo what is the fear about?

You Can Not Please Everyone	Thursday, January 18, 2007

What a week, day, and month.... Intensive session over in South Korea really tests the limits of your nerves.. all the emotions come out as you struggle to get through the month that is more for the owner than the goodness of the kids. Working in this industry lets you know once again that money is king in our world. I just got done grading books for three hours. I have to grade these books for three writing classes that are composed of 10-13 year old kids who will never look at their books again. So why did I do it? Well it was because of the title of this blog entry. In this business there are three groups of people to please. You got the parents, your boss, and the kids of course. All three seem to work against each other at times and so it makes it a little frustrating. Anyway, I was grading all these books because I need to please the parents. The books are all they see so I need to make those look good even though their kid probably will not look at the book after I corrected it and even though we went over the answers right in class but they were not paying attention. I also graded the books for my boss who will ream me if I do not. So basically I spend an extra day for the month doing this because... well because I get screwed... Not everything is in the contract.

An Interesting Blog	Monday, January 15, 2007

I have always been interested in the combination of technology and education especially after becoming a teacher myself. So many times in class I have thought the internet would make things so much easier. For some feelings and words my body language can work but my lack of drawing ability fails me on many vocab terms. It would be so great to have a primo computer with a nice projector set-up. Recently I found an interesting blog where a teacher uses a computer based world called second world. I am not entirely familiar with it yet and will probably edit this entry later after reviewing it but from the shots on his blog it looks really interesting. Perhaps this could be a tool to use with Koreans and others. I think of Koreans first because of their extreme affinity towards cushionee seats and PC rooms. I could see alot of kids enjoying the use of this type of thing. The blog was added to our site the other day and can be found here >> http://www.esl-blogger.com/ The chap who runs it seems really nice too....

More Fights	Saturday, January 13, 2007

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Gumi Rumble Whisky, ribs, and a story from the past...


Last night I had a visitor who told me some interesting news which further supported my thoughts that sometimes some Korean men get a little too violent when they are drunk. Now, most men are like this and maybe it is just Soju in particular but it is definitely a trend. From beating women to bar brawls I have seen my share of drunken Korean men. Like whiskey it seems that soju fuels their appetite for desruction and they aren't listening to any Guns N Roses. A girl friend of mine stopped by last night with a blood stained coat and pants. She asked me if I wanted to hear a story. I guess a few people decided to go downtown last night for some adult beverages. Later they ended up playing some pool and as she told it, she went to the bathroom. When she returned there was a full out brawl going on. The part of the story I found amazing was that their were 4 guys(her/our friends) vs. one korean guy who apparently was a bad mo fo. I guess he took a beating but managed to break a mug on one guy's face and bloody the hell out of everything because my lady friend had a lot of blood on her coat. Pool cues were broken over people's backs and in the end it left me thinking what the f%ck. Why is there so much violence? It seems if you go out in South Korea you are either completely left alone or just violently assaulted because you are a target. BEWARE!!

Bogged down in Intensive Winter Session	Friday, January 12, 2007

Oh my gosh I have not written on here in forever because I have had so much work. I am going through one of two hell times of working at my job here in South Korea. Most kids in the states spend their breaks lounging around and basically doing nothing but get into trouble. Here kids go to academies on there breaks. I have so much things to grade and my energy level is a bit low. This and I still have about three weeks left. Ahhh!!! It is not a fun time. This is how they are able to offer you free room and board I would guess. In brighter news I have my first paying customer on my site. Unfortunately, I wasn"t entirely ready for him so I don"t think it is going as smooth as it could. Well... I need a nap, Korea can wear you out sometimes.

A low spot in the road	Friday, December 22, 2006

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Loneliness, Depression, and South Korea


It seems that an all too familiar thing with many of the teachers I meet here in South Korea is isolation. It is just too easy to stay shut in your own world sometimes and even easier when you work a stressful job. Admittedly the job is not that bad, depending on your situation, but I know many that suffer extreme working conditions given the possibilities out there. Even in the US, where I hail from, people lock themselves in. With work and other things it becomes easy to isolate yourself from the rest of the world. You might bump into a friend you have not seen in a bit and wonder where the time has gone. Here in South Korea this lockdown is ten times easier because of a smaller group to socialize with as well as a feeling of loneliness because the culture is so different. At times, the reason people came... diversity, to try something new, etc..... becomes the very reason they isolate themselves. When you are down and looking for some support often there is nothing there because of the lack of commonality. People often feel alone and take time off in a corner to sort their feelings out. This could be increasingly difficult if you have a small group of friends and have a falling out with them for some reason. I locked myself away the first year I was here and I am not criticizing anyone who does it. My period of being alone was coupled with a need to save some cash too which made it ten times easier to stay in. It made me a strong person emotionally though. I gained a confidence in myself I had lost somewhere along my other travels. Loneliness can force you to find that inner strength. The point is to say these feelings are real and normal. They are also not easy to deal with. Don't feel like you are the only one out there because there are many others in the same boat. Try to relax and take in what is good about the differences. Remember what you are doing and how special that really is, in other words give yourself some credit. Don't turn everything into bad as many people tend to do... INSTEAD look for the positives and think about the end goal. I definitely was pleased to be able to take a 2 month vacation and live without worries which was exactly what my first year in Korea afforded me.

Shady Groves: Jerry didnt mean it this way	Tuesday, December 12, 2006

No matter how little you read on the net about teaching english in South Korea... you will find it. The scandelous(sp?), the hidden, the wrong, the shady spot in the road that you have to keep your eyes peeled for. When you come and sign a contract, it seems a bit silly, or at least it did for me. I"m a giver and my boss seemed like a really great person. Common practice is to wine and dine you when you get here too. This helps some bosses to create a smoke screen over what is really going on. My latest look at the bad side of the biz is far from the worst I have heard but it is still worth noting. At the end of my last contract I renewed with my school to return for this upcoming year. Now somehow upon my return 200 bucks has come up missing from me. My boss was to take out some cash for bills while I was away. It was about 300, which is hardly what the bills would cost so I was expecting some of that flow back. Well, when I finally got settled I was told I actually owe my boss 5 bucks.. I was like hell no.. so after some work at getting all my evidence lined up I now have to get that money back which is really only one of my problems at the moment. My boss takes the approach of if you don"t see it I"m gonna take it from you. Not really to great but I have adapted to this. Keep your eyes peeled at all times!!

Loneliness, Depression, and South Korea	Sunday, December 10, 2006

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A low spot in the road


After returning last week I went out for some drinks with my friend/boss. I guess the jet lag had lagged me down too much and after one cocktail I decided to go home. I was feeling out of it, emotionally and physically. Part of it was being the fifth wheel I guess... hanging out with two couples and being on my own. Admittedly this has become my life. Not sure how to feel about that one but I know I am one of a kind who is searching for someone who is the same.. This minor situation of being a spare tire, coupled with many other things (being in a foreign place, leaving my friends and family again, not knowing my true purpose on this earth) ... well it all starting crashing in on me... Walking around the streets of Daegu trying to remember the location of the train station... things started to snowball... It is easy when you look for a common bond and see none... It"s easy to feel alone. It is like my whole life I have wanted to distinguish myself to be different(special) but as I walked around what I started to realize is the reason for all of my sadness was due to the fact that I need some commonality. I think we all do instinctively. I have freedom here to be me but sometimes it is really easy to feel outcast. Part of it comes from the fact that many people are too shy to want to conversate(sp?) in english. The more I thought and walked I realized that the source of my pain was simple really, I just needed to confront it rationally. I am alone here in many situations, I am the only short white American guy on my block. I thought about how much of a people person I am and how I cherish just simple interactions with people back home. Going to the store and making the clerk laugh... Helping someone with their bags... These little times were a boost to my day. They are what I miss here... It is missing out on those little interactions that was the extra straw that broke my camels back. Loneliness + 5 I guess the point is that it is really really easy to feel alone here because you are in fact alot more alone than many other times in your life. The reality is that this is an illusion that with a little determination can be overcome. Happiness is a smile away and I sometimes have to step back to remind myself of that. It is those lonely times that have made me a better person and why I am glad I have come to South Korea. Sounds stupid and obvious but we all need to be strong and confident inside. Being alone with your thoughts can do just that.

Back in the South Korea	Tuesday, December 5, 2006

Well the vacation is over but it will live on forever in my mind.. I finally made it back to Korea and I am now getting settled into my daily routine. It's nice to come back and have so many bright and smiley faces happy to see you. My kids were all very glad I was back and that made me feel great. Beyond the operations of getting my life back in order I have had many new and exciting things to reflect on. A two month vacation will do that for you I suppose and I would reccommend it to anyone who can save to cash to take the break. Spiritually it was a refill that was long needed. So if you are in Korea and need a break set the goal and take it at the end. You will not be disappointed.

Lost in the backwoods	Friday, November 10, 2006

A visit back home brings out curious idioms, metaphors, and other word/language combinations. It felt refreshing or as one friend put it - "See The Stars And Breathe Peacefully" and so I did. After a road trip out west in parts of Texas, New Mexico, and a brief stent in Arizona (phoenix) I have become aware to so many more things in my surroundings. Surroundings are intesresting to me. i felt so high on this road trip because of the comfort and ease at which things were accomplished. It wasn't straining but it challenged... It confused me but the very feeling of it all I couldn't trade for another time. Bad thing is lots of after thoughts and no where to put all of them.. The sack seems to be overflowing and I don't have anything because what I really need is to hear from this girl. Intensity In Ten Cities

Cute phone voices: World Anthology	Tuesday, October 3, 2006

I returned home to the U.S. October 1, 2006 and will return for one more year in the land of strange but fun, South Korea, on December 1, 2006. I guess you could say I got an extended vacation but hey I worked for it. Nothing really matters but it does when you return home to a face full of friends.(What does that sentence really even mean?) I felt so relaxed and comfortable... groovy to see so many people I had missed out on in some time. So hard to give them the energy they all deserve. I feel like my kindness is not enough on these days. I figured out that the cute voice you hear with phone service operators is a phenomenon(sp?) that might have circumnavigated(sp?) the globe. The phone service thing I am refering to is of course otherwise known as sexy phone voice. Some people just sound sexy on the phone and so you are left to wonder what the real physical form is. After hearing a telephone operator assist us with a number(speaker phone, my boy's car, directory assistance)--- we went on to conclude the girl must be hot. I sat and wondered... Korean women seem to wine(sp?-not for drinking) alot!!! It's a high pitch little fussing that I guess is meant to be cute. Is it really their cute voice, though? How did this become the cute voice? Do their operators for their directory assistance understand their function!?! Do their operators use the winey voice? This is when I realized I need to learn more Korean so that one day I can find the answer to that very question.

And They Spoke: The Writings of Young Korean Minds	Wednesday, September 27, 2006

I have not made an entry in some time but I like to keep to the substance and I am currently getting ready for a vacation. Yes, I will be returning to the United States for 2 months off before coming back to South Korea for another year. To say the least I am excited to see my friends and family and I hope I don't piss them off too much. Speaking of pissing people off... I've decided that it might be amusing to start a new category entitled student writings. I have such fun grading writing here because of the interesting word choices and combinations. I know some people will see this as making fun of the kids and that I am cruel but it is really farther from the truth than all that. I love my little people and I try to do the best I can for them. So as my first entry I have enclosed an interesting letter one of my students sent me. She is about 13 or 14 and I make this class send their writing to me in email. It is far easier to grade and it lets them learn typing. So here it is... it is really more sweet than funny but a couple lines are funny... Dear teacher named Travis.... Teacher I'm @#@@#@#. I'm sorry because l write wrong e mail. Teacher You go to USA .....Is it true? If the story is true,I feel sad. You are good teacher and you are brain's friend. ???? Please remember me. Good luck. I send mail or letter to you. You always joke. so I always laugh., Thanks Teacher. I hope to you visit your family carefully. I have question.Private.......... Do you like candy? Do you like animal? When you come back Ewha. What date? Please answer......................Happy day. Your pupill #$#@$#

Man's Worst Enemy: Men hurt dogs	Saturday, September 16, 2006

So... I ran across a recent ad about China and it's recent move to massively exterminate dogs because of threats of rabies. Apparently, rabies shots are more than most people care to pay for dogs and so rabies has become a major problem. Many dog owners are getting a show they wish they would have paid to stop. Dogs are being beaten to death right in front of them with clubs and who knows what else. Check out the link... China Dog Beatings Korea is of course no stranger to the ill-treatment of dogs. A popular dish known as boshingtong is eaten as a delicacy. This is a dog meat soup for special occasions. I guess it is rather expensive but I haven't had the pleasure yet. The description of how it was prepared seemed to turn me off just as much as the idea of its contents. I guess in order to get the meat nice and juicy, the dog is beaten before it is killed. This is a practice which I have heard about before. I think it does something to the tenderness of the meat. Makes me want to put on a bib and get out the carving knife!!! Ya!! Now there is a strong following of people who do not condone(sp?) this but the fact that it is still legal and accepted in some spheres seems well... Who's going to be man's new best friend?

Sleeping Patterns Awakened	Friday, September 15, 2006

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Gumi Rumble Whisky, ribs, and a story from the past...


Man, I am back in the screwed up sleeping pattern nexus that can only be described as precise and unusual. If I go to bed early after a night of nearly no sleep I wake up early in the morning(3AM-5AM) If I go try to go to bed later than 12AM I can't even bat my eyes at shut until 3AM-4AM. That is some predicament(sp?) to be in!! Alcohol is seldom involved as I have tried to abstain except for on the nights I feel like getting beat up!!

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Whisky, ribs, and a story from the past...

The origin of "Gook" or "Guk"	Monday, September 11, 2006

Now obviously this has come to be known as a somewhat offensive term for all Asian people. Two wars and hundreds of thousands of people dieing will do that but where did it come from? Why do all the war movies you have ever seen refer to Asian people as gooks or guks? The answer seems quite simple after you know a little Korean. Now I am no linguist or even an intermediate Korean speaker but I do know some words. In the Korean language when you refer to people often you end the term with guk or gook as it sounds in english. Korean People >> Hanguk / Hangook Saram American People >> Miguk Saram / Meegook Saram Huh, What do you think happened? If you think back the Korean War was one of the first major battles with an Asian nation. Just as I will not pretend at being a linguist, I will also not pretend to be a historian. Perhaps, there were more before this but The Korean War was a big one. Play, if you will, this scenerio out in your mind... Korean soldier sees the enemy who he knows as 'Miguk Saram'. He screams out. American soldiers hear: 'Me, gook!!' A new phrase is born... Pretty wild right?!?! I am not into nationalism or racism but the irony of those circumstances seems quite uncanny to say the least and I can't help but crack a smile... Short side note: My favorite thing is being approached by small children here. They perhaps have never seen a foreignor except on TV and often say what is on their mind. They love to approach you and say hello or the common.. How are you? I'm fine thanks and you... This is an almost robotic reply known by children at birth I believe. You will walk by and they will nudge their friends in the arm... 'Miguk Saram' or American person/people... They will say, then point, giggle, laugh, whatever... Thank God for the honesty of children... My new favorite time is when the kids do this because as soon as they do I turn and point with a big smile and say 'Hanguk Saram' or Korean person/people... I don't do it meanly but in a friendly fun way... I have had several mothers laugh at me for this one... No one has beat me up yet but cross your fingers..... Little fun in the little land of South Korea

Random advertising in South Korea	Sunday, September 10, 2006

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Strange Keys


Hopefully one day I will get some pictures up about this because this issue is one of the more interesting aspects of Korean culture which I have grown to humor. Of course advertising can come in many forms. In the US we have all kinds of crazy things but nothing like here in South Korea. here is list which I will describe in detail Signs Signs Signs Dancing girls on the street Sales girls in the stores Speak loud man on your block 1. Signs Signs Signs - The very first thing you will notice about South Korea upon arriving is all the signs. There must be a sign for everything here. Neon signs, regular signs, big, small, and giant signs. Beyond that there are also alot of neon crosses which are mostly red. I remember when I first came and saw about 1500 neon crosses out the bus window, on the way to my school. I was seriously wondering what I had got myself into. Dancing girls on the street - Now maybe this is prevelant in other places but it is the first time I have ever seen anything like this. There is a service here where girls dressed in some very eye appealing clothing, ride around in the back of a truck with music and a loud speaker, advertising for companies. Very funny. Also they sometimes stay in one location outside a new business or a place that would like to bring attention to themselves. They park the truck and set up a couple of those inflatable moving things. You know the things that kind of dance and have a fan at the base that makes them move. One day I actually did get some footage of this and then got in trouble by the 'pimp' in charge of the whole deal. Sales girls in the stores - Now sex sells but in the stores here so do the million girls and guys in the stores. Service period in South Korea is great. I have never seen the amount of workers in stores anywhere else in the world. Common cultural store ettiquete(sp?) is to go up to customers and help them no matter what. This will drive you nuts at first because I prefer to do my own shopping. If I need help, I'll ask. Here there are ten people standing around waiting for customers. A place that would have 5 people in the US has at least 10 here. If you go in some grocery stores there are girls with platform shoes that yell out deals on the ends of aisles trying to get your attention. Guys are yelling in the meat section. Everyone is yelling. Sometimes they all get together and do a dance. It's wild... Speak loud man on your block - The first time I encountered this one I thought North Korea was attacking. What it is is there are these farmers that come around to your neighborhood selling their harvest. They have loudspeakers mounted on their trucks and blare(sp?) out 'strawberries' or 'garlic' or whatever else they are selling. Now these things are loud as shit. So loud that it replaces door to door because if you can't hear it you probably already spent all your money on your hearing problems.

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Young children peeing on the street is officially a custom	Saturday, September 9, 2006

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Korean Food 101 Peeing on the Street


I made a subtle comment about this earlier but today I ran across two incidents of young urinators. Me and my buddy went to get hotdogs at a shop downtown. In Korea, they call what I, being from America, think of as a corn dog a hotdog. So corndogs are called hotdogs in Korea and hotdogs are called hotdogs too. Now, you can get a corndog at any local little eatery here but me and my buddy went to an official hotdog restaurant downtown. Back to the peeing... While walking I look over on the main street and see a little guy held up by his mom in mid stream. She was holding him by his legs while his little unit was doing its work underneath. No biggie.. people walking here and there. Noone seemed to mind a bit. Later, after eating we saw a little girl who had just finished popping a squat and her mom was helping the little one put her dress back on. I know that bathrooms are sparce(sp?) in this region but is this the kind of message we want to be sending the little ones. Just pop it out where and when you want...???

Useful tips for younger learners..	Thursday, September 7, 2006

So most ESL teaching books for younger students begin with a unit on hello, my name is .... Although this is necessary it can be quite boring to the kids because it is relatively easy. I have come up with a few ideas to make this more fun and entertaining while still getting them to learn a little. Name Race One thing I like to do is have a race. I start by saying something like "Hello, My name is ...." then they answer. Next they turn to the other person beside them and [tell them their name / ask their partner his or hers]....the other child responds.. so on and so on... I've found races in general keep the kids attention and they will actually speak what you want them to. With younger guys I try to get them to race whenever I can. The Name Game An old thing I forgot until the other day. This is the memory game where one person says their name and then has to repeat every other person's name who was before them until they say everyone's name before them. In other words the first person is very lucky and the last person has to say everyone's name. If they don't remember I make them ask the person "What's your name?" Silly Pictures The last one is kind of something I made up. I looked for strange and interesting pictures of people on the internet. People with strange facial piercing, computer composites of men/women, and other peculiar images. I put one picture on each page and wrote a name under it. The first time I did this I handed out the pictures to the kids and asked them to be the people.... They didn't really like that too much. Only a few people didn't mind making fun of themselves. So to make it better now I act like I am the person in the picture. I go up to them with the picture of the face over my face and say hello to them and ask them their name. You can even include more phrases. What's your favorite...? Anything really... This is a real success. One picture of a girl/man always gets them laughing... I use the pictures for various situations in speaking/listening courses to break the boredom. Yes, the kids get a little crazy but it's better than them being bored and crazy

New Schedule	Wednesday, September 6, 2006

Yahoo... I am really full right now because I cooked up a storm. I made some mashed potatoes, chicken, corn, and even had some gravy. Gravy is actually not so easy to find here but I was able to find some powder mix at Costco and it is goooood. This is the only gravy I was able to find here so far. I thought why not have a taste of home even though I will be returning for a visit after this month. That's right soon I will be back to visit, double dip things in ranch sauce(impossible to find), and just have a good old time. I don't know where to start because I miss my food from home so much. The downside of being so full is it is late here. I am now back on my regular second shift schedule which means I get off work at 9:30. That makes for a late dinner. At our school we go in at 2:30, start teaching at 3:30, and get off at 9:30. Not a bad gig but then working with kids is pretty demanding so this amount of time really equals out quite nicely to 8 hours of regular work if you theorize. It could be more depending on how badly the kids behave. This (2:30-9:30)time schedule is for Mon., Tues., Thurs., and Fri. We pretty much have classes straight through during these days. Wednesday is special and we have varying things to do. Sometimes we have to give one-on-one lessons, special courses for tests, and other things of this nature. Today was sweet because we didn't have any of those things since we just started the session. I got a chance to get things prepared for my classes the way I would always want to. Unfortunately, you don't always get the time you would like to get the job done but you learn ways of improvising which is suitable I guess. One thing about filling out a work contract while teaching overseas. You never see all the little extra time you have to put in on paper. If you want to be a good teacher you have to give a little extra too. Well that's a typical week at Ewha Language School in Gumi, Hyeong-gok-dong, South Korea. Friday here I come

RSS, Really Simple Syndication, Beginner's Guide	Monday, September 4, 2006

Figured I would write about something different than Korea. This subject has been getting hotter and hotter. It's been out since 2002 but I don't think many people realize what it is. After doing some research myself I was blown away at its implications. Brief Brief Overview Now for some sites this is an extremely easy thing to do. Blogger and other mainstream providers allow you to easily set up features like RSS for your users. I say like RSS because their are similar standards. Other names include atom, xml, and the many different versions of rss. All are basically the same thing but rss 2.0 seems to be the most popular at the moment for the web. Throughout the rest of this article I will therefore refer to rss. I believe podcasts are similar in a way but they could be a whole different beast. What is rss, though? As an acronym it means Really Simple Syndication. Basically it is a file just like an html file. So you have this file called blaBLAbla.rss What does rss allow? With an rss file or rss feed, as it is called people throughout the internet are able to share the most up to date additions to their websites, blogs, and basically anything else. So the file is updated or your website screams HEY!, There's a new blaBLAbla.rss check it out. With some software or rss feed readers you can grab this information. The software/reader acts as a kind of mailbox for all these new entries. They grab them for you. There are many different readers which I will explain in a later article. An anology In a way it is like your favorites tab on your internet browser. On the favorites you save all your most important websites. Now imagine being updated in one location for all of those sites but only when something new was added to the site. So instead of going to each individual site you can go to one place and get your updates like looking at your email. Pretty sweet.... Benefits Ease and speed of getting information - Ever read a blog or site and wonder how in the world could they find so much cool information. Likely you thought the site was run by several extremely talented individuals but maybe it was just one tech savy rss user who reads his mail and has great rss news feeds. Obviously there are ways to manipulate these feeds to put them right on your site.... FREE CONTENT... I think there are drawbacks to this though.... More people get to read your story.. More information on this subject later...... The feed for this blog is at http://www.south-korea-esl-blog.eflblogs.com/south_korea_esl_blog.rss

Gumi Rumble	Sunday, September 3, 2006

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Whisky, ribs, and a story from the past...


Well... I suppose this story needs to find it's way into my blog sooner or later... I have been on vacation now for about a week and tomorrow actually is my first day back to school. I will teach for another month then I am going back to the United States for a visit and more vacation. Anyway, a couple of days ago I finished a bottle of Johnnie Walker, Green Label with a friend of mine. Now I probably should have learned my lesson from other drunken nights but hey I like to drink so things are going to happen. Both of us were extremely drunk and remember bits and pieces of a night I would like to forget altogether but here's what I do remember... I 'awoke' to the slams of feet against my chest. I was down on the pavement in Gumi I assumed because that was were I was when I last remembered. Everything was a blur but I soon realized two people were kicking me. I made every effort to get up but when two people are kicking you it is kind of difficult to stand, not to mention the fact that I was still quite intoxicated. When I fell I had noticed my friend was down on the ground too but I really couldn't establish where he was at this point because of all the blows I was receiving. In reality this was what was happening (2 teachers vs. 3 unknown Korean guys) Finally I was able to get to my feet. I saw my friend was fighting with one person. My assailants(sp?) continued to chase after me as I ran for an alley. Apparently one got tired because as I entered the alley there was only one at it's opening facing me. At this point I was just too tired to run anymore and decided if we were going to fight more then I was going to have to do that. As I faced him I began to ask him why in Korean to which he did not reply. He made no motion to fight anymore, either because he didn't have his friend or because he was tired too. I walked the other way but soon realized my friend was probably in trouble so I ran back to the scene. When I got there the two guys who had been fighting me attacked again. Now I don't even recall these people. My glasses were gone and I am basically blind without them. All I knew was they were chasing me again. I ran back and forth across the street avoiding them again until my friend yelled for me to go into a convenience store. I ran in and my friend called the cops. We went to the hospital were I was treated like a fucking asshole. They didn't care and following the prejudice of many assumed I deserved what I got. Prejudice is present everywhere, no escape... I suppose in a way I might have 'deserved' what I got. I obviously said something to them. My friend said I didn't really say anything at all just 'Hey!'. Even though it was in english and they had no idea what it was apparently that is enough to make someone angry. Everyday I walk around with people saying things about me that I don't understand and I can cope but I can't say I like it. I am willing to admit that talking to them at all was a mistake, that and the fact that I was so drunk. However, I believe a big part of the reason they attacked me was they saw a smaller foreign guy who was obviously drunk and picked on an easy target. For God's sakes they ambushed us from behind knocking me and my friend down. I have pieced this much together from my friend. After they realized my friend was Korean/American they left him alone and focused on me. Bottom line being from America I will always be a target for people. Also drinking so much probably isn't wise but I'd like to know of one person who hasn't drank too much and did something they wish they wouldn't have. Regardless of being drunk people see things in the media and construe ideas about events in their own life into real beliefs. America is always making the news and because they are viewed as being on top everyone wants to knock us down. Some of it is true and some of it is not. To make a stereotypical overstatement about Korea, guys here don't like to be challenged by foreign people. They react in strange ways. I've been other places, said nothing at all, and had guys come up to me and say 'Go Home'. I've talked to girls and had Korean guys get angry. Why, because I am doing what they wish they had the balls to accomplish? Again this is not everyone. Most people are very nice and cordial people but I think this story if anything is a reminder to watch your back and remember that being different makes you a target. This can be good or bad. Like I said maybe I deserved it but having a verbal argument and walking away in the US would probably not have resulted in such a way, unless it was race related. We have plenty of Mexican people where I live and I wouldn't have started a fight with them if I didn't understand what it was for. That's why I have a hard time being angry about what happened. Confused is a better word... It's like the guy who kills his wife for cheating on him but empties an entire magazine into her body. Just showing the gun will get the point across, one bullet will kill, and the rest is excessive misdirected negative energy. Kicking me obsessively after I got knocked down from behind over a verbal disagreement you don't even understand is just pure hate. Injury List Busted lip Skinned up knees and elbows Bloody nose Bruised ribs, back, and head Damaged perspective

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Whisky, ribs, and a story from the past...

Traveling and Working	Thursday, August 31, 2006

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The Floating Bed Amazing Castle Optical Illusion


It seems so many people these days are looking for more than the almighty dollar. Often people are willing to sacrifice monetary rewards to gain experience or to travel. I personally am doing the same thing and I think it is great. This entry was inspired by a yahoo article I read which you can find HERE This article talks about other possibilities for working in non-tradition areas so that you can get the opportunity to see the world. Here are some common areas of work.... English teaching in various locations Cruise ships Camps and clinics (kind of like teaching) Hostels, Hotels, Bars Possibly leisure activity coordinator(scuba diving instructor) These are just a few of many jobs that people are beginning to strive for.. Most of these jobs are service oriented so you gotta be a people person. I guess it just comes down to a choice. Choose happiness not money.

Whisky, ribs, and a story from the past...

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

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Gumi Rumble

Give me time and I believe you will see the relevance for the guitar pick displayed to the left which is a picture of Jerry Garcia's hand, great guitar player for the Grateful Dead.

So....

It must have been about 2 weeks ago and I was in Daegu visiting a friend of a friend who was getting ready to go back to Canada, I believe he finally got back there sometime last week. It was decided that whiskey would be the drink of choice and so we had gathered together 8 bottles for about 7 people. This should have said there would be trouble.

Now staying overseas is particularly interesting because sometimes the choice of people you get to hang out with is limited. Therefore, you sometimes get a strange group of individuals together which in other circumstances probably would not even consider hanging out with one another. Still good people but an odd blend. On this occasion we had 2 Canadians, 1 Korean, 1 Kiwi(New Zealand), and 3 Americans. In case the whisky didn't give it away.... this was an all male affair. Man's night...

We had decided to get ribs for the evening dinner which I can say is the closest thing to home, other than Mcdonald's, that I have had here in Korea. It was absolutely exquisite. Sometime into the ribs the Kiwi decided to take off his shirt. He asked and it wasn't like anyone really gave a hell. Soon, the topic of eating ribs with no shirt came up in our talks of the ways of the world. It was decided a man must eat ribs with no shirt. It was just a manly thing to do. Soon the Kiwi and one of the Canadians were stripping our shirts off of us other unwilling participants.

What came next was not homoerotic in the least, although I must admit that 7 guys all crowded in a room with their shirts off is a bit strange.

It began with one guy slapping someone more out of accident than anything. The sound of a nice slap on the back is quite unique and at this point several people had a good amount of liquor in their system. Soon it became an all out war. People slapping anyone and everyone. A couple of these fellows were quite big but no one was off limits and the game went on and on for a good 30-40 minutes. Everyone had handprints on their back and a look of sheer glee from the new found entertainment.

About the time the game was getting old some other friends arrived, two girls and a guy. These people thought we were completely crazy.. we tried our best to make them comfortable but the game still went on here and there forcing the girls to run for cover.

Soon we were once again in a full out war. Hitting one person meant opening up your back for attack and so it went. Towards the end of all of this it was decided the game was over. After a million "Ok, game over", I was not believing this declaration. The Kiwi fellow hadn't been hit in a bit but had hit everyone else so I got him good when I saw an opportunity.

simple math: large man + whisky + little man's attack = pissed off large man

He was on top of me in a flash. It startled the hell out of me and I took some blows to the knoggin but I couldn't help but laugh. Everyone else was disturbed at how the guy had freaked. He lost his cool when it was supposed to be a game. Finally, his closer friends cooled him down and we left to go out.

Only a few of us ended up going out but a few days ago I heard some strange news. It appears the Kiwi gentleman who battered me broke his arm on my head and had to have several wires put in to fix the situation. It cost him a grand!!! Not bad when you consider. Health care here is cheap. Still, I couldn't help but crack a small smile. Don't pick on a little guy. Very insteresting night..

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Gumi Rumble

Some Pics Of My Time

Sunday, August 27, 2006

So it's pathetic but I don't have a camera here... I just got back from Busan last night and realized I have no pics to show. Busan is a coastal city in the South which is said to be Korea's 2nd largest. Fun times!!!

I don't have pictures of the coast but here are some of my world which my buddy took..

Our school, Ewha American Language School, from the outside. Notice the happy faces by the arrows. Yeah, we do good work.

Next up the boys from my afternoon 96 level class. 96 level for us are the crazy little guys and to have ten boys all together was definitely crazy. I nearly threw this one little guy out the third story window one day. All is forgiven though, check them out in mid last day of class party mode....

Some seemed to be forged straight from the depths of hell until you made them cry.. and realized yeah they just little guys.

Korean Food 101	Wednesday, August 23, 2006

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Now I was thinking about Korean culture the other day... Imagine that.. So one thing that is just funky is food. There is no doubt east and west don't see eye to eye on this issue. I'm not trying to piss people off or anything but this is my opinion put into a joking manner. The first major difference I see is nothing. It's the smell!! Oh my god!! I have smelled some foul things in my day since I was raised on a farm but some of the things I have smelled my co-workers eat would burn the nostril hairs off a wine taster. This stuff is potent. Some is seafood, which is obviously a little potent anyway but there are also an array of strange vegetables which I think could really be left for other animals. It's hard too when you see people eating, take a whiff, and then they whole heartedly invite you to eat. You appreciate the guesture but have to decline or have sewer breath. Now, what makes it all the more confusing is that Korean food, for all its smell is so so bland. Lots of dishes have no taste it seems like. Being from America, I want my ranch sauce. I want to double dip in three sauces before it touches my lips. I want a volcanic eruption of gravy. I mean sure our people are fat but take it from our fat people. We know how to eat. Koreans think spicy is a flavor. They put red pepper sauce all over everything and say here you go!!! I will say at least they have pride in it because nothing gives me more humor than watching them gobble down spoonfuls of stuff I consider puke at the back of my throat. Not that everything is like this!!! That would be an overstatement. I enjoy Galbi, Jim Dok, Various Soups, and chicken in general seems to be quite prevelant. Beef is ok but lacking in the quality of the US. Land kind of limits them here but I tell ya. I bought a nice looking piece of beef and it tasted a bit off. All Koreans seem to coment on how delicious food is but they do it excessively. Delicious this delicious that, mashita(it's delicious). In the US, there is no sound just food being shoveled into the mouth. We talk afterwards when we are on the way home. Eating is eating. Upon examining this issue I came to a great realization. I now understand a little more why Chinese have slanted eyes. China is supposed to be far crazier than Korea even is when it comes to food. I think you would be squinting too if you had to eat bugs on a stick or roast chicken feet fetus soup. This is why we don't see eye to eye. Possibly why there is still communism. If it smells funny keep it away from your mouth. You know one funny thing that Koreans eat is dried up squid. This is a common snack at bars and at the movie theater. It's not so bad but if you have had dried squid it has an undeniable flavor that is similar to something else I have eaten. All guys out there should know a little about what I am talking about. You could have eaten the cleanest one in the world and yet sometimes it has this flavor. Well after I realized that this squid tasted like a third date I got really confused. Not really that people ate it because well I guess it is an acquired flavor, but more so because of something a friend told me. One day while talking with close friend at home the subject of Korean women came up. He mentioned that I should have no problem getting a Korean woman because according to a recent survey he saw, Korean women are the most dissatisfied women in the world. Now, there are other issues here but how on earth could this come about. Here they are training kids at a young age to try the flavor by introducing huge dried out squid as a "snack". One would think that by the time they are of age they would put a spit shine on that thing like no other dude on the planet. Women should be walking on air around here. No Disrespect It's Just My Opinion.

Peeing on the Street	Wednesday, August 23, 2006

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So geeze... I really got to get a camera. After having one stolen a couple of years ago, I am kind of reluctant to get another one but there is so much to have fun with. I was on the way to see a movie today with my kids. The morning classes all saw a movie so that was a nice break. Today is the last day before our vacation!! On the way to the movie theater I got to see a very funny happening. This little guy was with his sister and his grandmother. He apparently had to go so he just whipped it out and started peeing all over the wall. The sister was then instructed by the grandmother to go and stand to his side, kind of blocking him. It was hilarious. I'm talkin' busy street in the middle of traffic. Apparently, another teacher here had witnessed something similar but his sighting was a bit further back and involved the mother actually holding the little guys unit for him. I think it is great how free the river flows here sometimes.

Cheating.. Education vs. money in english academies...	Saturday, August 19, 2006

So it is definitely really early in the morning on my side of the planet. I had to take a nap earlier and didn't come to until around 1 AM. I was so tired because Thursday night I went out with another teacher and got a little tipsy. Then I stayed at work doing these worthless student evaluation sheets, which nearly forced my hand into a coma. Since I'm up I figured why not make some words... So in our highest level writing course one of the girls tried to cheat by handing in a paper she found on the internet. I mean this was a complete joke. It was something I would probably have difficulty writing about and the topic was the Roman Empire of all things, not your everyday common knowledge. The joke was made more humorous by the ease at which the teachers were able to track down the paper on the internet after we were suspicious of the act. A few keystrokes, two clicks and we had found the source. Working for a school you would think the reaction would be predictable but it's different here. Working for a private academy that gets its cash from attendance is definitely a strange mixture with education. It violates the sanctitude(sp?) sometimes. The girl was secretly reprimanded like our boss was almost afraid to upset her. The attendance is lower at our school than it has been in a bit for reasons that are not really in our control. The owner opened a new school and has spent alot of time there. She also has a brand new staff besides two teachers, myself and another Korean who assumed a new role in the company. Not sure what they expected to happen? I suppose it is a host of factors but because of this low attendance the owner is on my boss. She is so worried about losing anyone that often she will do things which I consider to be in the interest of money more than morals. The funny thing is decisions like this are the ones that really will hurt the school in the long run, especially since a large part of keeping our customers happy rides on parents' gossip. What would they think if they heard about a girl cheating and nothing happening to her? Our school is always doing shit like this. Trying to make everyone happy instead of sticking to some kind of rules. Bottom line our school should not allow cheating and the girl should have recieved a severe penalty. Failure in the class is what I would have done along with a strong speech in front of all the students in her class. I know saving face is a part of eastern culture but she deserved embarrassment at the least to learn a lesson. Instead she was treated like the victim of a crime or something. Really strange. I guess money is the bottom line in everything. Later, it came out that I in fact confronted the girl in front of her classmates. She didn't look at me for about half the class after that. My boss wasn't mad at me but she responded as if I should have known not to approach her about it. Like it was a private matter. I hardly think this is the way. I take, this is a stretch for a metaphor, the approach authorities who decided child molesters have to go around their neighborhoods and tell their neighbors what they did. Being judged is what makes us better people.

Strange Keys

Saturday, August 19, 2006

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Shag Carpet Man: Teacher Pet

Korean Food 101

So I've been writing alot but I thought of some stuff.

Not too long ago I lost my keys to my apartment. I had come home from a rather long day at work and while giving one of the other teacher's his belongings back I managed to leave the keys in the door. I immediately went to sleep and the next day awoke and spent a frantic 30 minutes tearing my apartment apart until I came to the rather abrupt(sp?) conclusion that someone had snagged my keys.

I was pissing down my leg. I mean all my shit was wide open and I had little time to get to work. Even worse was the thought of someone waiting until I went out the door to knab my stuff. Long story short I grabbed all my gear and managed to get my boss to call to have the lock changed. Nothing happened thank God and I never found the key.

It cost 50 bucks but the funny thing was my new key.... It is so crazy

As you can see, at least if you are from the U.S., I am now able to open half the Frito-Lay vending machines probably in Indiana if not the entire country. Conclusion... I got snacks covered when I get back boys, work on getting a winery, bar, or liquor store. It's funny because the one I had before was like a cylinder. You know how people say to use your keys for defense by putting it in your hand when you punch. Well, the old keys must have been designed by Chuck Norris or something because you could have really jabbed the hell out of someone. Alas I never got that far and I have no picture of those bad boys. R.I.P. Chuck Norris Keys - Thanks Brian for the use of the camera.

This Is The End, well not quite but....

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

So I was watching "The Doors" (1991, movie, Oliver Stone)....
Funny how psychodelic movies get you thinking or at least me anyway... and now it's like the planets are coming into complete and utter unalignment but making the exact same whining hum in unison as they spin a little off axis but right on target... A movement towards harmony in chaos.

Possibly I have just been grading too much and the long stares at english exams have finally sent me off my rocker.

HERE'S A THOUGHT FOR THE SCIENTIFICALLY ORIENTED:

I am no longer typing on actual keyboard but rather a representation of a machine I made up in my head some years back when I was institutionalized and drugged into a subconscious fake reality. At this time, I am really sitting destitude(sp?) and alone in a corner of a strange mental hospital with a straight jacket on but my mind is far from straight..

That or this is the real thing and we are presently entering the final weeks of our intensive teaching session at Ewha American Language School in Gumi, South Korea. This coupled with the greatness of G Cova BBQ chicken has sent my mind into a fluster I believe.....[SIDE NOTE: GCOVA CHICKEN IS THE BEST IN SOUTH KOREA] Still I got to thinking about death, not of chicken but more in the philosophical way, as the movie is centered on Morrison's apparent attraction to the end of all be all's. I myself don't share exactly the same views of the movie's lead but I do wonder, I am excited, and I sometimes get down about the walls that seem up around me in my present world. Where I am going with this is I was wondering how much time by the end of my life will be spent on meanless drivel(sp?) like grading papers or looking for the correct spelling of drivel(sp?)? In the end, will there be a read out like the number you get at the bank or BMV? At the top will be....

Wasted Hours..(Sorry Maybe Next Time)

Grading Papers ... 666 hrs (just kidding but a hell of alot of hours)
Blogging ... bla bla bla
Other bla bla ....

What will it come to? I think it will be an individual experience of sensation beyond my reckoning. True freedom of thought with the communication errors of our world gone...

Good Quotes from The Doors:

Reporter: "Do you believe in drugs, Mr. Morrison?"

Jim / Val: "I believe in excess. Did you know we spend more money every year on tobacco and alcohol than we do on education?"

"I believe in a long prolonged derangement of the senses to attain the unknown"

"Did you have a good world before you died enough to base a movie on."

It's like I'm trying to make mine but the shutter speeds off a little. Shutter speed is how quickly your camera takes the picture basically. I'm no expert but I think that is the drift of it. Examples are those pics of city lights you sometimes get by accident.

Everything looks like a fuzz of continuous color. The pictures come out fuzzy sometimes and it's cool but not when you need to pick up the suttleties of cute navel fuzz it doesn't really do to great. Still trying to focus my lense...

While attempting to coherse(sp?) my thoughts into the saddle I was poking around and came upon this site.

http://www.neatorama.com/

Neat is right!! check this out... very cool!! There is a fascination with urinals and toilets at one point which makes you wonder if the guy in the urinal next to you is looking at your willy or admiring the natural bathroom art that can only be grown from months of neglect of the toilet brush.

True art is only appreciated for its absolute worth, after it is lost. I miss my boys!!

Solving The Oil Crisis

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Testing...Obviously this topic has been debated for a bit and the other day while considering this dilemma I magical pulled out of thin air a solution which I can only think was handed down to me from the heavens. Immediately I started to formulate plans and have come up with some handy illustrations to demonstrate my point.

Now, it is evident that we as humans need to find another alternative fuel or we will suffer some major consequences. Continueing to use fossil fuels at our current rate will not only make us prisoners to those in control of such substances but also eventually prisoners on a planet that will be a death trap. So why not harvest oil from a more reasonable source!! Yes, I'm talking about the grease from your McDonald's Big Mac that you had for lunch. As it is creeping through your forehead clogging your will to live, we will grab those nasties and put a positive spin on the whole deal!!

It's quite a simple solution really. People with out of control sebatious(sp?) glands or sweat glands are prisoners to their bodies. They just want those nasty little pimples to go away. Why not harvest their pain? Here's a closer look!!! >>

We free people of their face puss and we free ourselves from fossil fuels all at the same time!! Also we have created a whole new industry that we could outsource to those who are less fortunate. World poverty could end as we know it!!

I really only see one problem with the whole thing!! This is the fact that the Middle East is going to be pissed. I mean they are going to lose alot of money quickly for obvious reasons. Fortunately, I was thinking about this too and I think I have something to solve this end of the problem as well.

You see what we need is something to trade to the middle east, kind of like a gift that will make them feel better about losing money. So I propose we put the scientist from South Korea, Dr Hwang, to work on a little present. Namely the limo camel. I know Dr Hwang cheated a little before but perhaps by keeping him in a more relaxed environment we could get him to make it happen. We get him girls to feed him grapes and all kinds of things to make him feel warm and fuzzy.

Shag Carpet Man: Teacher Pet

Sunday, August 13, 2006

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Strange Keys

Korean Food 101

While drinking and fraternizing(sp?) with some teachers the other day, we all came to the conclusion that one thing is certain about teaching in South Korea. If you are white and have body hair the kids will try to pet you. Obviously Korean and most asian men seem to have less body hair than other races. This being said kids are fascinated with your arm and chest hair. Often it becomes the case that you look up after looking at someone's book or helping them and find the kid next to you longly carressing your arm hair.

Pretty freakin' funny!! One kid we have has went as far as licking the teachers' arms. This has especially been the case with a Korean-Canadian teacher we have who I think the little guy has a crush on.

Friday	Friday, August 11, 2006

Thank God!!! Man yesterday I nearly put a bullet in my head so it is nice to finally be done for a bit. The last bell just rang and since I have break during my last period I thought I would rip this out before leaving. Seriously is nice to almost be done with hell month or intensive session as korean english academies so nicely put it. I thought someone was going to kill each other yesterday. Edgy, at each other's throats. It was bad. Its nice to have some time away. I think I will be working alot on the site this weekend and possibly something else but the site seems important right now since I just started to get my first few visitors and I want to make sure everything is working properly with it. Keeping it up is a whole bunch of work but I enjoy having something to build. It's like SimCity or one of my faves SimFarm. It's alive!! It's alive!!

Amazing Castle Optical Illusion	Wednesday, August 9, 2006

Castle of Mystery Here's an amazing castle optical illusion that only takes thirty seconds of your time but will keep you guessing for a bit!!!

Kicking Kids Out	Tuesday, August 8, 2006

Definitely not something I like to do but it is something that well.... ok I guess I enjoy it sometimes. Only when they have it coming though. Today I had to kick two students out for sassing me. They were mocking me and nothing pisses me off more than that. I try to have alot of fun with the kids and ya I do get a little crazy at times so sometimes things get out of hand. They see me having fun, they're having a good time, and think "Ok, I can just do whatever I want!!". In a way my teaching style is kind of like lowering to their level a little bit. I mean I am not all that tall, 5'2'', so its not a long way to lower myself!! Really I just try to joke with them a bit. I figure you need to be entertained in the classroom, especially when half of what is said is in a language they might not appreciate really. Anyway back to the story, these two boys, Min and Jeff, were sassing me so I sent them to the hallway and was surprised to see them automatically stand face against the wall. I was impressed. It almost made me smile. Trying to kick someone out is not easy in another language. Here are the results I have had in the past: Crying "Teacher I didn't do it though" excuses Hiding under the desk routine The iron claw "I'm not letting go of this chair maneuver(sp?)" Those are the ones that come to mind but as you can probably tell from the list, none of the other times went as successfully as this time. I think it's because one of the kids, Min, really likes me and although he can be a shit he knows when he does wrong and even apologizes for it without being told. One day I saw the kid on the street with his father and he ran up and gave me a hug. What a guy!! With that kind of disciplined response I couldn't let them stay out in the hallway too long. After another teacher went into the hallway to ask them what they were doing I decided it was time for them to return. Kids are kids but sometimes they need to be seen and not heard. That's what my mom used to say...

The Floating Bed	Tuesday, August 8, 2006

What will they come up with next? If anyone has 1 million dollars in small unmarked bills or otherwise, that they are willing to loan out shoot me a line!! Apparently, a young dutch architect has created a bed that actually floats!! Through the use of magnets which repel one another the bed actually hovers. It is held in place or tethered so to speak by some steel cables but all in all this thing looks pretty impressive. Even the price tag which is at.... 1.2 million Euro... This only leaves one question in my mind. How much to rent the thing for a porno? Perhaps the bed is rentable?!?! What is also apparent is that there has been some testing and people with piercings are not effected while sleeping. They could, however, be pulled into the magentic fields that hold the bed up if they get close to them with the piercing. Makes you wonder what kind of insurance plan one would need with this bed and a pierced member? Ok so I see the obvious implications for a structure of such great magnitude. Is that so bad?

Intensive Session Tensions Mounting	Monday, August 7, 2006

What is a South Korean ESL Intensive Session? As we round the corner and are now official over halfway done with our summer intensive session, the new teachers are feeling the strain. I'm not sure if any other ESL locations do this besides South Korea. It seems almost to fit their culture and time schedule so I really doubt it if it happens anywhere else. Maybe Japan!?!? What ever the case it is certain that it is a stressful time for both the kids and the teachers alike. Most of our staff have been with us for a few months now but this is their first intensive teaching session. Somehow I think my devotion or zeal for teaching has gotten better over time. I notice that for most it is just trying to tread water to deal with all this work. It's like there is too much for them to think about so they say screw it. I guess my experience has calmed me because I feel good about handling everything and really want to do what I feel will help my classes. I actually feel on top of my work but I remember feeling swamped my first time. I arrived in Korea for my first month of work a year ago so I came during an intensive session in August. I can't say I enjoy this time!! Like I said the teachers are restless and they seem irritated. When I first did it I just felt overwelmed. I literally arrived in my town, Gumi, at 9PM and started the next day at 9AM. No training really, just thrown into the mix. For a few of our teachers now it's like you can't even approach them about things having to do with work at certain times or they just might snap. I realize this and have tried to keep my distance but it's not always easy because things need to get done. I keep reminding myself of their situation but at the same time I wish they would realize that I am working hard too. It's almost that they resent me for being able to handle it better than they can. For me I really can't see it as anything worth getting on anyone's case about!! Well hopefully nobody snaps and kills anyone!!

Those Intensive Session Summer Time Blues	Sunday, August 6, 2006

What is a South Korean ESL Intensive Session? So after a pretty interesting night of drinking at home I am now left with a bulging cranium, several empty beer cans, and more than several papers to grade. Perhaps describing the latter to get the former would be in order... So I am sitting in my room doing nothing in particular when I get a knock on the door. It's one of my Korean co-workers with a kiwi ice cream bar. How sweet!! I said thank you but like most people she seemed shy and I was not sure if she wanted to come in or what!! So I said goodbye! Some minutes pass... knock knock knock.. It's her again.. obviously she wants to chat about something. I invite her in and she proceeds to talk about work and how she doesn't enjoy our supervisor which is a hot topic these days. Somehow I guess I manage to make it through, although I am not really sure how. I guess I just know her(the supervisor) and can deal with her ways. My Korean co-worker obviously cannot write off the supervisor's actions so easily though. She goes on about how she detests going to work somedays and how she does not like her and so on and so forth. I try to council her the best I can and be neutral but fair. After some thought it seems the best remedy is to get wasted so I go and get some beer. Enter stage left two other foreign teachers. We don't hang out alot but I enjoy their presence because they are both very unique individuals. So before I know it I have a little house party going on. Four people is kind of the limit with this little room considering the heat and stink and stuff. We had an ok time and I must say it was a very strange gathering of people. Only under Korean ESL Teaching circumstances might we all have been together. Reminds me I need to mop my floor. So to the present. I have a shit ton of grading which I am procrastinating. Who says I don't work hard for the cash? My Korean co-worker was surprised I had work to do. I'm trying to do it right and be a good teacher. It's tough work.

Intro to Gumi	Saturday, August 5, 2006

Gumi, South Korea. This is a mid-sized city in the Gyeong-buk province. In the beginning, I was to work for a small school called Ewha American Language Institute, which now has expanded to 2 branches. Actually Ewha is a large chain of english academies throughout South Korea. It's like buying a franchise name such as McDonald's. At the time, the one branch had 4 foreignors and 4 Korean teachers. Now these numbers have doubled. Gumi offers a decent downtown area coupled with three large department stores on the other side of town. These are the city's main offering for convenient commerce. There are of course smaller grocery stores which are readily available in your neighborhood(The true convenient store), however, these stories don't have everything and can be a tad more expensive. In Gumi, there is a decently sized group of foreignors who frequent two foreign bars in the city. These are the Psycho and The Waegook Cook. Warm and friendly these places offer a close retreat from the stress of the little beasts. Of course, other pubs are more than willing to serve you and get your money but the two forementioned seem to have the most foreign people in them. Gumi is a far cry from its sister city Daegu when it comes to the night life but its still enjoyable. As with anywhere a little less urban the people seem a bit friendlier. Besides if dance party is what you are looking for Daegu is only a short train ride away.

South Korean ESL Intensive Sessions - Summer / Winter	Saturday, August 5, 2006

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Most ESL schools in South Korea have what is known as summer and winter intensive sessions. Being from the U.S. I am used to kids having the whole summer off from public school but in South Korea this is broke up over the year. So kids are off for about a month in August and then again for another month around January. *Why?* So why do kids spend their freetime at private academies during their vacation? Of course, this is a cultural issue that is not so easy to put into words but here goes: Keeping up with the Jones's: Somewhere along the line somebody said hey our kids should be going to academies to "get ahead". Other parents through the pressures of society felt like their kids were falling behind so they sent their children too. Now academies to get ahead are really just a normal part of many children's lives. Korean people are extremely hard-working much like the Japanese. They have several holidays throughout the year but it is only because they work crazy hours the rest of the time. Devotion to your company is looked at as a necessary evil so they pass this work ethic down to their children by demanding them to work diligently on their studies. So there are two very simple reasons but perhaps there are more. Whatever the reasons, how does this affect school? Well as you can imagine with more kids off from public school Hogwans(english academies) are able to have more business. Thus the English teacher works his/her butt off during this time. Be aware of this when signing a contract and when working with people. This is perhaps the most stressful time of the year.

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ESL Work Drama

ESL Work Drama	Friday, August 4, 2006

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It's the details that seem to be everything and if you are considering a job in ESL be aware of one of the details of the job, DRAMA. If you read other blogs, HERE IS A GOOD PLACE TO LOOK >> Our ESL / EFL Blog List , then you will usually find something about quitting and fighting with the boss. Let's not forget getting screwed out of money and so on and so forth. My boss is quite nice so this was not an issue. I found it particularly amusing that most of the drama came from teachers interacting. For foreignors it can be a stressful environment. You are away from home, possibly a small friend base, maybe struggling with a new career, and if you don't keep your head on straight this can eat you up. Sure, teaching overseas is alot of fun. Especially if you truly like kids and can deal with their ups and downs. Still it is a career and can be tough if you get too sensitive about things. Its easy to get lost and forget that as a foreignor it's you who should be making the effort to adapt not the whole Korean populace. *A Real Life Example* Recently, we had a lot of drama at our work. One foreign teacher seemed to have a problem with every little thing some of the Korean teachers did. He would say things under his breath about things they would do and say. In a way, our Korean co-workers and no doubt the Korean lifestyle had crawled under his skin like a tick. He had hit a wall of sorts. He was depressed. He didn't talk about it but it was evident in his actions and expressions. Be aware that this seems to occur in most people around the 6 month mark. In a way, he was of course entitled to his feelings but not in the way he chose to let them come out. No doubt in his mind he was dreading work. Everyday was a pain. Perhaps you have worked in an environment like this before. Now, picture having only a few friends you just met. Throw in that some people are very quiet about their emotions and you have a time bomb. Needless to say, this caused a shit ton of turmoil and workplace drama. People hearing one thing from one person. This teacher leaving when we had meetings and then saying he didn't understand we had a meeting. Really, it was probably that he just hated hearing our immediate supervisor's voice because of this bug that he couldn't just slap away. Boss and Worker collide. Finally its over... I approached him and talked with him in a civilized manner. Others helped and I have to say it is a hell of a lot nicer coming to work with happy people. I can't imagine how much he dreaded coming on his end. *Conclusion* Relax and realize it is a job when you get angry. Some things can be changed through communication but some things you have to live with. Ironic that communication would be a source of the problem when we spend all day teaching it. Realize you are different and Korea is in fact a foreign land when you feel lonely/attacked/put in a corner. Traveling is fun but it can be depressing at times. It's ok this feeling is natural at times but don't let it eat you up!!! You have to be strong. Last but not least reach out for help from others who are there. Maybe they won't be able to totally relate to your situation but perhaps they can get your mind off things for a bit. We are, no doubt, just a random collection of memories and feelings. Don't dwell on the ones that are not healthy, life is too short. Not getting paid is one thing but becoming the lead character everyone likes to see get killed off the series, on a real-life soap is quite another. Don't get caught in the DRAMA WEB.