Super recap update!
Current mood: excited

yeah, i know it's been awhile... i'm just naturally lazy. but anyways, things are going well. i'm doing lots of interesting stuff on the weekends, including, but not limited to:

i successfully made it onto korean tv. of course, it was on a non-basic cable channel, so my exposure level wasn't too high. a bunch of people from the english cafe decided to go a few times. it was some debate show in english, and i was part of the 'jury' who sat in the background and decided which team had the stronger argument. on top of that, i was paid for the whole thing. i made about 30 bucks, but am still waiting to get paid. (i had the money put into a friend's account, because i'm not supposed to have a job outside of my institution, and they control my bank account)

i saw a korean pop group. but, it was a free performance, so they weren't the current super-popular groups. but, i had heard some of their songs back when i first started listening to korean music back in high school, so it brought back memories. the performance was part of the Hi Seoul festival, which they do every spring. there were lots of performances, people and lights, including one woman who made funny/intense faces while playing a harp.

i played league baseball against a team of korean tv performers/comics. once again, i just happen to know the right people. koosy's company had a team and i was invited to tag along. now, having not played since probably middle school (elementary?), i kinda sucked. plus, it was on dirt and i didn't have correct shoes. the warmups were ok, but i definitely didn't impress myself, so i'm sure the coach wasn't impressed either. so, i wasn't a permanent player, but i did step up to the plate once. i struck out. their level was pretty decent. and then they stuck me out in right field in the last inning so i couldn't screw anything up. overall, it was still fun.

i joined a paramilitary group aiming to retake north korea. well, not really. but i did participate in one of the coolest airsoft gun battles ever. so, my taekwondo instructors invited me to come to this 'survival game.' while they don't speak much english, i figured it would be pretty cool. so, that's what i did this morning. i was really surprised, because the whole thing was very professional. everyone was in camo and all the guns were modified to look damn legitimate. i was lent a uniform, so i fit in as best i could. there were a bunch of people, so we had some big teams playing. i got hit a few times, but i got my first 'kill.' hahahahaha. unfortunately, because all korean men have mandatory military service, i was at a bit of a disadvantage.

so yeah, that's about it. check out the pictures for more awesomeness.

10:01 PM - 2 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Crowds, empty spaces, and everything in between
Current mood: adventurous

so, last sunday turned out to be a bit of an adventure for me. for the first time ever, i had nothing planned for the day. being a 3-day holiday weekend, all of my friends were either out of town or otherwise busy. i took the opportunity to crack open my Lonely Planet book and find my own amusement.

luckily for me, there happened to be a ceremony at some temple in downtown seoul that only happens once a year. so, i headed out to see what it was all about. not surprisingly, everyone else was there as well. i arrived just before the whole thing started, so i got to experience subway rush hour crowd levels for a good two hours. i had a decent view though, so it wasn't all bad.

the ceremony itself was a sort of food offering to ancestors. the whole thing was well rehearsed, and they even had a sort of play by play from some korean tv newscasters. everyone was in traditional attire and they were playing some old school music as well. not something i'd put on my ipod, but it fit the occasion. check out the pictures while you're here.

after that, i headed to my next guidebook-inspired destination. this was some shamanist shrine located against a mountain in northwest seoul. well, it was more of a tall hill than a mountain, but whatever. i started out following the recommended path, but soon got lost and ended up climbing up the mountain on these difficult to see trails. at least, i think they were trails... i'm still not too sure. although it was supposed to be a walking trail, i was soon determined to reach the top of the mountain.

thirty minutes later, i got there. i was pretty warm by that point, but the wind and the occasional rain helped cool me down. the view was amazing in spite of the smog, and i have to say that it was the most greenery i'd seen during my time here so far. a nice change of pace from my normal weekend schedule.

on the way back down, i took a different route and got a bit lost. after asking a police officer for directions (he wasn't too sure of the way either), i made my way back to the subway, passing through an archery range. yes, i said through. the path was probably 10 feet lower than the hill that the archers and targets were on, but i still had arrows flying over my head for awhile. not something i'd like happening often... but i guess it was an appropriate ending to a slightly random, yet altogether satisfying, day.

10:30 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

When in Rome, buy a shiny toga.
Current mood: luminous

so, if you've seen any korean movies or dramas, you might know about the shiny suit. it's this trend that's pretty popular here that you'd never see in the US outside of a high school prom maybe. shiny silver suits. i see them around all the time. so, to help complete my korea experience, i decided to get one of those babies myself.

i ended up going to this huge market in Dongdaemun in downtown Seoul. you're supposed to barter for the price at places like this, which is not one of my strong points, even in English. luckily i had a korean friend there to help me out. so, i got a jacket and pants for about $90, down from around $120. here it is:



it's not the best picture in the world, but you get the idea. it's shiny! i've worn it once to class and most of my students were impressed, so it must look decent at least. well, that's about it. let me know what you think.

5:06 PM - 3 Comments - 3 Kudos - Add Comment

I’m going to Disn- err, Lotte World!
Current mood: giddy

so yeah, this one has been a long time coming, as i actually took this trip a few weeks ago. due to scheduling issues, the school had a day off two thursdays ago. so, the other foreign teachers and myself took this opportunity to check out Lotte World, a theme park in Seoul. i'd seen this place in a bunch of korean movies and dramas, so i was excited to actually go there and see it in person. A lot of it is inside, and i think it's one of the world's largest indoor theme parks.

we got there and saw a bunch of old people and little kids... your standard weekday customers, but no real competition for the exciting rides. speaking of the exciting rides, most of them were at the outside part of the park, in the sun. they've got a drop zone-like one called gyrodrop, and another really cool coaster called atlantis.

however, for the most part, the whole place is a disneyland copy. some of the rides are damn near identical, especially their newest one, the pharaoh's fury. it's like the indiana jones ride back in anaheim, complete with over the top waiting line and rocking jeep action. they just switched the large rolling boulder for some hazy energy ball (for copyright issues, probably).

other similarities include:  Splash Mountain = Log Flume (boring name, eh?),  Space Mountain = The Comet Express, umm... Autopia = Auto Tours? there's more, but i can't remember them right now.

they also had a parade, but it was less electrical... and full of Russians. seriously, i hadn't seen that many white people in weeks! all the Russian ice skaters must get their start prancing around Lotte World, i guess.

but i got my turn on the famous merry go round and my pics of the ice rink, so it was cool. with some of the korean english teachers joining us, it was a decent sized group. check out the pictures of the parade... kinda surreal. alright, that's it for now. more stuff comes later.

7:52 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Marriage
Current mood: cheerful

so, considering how concerned about marriage many people are around here, i wasn’t too surprised when Koosy invited me to one of his close high school friend’s wedding.  he figured it would be a good way for me to experience a korean wedding. i agreed, and the thought of fancy food helped my decision as well. so, i showed up in my suit around 3pm and was quickly introduced to the groom before paying my respects to his parents. already by this time i was feeling a little self conscious, being the only white guy there that wasn’t a camera man.

the ceremony itself was pretty cool. i haven’t been to many weddings in my life, but this one wasn’t too bad. in fact, it was really quick. that seems to be the trend in korea these days... i’ve heard of several 15 minute ceremonies. this one probably lasted the better part of an hour, including the food afterwards.  if you check out the photos, you can see the massive cake, the spiral candle and the champagne fountain... kinda cheesy, but pretty well done. also, we took group pictures afterwards, so i’ve secured my place in the couple’s memories... muahahaha!

afterwards, there was a bit of downtime. this consisted of Koosy talking to his friends in korean for a good amount of time, interspersed with short bits of translation for me. i guess i got to practice my korean listening skills, but my brain was hurting after awhile.  after we finished up, we headed to go do some karaoke nearby. that was probably the most elaborate karaoke room i’ve ever seen... fake fireplace, english-style tapestries, horns mounted on the wall... it was like some british club. weird. after some drinks, i was ready to show off my amazing singing skills in english, korean and japanese. it was pretty cool.

our next stop was a bar nearby. the bride and groom joined us there, and we all had a great time. there were tons of different drinks and snacks, including dried squid. it was really tasty actually...  by this time the conversation was mainly korean, but i managed to follow it pretty well.  i had to catch the subway so i left at 11, but the party was still going strong. being a sunday night, i wonder how many people made it to work the next day... but whatever, that’s what makes special occasions special.

8:01 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Politics
Current mood: selective

so apparently it’s the time of the year when koreans choose new members of parliament. sorta like voting for congressmen in the US, except there are slight differences. the main one is the amount of public promotion the candidates do. i swear, these people go all out! in america, presidential hopefuls usually choose a campaign theme song... in korea, candidates have songs written about them!  the best part is that they often use public domain songs, so i’ve heard candidates being promoted to the tune of ’rudolph the red-nosed reindeer,’ and other classics.

the whole thing is a bit strange when i imagine some old white politician trying to do the same thing. and the original songs are so cheesy that i can’t help but laugh when i hear them.  and, if that weren’t enough, they also have people on the streets dancing along to the music!  it’s really amazing. however, after hearing these songs for over a week while trying to teach, it’s getting a little annoying.  voting is this wednesday, so i only have a few more days to enjoy the festivities.

If I was Rudolph, I’d vote for Kim Baek-joong too!

7:10 AM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

The past weekend and, WHAT THE HELL AM I TEACHING THESE CHILDREN?!?!
Current mood: confused

so, this weekend was pretty cool.  i had originally planned to go mountain climbing on sunday with my friend Koosy and some other people from the english cafe. well, mountain climbing is what koreans call hiking, so it wasn’t going to be any crazy slope or difficulty. but, the forecast called for rain, so the trip was scratched.

on saturday morning i was going to go biking along the han river with eric and sophia, so koosy decided to come too since the sunday plans died. it’s a good thing he came too, because i would have been lonely by myself. see, it became clear as soon as we rented bikes that eric and sophia have had a lot of experience biking... within five minutes, they were almost out of sight. neither koosy or i had been on a bike in years, so we were constantly trying to catch up.  we rode a good 20km that day... that’s about 13.5 miles.  the scenery was great, and there were a bunch of events going on near the river. we even stopped at some playground for a few minutes. also, the weather was perfect... overcast and breezy, but not rainy yet. i’ve posted some pictures too.

sunday was rain all day. that, and i didn’t even realize it was easter. i think i ended up having burger king that night... a nice traditional easter meal!

and now, on to the part you were waiting for. so, at the risk of generalization, my experiences have led me to notice that koreans are a fairly proud people. on some occasions, this leads to certain stereotypes about foreigners. so, i was only slightly shocked to see a comic in the textbook with a gone with the wind style white woman talking to a large black woman, complete with towel wrapped on head, who was obviously a maid or other type of (hired?) help. the conversation went as follows, with the white woman asking:

"Can you cook?"
    "No, I can’t."
"Then can you walk?"
    "Sure I can."
"Then just walk out this door."

(i’d post the picture i took of it, but myspace wouldn’t like it...)

so yeah... i still really don’t know what to say about this. being only 3 weeks in, i’d feel a little strange bringing this up to my superiors. plus, what can i do? the whole thing is just awkward.

and, if that weren’t bad enough, in one of my classes we’re reading american folk tales. one of the three included in the book is ’brer rabbit and the tar baby’... jeez, where do they get these books? the description of southern plantation life is completely devoid of any mention of slavery, and the book talks about plantation children playing in the fields. like i said, the whole thing is really strange.

well, that’s about it. i’m still trying to figure out how i’ll address this when i reach that part of the book. hopefully i don’t just become a part of the problem...

6:26 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Things so far (play)
Current mood: adventurous

so, now on to the weekends. my time is usually spent with one of two groups. i’m either doing stuff with the other foreign teachers at school, or i’m out with my newfound korean friends.  yeah, my recruiter told me about this english cafe, where koreans go to practice their english with a few foreigners. i figured i’d check it out and try to meet some people. despite it being a good hour away from my place by subway, it’s definitely worth the trip.  the discussion topics are a little weird sometimes, but that’s really not the point of the whole thing. it’s just a way for people to use their english i guess. anyways, i’ve met a bunch of acquaintances, and some possible friends. it’s still kinda early, but, like everywhere else, the people seem very nice.

so, after the discussion topics, the group usually goes out for food and beer, usually followed by a second round of soju. all this leads to a good deal of drunkenness, and interesting subway rides home for me. but it’s cool. i’m meeting people at the very least.

so, when i’m not out carousing, i’m usually with eric, another foreign teacher and his friend (more than friend?), sophia. they’re cool to hang out with, and eric provides a nice break for me from having to wonder, "does this person understand what i’m saying???"  so, our little group sees the finer things in seoul, not just the nightlife. i’ve been to the blue house (korea’s white house), a museum, the electronics district, the foreigner district, etc... and, thanks to eric, i now know where i can find mexican food in korea! there’s this place called Taco not too far from downtown. original name, isn’t it? anyways, the food is pretty good. damn near authentic. the cheese is slightly off somehow, and it costs a bit ($9.50 for an enchilada and coke), but i’m not complaining. plus, that enchilada is the size of two at some mexican restaurants back home.

so yeah, i’d say i’m getting a well-rounded experience so far. i’ve got the cultural side and the modern side of korea coming together on weekends. it’s actually pretty nice. now all i need to do is increase my korean vocabulary, and i’ll be set.

alright, i’d better go. i’ve got minds to warp in the morning. later

6:53 AM - 2 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Things so far (work)
Current mood: confident

ah, so i finally got internet at my place. so, hopefully more updates, but we’ll see...

hell, where to begin... a lot of stuff has happened in the past two weeks.  i’ll try to keep this a reasonable length.  more than ever, i find my life is being divided between the weekday and the weekend. it’s like a double life of sorts, during the week, it’s all dress shirts and slow, proper english.  on weekends, it’s baggy pants and (slightly) worse language.  the week is work, the weekends are fun. i guess it’s just that the job is so demanding, it takes all my time during the week. when you get off no earlier than 8pm every day, it’s hard to make big plans.

so, let’s start with my job... the reason i’m here. i teach this insane age range, from little kids learning phonics to adults discussing addiction. hell, i even teach a class of housewives!  it’s hard to keep it all straight, you know, who knows what. i like most of my classes, but there are a few real brats that seem to screw things up. what i’ve found is that i enjoy the classes where the students are willing to try learning english... if nobody’s talking, it’s a long 45 minutes.  i wake up at 8 on MWF, and 5am on TuTh. those two days always kill me... even though i get a break from 830-4pm, i just sleep during that time. and i’m still tired after that.

i guess i’ve started hitting my stride. i’m not the most exciting teacher, but i can keep a class on schedule at least. and considering that the school has new books and nobody seems to know what’s going on, that’s not too bad.  also, except for a few individuals, the students are really nice. everyone seems to think i’m good looking here... muahahahah! go figure...  but yeah, lots of people are willing to give me stuff for free, and some of my (adult) students have already invited me out for food and drinks!

but yeah, it’s a lot more work than a mindless warehouse job. i gave my first final test today! it’s so nice to know that your performance can affect the lives of so many, isn’t it?? hahahahahah! anyways, the kid did well, so i feel ok. hmmm... yeah, that’s about it on the school side of things. all the fun stuff happens on the weekends.

6:33 AM - 3 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

First Korea Update!!! or, My arrival in Seoul
Current mood: adventurous

So, here I am.  I’m finally here.  Right now, I’m sitting in the teacher’s lounge on my lunch break typing this on the "official use only!!!" computer. shhh.... Yeah, the reason for that is because I still haven’t bought the thing that lets me plug my laptop into Korean outlets yet.... So I’m without internet at my place, and my Ipod is slowly dying.

But, I digress.  So, it’s been a pretty crazy week.  I got here last Saturday night, and as soon as I got off the plane, I knew it was going to be a crazy trip.  I swear, I wandered around that damn airport looking for the guy who was supposed to pick me up for a whole hour!  Luckily, I figured out the phones and had enough change to call the guy. Apparently they paged me, but I couldn’t understand the horrible Korean accent of the girl who said my name.  So, when we finally met, we headed for the school.

And then, immediately went to my apartment to drop off my luggage.  The place is pretty nice... small, but definitely Asian, with the whole take your shoes off before you enter thing. But, I’m used to that anyways.  I’ll post pictures when I get internet at my place.  So, on the taxi ride back to the school, I was noticing how nobody waas wearing a seatbelt.  Two seconds later, our taxi and some other car merging into the same lane hit each other!  Our driver swerves to the right and pulls over... the other car pulls over too.  The driver curses at the guy (glad I know my Korean...) and gets out to go confront the other driver.  We were close enough to the school, so we just walked.

We got to the school, and I met a bunch of people.  Then, my recruiter took me out to dinner.  It was really fancy, and the bill was some crazy amount.  We ate and drank soju (korean liquor), and were later joined by the president and manager of the school.  Man, when those three were all smoking and talking together, I totally felt like I was in some Korean movie! Later on, my recruiter told me that he was glad that the president came, because then it was the president’s job to pick up the tab... So anyways, it was really late then, so I went back to my place.  The next day I was going to meet some of the other foreign teachers, and I didn’t want to completely look like shit, so I went to sleep ASAP.

OK, that’s enough for now.  I’m gonna get caught if I stay here much longer, so I’d better go.  More updates when I find the time...

7:48 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment