Teach Me Korea

Becoming Indy

2008-03-03T21:09:00.002-07:00

Because I have finally moved into a more-or-less permenant new home in real life, I've decided it might be time for a new home in the blogsphere.

Therefore, you will now find my same great content, witty remarks, and Pulitzer Prize quality photos at my new blog Becoming Indy.

Hope to see you there!

Just Right

2008-02-25T12:10:00.006-07:00

I found it! The perfect house.

Well, it isn't perfect but it is pretty darn close.

1,770 square feet, 3 bedroom, 2 bath

It has a backyard on a small pond.

A great big living/dining room.
A nice big master bedroom (with walk-in closet).
And a decent sized kitchen.The home was built in 2003 and I'm getting it for a steal of a deal...$20,000 less than it was built for. Everything is in excellent condition and it is move-in ready. So many of the other houses I looked at had evident projects that needed to be done.

I close on March 3 and get to move in. Now I get to shop for furniture.

House Hunting

2008-02-24T08:54:00.004-07:00

What a project! I had spent the better part of January and the first part of February shopping around for a place to live.

How monumental! As a first time home buyer, I have a huge learning curve. What kind of floor plan do you like? Fireplace or not? Ranch style or two story? Two bedrooms or three?

I DON'T KNOW! I've never thought about it before.

So, my realtor set me up online looking at houses in my price range. I was supposed to flag ones I was potentially interested in and then we would go out and look at them. It is hard to judge from descriptions online.

We went out looking...

This one had too many cars (too close to the interstate)....This one had too many power lines...This one had too much carpet in the bathroom...This one, too small...This one, too big...

Mystic Tibet

2008-02-17T17:46:00.004-07:00

Stupid Tourist Saturday!

My folks came into Chicago this for the week and so I drove up to see them, Gram and Auntie. We went to the MVCC and took in a presentation of the Mystical Arts of Tibet.

Still suffering under communist rule of China, Tibet is continuing its pacifist revolution of public goodwill tours. The "Free Tibet" campaign was all the rage in Hollywood several years ago but little has changed for the human rights.

These traveling monks represent a relocated monestary that is responsible for the ongoing world tours. They demonstrate Buddhist ceremonies including music, dance, debate and prayer.

I am still not a huge fan of Asian music but it was a good presentation for insight into Buddhist culture.

Happy V-Day

2008-02-14T20:38:00.000-07:00

Wolf Cave

2008-02-10T08:55:00.000-07:00

Stupid Tourist Saturday!

So, when the weather warms up, I want to go camping. A couple weekends ago I scouted this great state park a few hours south of Indy. McCormick's Creek State Park must have 300 camp sites so I'll definitely want to avoid the 4th of July weekend and Labor Day weekend.
The park had some hiking trails throughout. Can one really call them hiking trails if the elevation varience is less than 15 feet? More like walking trails. But that is what you get in the midwest.
The trail I took led to Wolf Cave, one of many sink holes made over a millenia or water erosion. So named for the supposed pack of wolves that exited it and chased one of the early settlers of the area home. Luckily for hikers, wolves haven't been sighted in Indiana for more than a century.

It was a nice drive and a nice walk.

Two Worlds Two Voices

2008-02-09T12:13:00.000-07:00

My Friday night broke from the uneventful routine that has dominated the most recent weekend evenings here in Indy.

A co-worker had some extra tickets for the Reba and Kelly concert that was playing down at Conseco Fieldhouse. I can't say I'm a huge fan of either Reba McEntire or Kelly Clarkson but it was still a fun show to go to.

Our seats were nosebleed high. Yep, thats them way down on the stage with the big screen obscured by the lighting elements.
Both ladies were on stage the entire time. They did a lot of duets with some great harmonies. Then when Reba did some of her songs, Kelly sang back-up and vice versa.

It was definitely a toe tapping good time.

An Inconvenient Truth

2008-02-09T12:12:00.000-07:00

I feel like I am about a year and a half late on this post but...

I just finished watching Al Gore's documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. If you have seen it yet, put it at the top of your Netflix queue. Go down to the video store and rent it. It is amazing.

If you've already seen it, what did you think?

Road Trip to Indy

2008-02-06T20:15:00.000-07:00

While my move to Indy wasn't near as tramatic as my move to Korea last year, it was no less momentus. I was able to capture a photo diary of my marathon road trip.
I started out on the Rocky Mountain front. The wind that rolled down those slopes blew me all the was to Wyoming and powered the turbines located just outside of Judith Gap.
The sagebrush flats in Wyoming turned day into night and led me to the foot of Mount Rushmore. One nice thing about going at night is you don't have to pay the admission fee. One reason I wanted to stop (besides needing to stretch my legs) was that over the holidays we watched North by Northwest.
I had to occupy myself through South Dakota and Iowa by trying to trick the GPS unit. I would take a random interstate exit, drive for ten minutes and then see if it could get me back to the interstate without backtracking. That thing is so smart! Only once did it ask me to turn into a corn field. Maybe there will be a road there some day.
After two days and more than 1800 miles, I made it to Chicago. I took a rest there visiting G & J. J and I went into the city to spend the afternoon. We went to the planetarium and then walked to the bean.

Wet Foot, Dry Foot

2008-02-04T08:48:00.000-07:00

While visiting Dry Tortugas National Park we had the unique opportunity to escort some new resdients of the United States back to the mainland. The night before, 18 Cubans had arrived on Dry Tortugas island.

Cuba is only 90 miles away so with favorable winds and five gallons of diesel fuel a boat can make it in three days. The influx of Cubans this year is slightly higher probably due to the instability of the political situation. Fidel's brother has been acting dictator and not doing a favorable job. Fifteen hundred plus have made it to Dry Tortugas in 2007. Eighteen the day we were there, 40 the day before and another 4 after we left.

Of course it is illegal for Cubans to enter the U.S. If the Coast Guard catches them in the water, they promptly escort them back. However, an interesting contradiction in U.S. foreign policy governs Cubans who actually touch American soil. The wet foot, dry foot policy updated in 1995 allows Cubans who reach the U.S. to be welcomed with open arms, permenant residency status and a chance of U.S. citizenship.

Their boat was not one that I would be excited to take on an open ocean voyage. Constructed with a thin sheet of plywood and a single layer of fiberglass, it was barely able to hold its shape as a boat.

The huge diesel engine mounted in the center of the water craft took up most of the useable space and sentenced its passengers to precariously balance on the sides of the boat. If the engine should give out, the architect had wisely bolted boards to the ends of steel fence posts to serve as paddles.

A phrase etched into the side of the boat gives an idea of the attitude of reverence these people feel for our often overlooked freedoms. They also scrawled 'Liberertad' - the hope of freedom.

Christmas in the Keys Part 2

2008-02-03T16:01:00.000-07:00

While in the Keys, we also toured the Turtle Hospital. It housed approximately 30 sea turtles including greens, leatherbacks, loggerheads, ridleys and hawksbills.

Some of the turtles were suffering from a viral infection similar to herpes found in humans. Others had wounds from human contact (boat propeller damage), and still others had a lethargy disease.

One of the babies they had had a neurological disease that kept him swimming in circles.
We spent an afternoon in Key West and visited the Ernest Hemmingway house. Key West also boasts more than 2,000 feral chickens which roam freely.

We stopped by the southernmost point of the continental U.S.

We also went through the National Key Deer Refuge and saw several Key Deer as well as alligators, iguanas and other wildlife.

Christmas in the Keys

2008-01-30T08:47:00.000-07:00

Spending the holidays in the blustery Montana weather was apparently not an option for my folks.

We had been planning for a while (almost a full year) to spend Christmas '07 in the Florida Keys. Dad, Mom, Bro and me all packed shorts and t-shirts and boarded a plane.

The progression of pictures on the digital camera was snow, snow, snow, sun, sand and turf. One of the first days, we took a ferry to Dry Tortugas National Park which is 70 miles west of Key West.
It begs to question why the Union army would ever built a fort all the way out here. The fort was finished years after the civil war and never actually saw military action. Apparently, the mere threat of a substantial military presence in the Gulf was enough to prevent action from the Confederates. It created somewhat of an embargo.
It was later turned into a prison and housed famous inmates such as Dr. Samuel Mudd.
Just off the island are beautiful coral reefs and a host of aquatic life. We went snorkling to explore all of the areas.

The New Job

2008-01-27T08:49:00.000-07:00

Philanthropy is interesting. I wish I was a millionaire...scratch that, a billionaire...just so I could give money away professionally. Until I win the lottery, I am resigned to work in the industry of philanthropy. At least I am working for a cause that is near and dear to my heart.

I will be raising money for students who wear the blue jacket. Right now I feel like I'm floundering with little direction of what I should be doing on a daily basis but I'm learning quickly. It is a self motivated position and I like the freedoms I've been given to attack projects in my own way.
I work in a beautiful building on the northwest corner of Indianapolis and my job will have me traveling around as much as 30% of the time. In fact, I just returned from a tour of the mid-Atlantic region. It is still debatable what region of the country I'll be permanently assigned to. Either the northeast or the west, we'll see.I have been involved with FFA in a variety of positions but this is my first full time position with the organization. It is exciting though that I'll be working with the movers and shakers of the agricultural industry.

The giving structure of our foundation is unique with 90% of our funds coming from corporations and only 10% coming from individuals. This is reverse of typical philanthropic groups. What this means is that we get to work with presidents, vice presidents, and marketing executives from some of the top companies in American and international agriculture including Cargill, Monsanto, DuPont, and numerous others. It is neat that these companies who in the capitalist market compete on a regular basis have joined forces to support education and youth in America. For example, Toyota, Ford and Chevrolet all donate to us. How cool!?!

There is great intrinsic value in supporting youth leadership and agricultural education. These companies see it as an investment in the future of the industry, an investment in future employees, and an investment in future educated consumer and customer.

The job is an adjustment for me physically. Confined to a cubical all day will hopefully not have a significant impact on my waistline. Teaching never seemed like a physical job to me but at least I was always on my feet walking around. I was interacting with people more as a teacher as well. In my cubicle I kind of zone out and forget that other people exist. I'm an extrovert but I still miss the interactions that teaching afforded. Hopefully, I'll be able to strike a balance.

I'm Back!

2008-01-26T09:01:00.000-07:00

It has definitely been a while! After a two month hiatus from the blog sphere, it could have easily been assumed that I dropped off the face of the planet. Not so!

Upon returning to the States I had the privilege of trying to manage my Internet needs with a dial-up connection which was not conducive to blogging. I'm set up now and have returned to the world of blogging but I'm not going to promise that my posts will maintain the regularity that they had this past year.

A lot has happened in the past couple of months and rather than trying to sum it all up eloquently I'll spend the next several posts giving events due credit and highlighting some of the major items and/or turning points.

One highlight was that while I was home I did get the chance to visit friends and family and enjoy some beautiful Monatana weather.

Middlebury Quidditch Tournament

2007-12-05T22:40:00.001-07:00

I just can't make this stuff up.

Blogs in Plain English

2007-12-05T21:19:00.001-07:00

First Snow

2007-11-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

It was snowing when the plane touched down last night and I woke up to five inches of snow today. It is the first snow of the year.

To My Plane Seat Mate...Sorry.

2007-11-18T05:57:00.000-07:00

YT and her husband picked me up to go to the airport at 1pm. The plan was to go to lunch before dropping me off. It was a very memorable lunch. We went to the seaside where restaurants serve every kind of seafood imaginable. We opted for clams and shellfish. They brought us a huge platter of fresh clams, mussels and snails. We threw them right on the flames and waited for them to steam inside their shells. When ready to eat, they popped right open. It was a very good meal. I felt sorry for the person who had to sit next to me on the plan because I’m sure I stank.

My flight left right on time…only ten and a half hours to American soil!

Twenty-two hours later and still the same day I landed in Great Falls. It is a surreal feeling to be back. The past year just seems a blur. It is really hard to believe a year has passed.

Kimchi Pots

2007-11-17T01:38:00.000-07:00

I am trying to fit my entire life into two suitcases. It is a surprisingly complicated task. It is amazing the amount of 'stuff' one accumulates after one year. I have already sent five boxes home and now I can only carry two bags onto the airplane.

I am purging a lot of my clothing opting on buying new stuff when I get back to the states. I think I would have been fine except YT came over today and took me to the farmer's market. She bought me two kimchi pots. I had to repack everything to make them fit and I might have to leave some more stuff now. I'm not complaining because kimchi pots are the absolute perfect souvenir from Korea. (Korean politicians voted that they could not be exported so you cannot get them anywhere but Korea. How's that for unique?! Who knew that an obscure pottery item could be so noteworthy.)

My final farewell dinner was at IPorky's. Man, I love that place. It was especially delicious tonight. We told the owner that tonight was my last night and she was all about giving us free vegetables, free wine and some free meat. I love Korea. I said goodbye to my fellow teachers and called up my Korean helper teacher to say goodbye. It was fun. YT and her husband will pick me up tomorrow at 1pm to take me to the airport.

If you could never eat at a restaurant again, where would you go for one last meal?

Perfect Symmetry

2007-11-16T01:33:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of heart felt goodbyes with the kids today. I received several going-away gifts and some of the kids' moms paid for pizza, cake and other food at lunch. I then took a final picture with all my kindergartners. I will miss them.
In the afternoon I had some parties with the kids which included handing out some candy but for the most part it was business as usual. I gave the kids my email and mailing address and so I'm interested to see if I actually get any letters. After work, we went to our favorite dak galbi (spicy chicken) restaurant. It had a certain symmetry to it because dak gabli was my first meal in Korea. Afterwards we went to the nore bong to sing some favorites. They included Barbie Girl, Living La Vida Loca, Jessie's Girl, 99 Red Balloons, and a multitude of others. What do you miss when you leave family, work or friends?

Galbi Castle

2007-11-15T06:11:00.000-07:00

After attending several other going away dinners it is hard to believe that tonight is my dinner. Mrs. Lee took us all out to dinner at the 7th floor pork barbecue place that we like so much.

I feel really honored because she went on and on about how much they'd miss me. She blessed my future and wished me good luck. Then, Mr. Lee showed up and wished me well! The man hardly ever comes to the school and the first two words I say to him or him to me are goodbye and thank you. It was an enjoyable dinner with all you could eat. They Koreans all laughed when I ordered the food...in Korean. I may not of learned Korean from my time here, but I do know how to order food! For a food lover that is rather important I think. My conversational skills end if we aren't talking about pork, beef, mushrooms, pumpkin or noodles.

How do you celebrate a bon voyage?

Immortalized

2007-11-14T06:15:00.000-07:00

The renovations are complete at KC. It looks atrocious. There is no common color theme and everything is too loud, stylistically speaking. It looks like eight different decorators had a fight and whoever got to a specific wall first got to do what they wanted. The classrooms are very green. The hallways have obnoxious educational posters with a Plexiglas covering. Colors include every hue of the rainbow and the wallpaper patterns...It looks like Mrs. Lee said "I'll take one of everything."The one nice thing is that the walls are now clean. There are no scuff marks, holes, or other eye sores. In addition, any spaces of large open wall were quickly filled with life sized pictures of 'great teaching moments'. A photographer came in a couple weeks ago to pose and capture these teaching moments and the pictures were quickly turned into over sized wallpaper.I've seen these types of murals before in other places and I always wondered who the schmucks were that posed for them. Turns out, I'm the schmuck. This is the first time the school has been renovated since opening nearly a decade ago so I have a feeling my ugly mug will be up on the wall for at least that long. They also made a banner for each of the school buses with our pictures on them. Not only do we get to see our likenesses on a daily basis but so does the rest of Gimpo now. How did I get so lucky?

How have you been immortalized?

Cute Koreans

2007-11-13T05:21:00.000-07:00

Today was my second day with the four year olds. They are so cute! I feel especially lucky because I managed a whole 15 minute lesson with them before they lost interest. Let me introduce Matthew,

Nicky,Lucy,Rex,and Alex.

Which one is cutest? My favorite is Matthew.

Suit Success

2007-11-12T05:24:00.000-07:00

After four weeks, I finally got my suits. Usually they can turn out a suit in less than a week but because I said I wasn't in a rush and because I could only go for fittings on the weekends, they took their sweet time. I did one final fitting with the tailor and with a scowl on his face and many times gutturally clearing his throat it was deemed that it did indeed fit very well. I have a charcoal gray one and a navy blue one (both pin striped).

The suits will need to air out before first use and it might take some Febreze upon returning to the States because they both have the distinct aroma of the tailor's tobacco.

He said I could come back any time for adjustments but unless I gain or lose a lot of weight in the next six days I won't be able to take him up on his offer. At any rate I'm really excited to have a suit specifically made for me.

Do you have a rack wardrobe or a tailored one?

11-11

2007-11-11T06:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Pepero Day!

Ever wonder if Hallmark invented Valentine's Day or any of the other nameless holidays you are supposed to buy cards for? Well, questions of Hallmark's lobby power in the holiday creation industry are dwarfed when compared to Korea.

The Lotte company actually did just that. They created a national holiday for their product...Pepero. These biscuit like sticks are dipped in a milk chocolate coating. I don't particularly like them but they are quite popular.The sticks look like the number 1, sort of. Or the letter I or a lower case l or just a stick. What do you get on Novemer 11th? Answer..... 11-11, Pepero sticks. It is a bit of a stretch for me but it is big here.

Every business sets up a special Pepero stand. Students give them as presents to teachers and they get gifted and re-gifted a multitude of times throughout the day. Of course this year the 11th was on a Sunday so the gifting and re-gifting started on Friday. It is kinda like that mythical fruitcake that gets passed around the office. (Not Mom's fruitcake. Hers are delicious.)

What holiday will be invented next?

Angler

2007-11-10T05:39:00.000-07:00

After a late Friday night, we got up early to travel to Paju. JT signed up for a peace 10K run. YT coordinated it for him and so she and I chaperoned. While he was running, we got to enjoy some other activities like donkey rides and some others whose target audience was 10 year olds. But, I got some windmills, a balloon, and some paper insects. We walked around the park and took some pictures. There was also a Korean pop group with their hit song...not sure which group it was. Their lyrics were something like 'shut up, shut up'. Good for the late teens to early twenties demographic.

We took the train back into the city which is always a nice change from the subway. We went to a restaurant owned by a friend of YT.

The restaurant specialized is steamed seafood including angler fish, baby octopus, squid and a couple of other unidentified fish. The seasoning tasted just like Old Bay. It was good and unlike any other meal I've had in Korea. What's your favorite seafood seasoning?

New Light Bulbs in Plain English

2007-11-10T04:41:00.001-07:00

Friday Night

2007-11-09T05:43:00.000-07:00

We went into the city for dinner at our favorite pork restaurant. It was one of many farewell dinners planned. The meat was especially good but they ran out of salad.Afterwards we went to Studio 80s for some non-stop 80s music and dancing. It was a great decade for music.What's your favorite 80s tune?

Shopping for YT

2007-11-08T06:30:00.000-07:00

It is Yoon Teacher's birthday next week and we wanted to do something nice. We all made plans to have dinner together and then go shopping to find her a birthday present.

It was actually a nice evening because rarely all six of us go out together. We went to a New Zealand BBQ joint here in Gimpo and then walked to HomePlus. We found a basket to hold all the goodies and then loaded it up...wine, cheese, CDs, DVDs, candles, chocolates, gum, cookies and some other assorted treats. We'll present it tomorrow. I'm sure she'll like it.
Whose birthday is next on your list?

Dictionary of Jack: The Ism Song

2007-11-07T05:13:00.001-07:00

Slippery Devils

2007-11-06T05:51:00.000-07:00

Today was my first day with the four year olds. I think it would be fun to approach life with the mentality and attitude of a four year old. These are the invaluable lessons I learned today.

1. Making forts is completely cool and anything on hand is good building material.

2. Chaos and disorder are the symphony of life.

3. Exercise consists of squirming away from adults trying to keep you in your chair.

4. It is possible and natural to go from a fit of tears to a fit of laughter .4 seconds.

5. Every day should involve tickling.

6. When a shoe comes off it might be a national emergency until properly restored to the foot.

7. If it is closed, open it and vice versa.

8. If off, turn it on and vice versa.

9. If it is on the table, it is meant to be on the floor; vice versa.

10. The nearest adult should be jumped upon and tackled to the ground....just because.

What lessons have four year olds taught you?

Burn the Bird

2007-11-05T05:30:00.000-07:00

The running trail just outside of our apartments has been under construction for the last week. They put a nice soft surface down on another kilometer of its length.

I've been trying to run two or three times a week. Korea is definitely the place to loose weight. The diet and the lifestyle lends itself nicely to shedding extra pounds. I am just trying to keep my running up so my brother doesn't beat me too badly on our Thanksgiving Day run. We are going to do the Burn the Bird run which is a fundraiser for the River's Edge Trail in Great Falls. I'm looking forward to it. To be perfectly honest I've never walked the trail and I've always wanted to. It should be cool. Then I won't feel so bad when I come home and gorge myself on turkey and all the fixings.Have you ever walked the River's Edge Trail?

Lazy Sunday

2007-11-04T05:10:00.000-07:00

Sleeping in never felt so good. I am resting up for what will undoubtedly be an exhausting week. Mrs. Lee has decided to expand the school and take on a Korean four year old class. (That's two and three years old by American counting.) At some point you have to draw the line. That is just too young to be seriously trying to learn anything other than walking, talking, and using toilets rather than your underpants let alone a foreign language.

Each of us will spend one class period a day with the new class to try and break them in. I look at it as taking away a prep period to baby sit. If nothing else the kids will be cute. When they're that age, it's hard not to be.

The school has been steadily growing the past several months. We've been getting more and more new students in the older grade levels and they are talking about creating a new kindergarten class (in addition to the new four year old class). Apparently our academy has a really good reputation right now. Other schools down the street from us has been suffering with staff turn over, bad teaching, and poor management and so many of the parents are pulling their kids out and transferring them to KC.

Hopefully they'll get a new teacher to help handle the influx of students. Doubtful, but here's wishing. At least I only get to be a part of it for another two weeks.

What's your place of business' reputation like?

Korean Fashion

2007-11-03T04:58:00.000-06:00

I've been wanting to get some new suits. My new job will be professional dress. I have never had a suit or dress shirts that actually fit. To get shirts or suits with the right arm length, the body of the suit/shirt had to fit a much larger man.

Three weekends ago I went to Itaewon to go suit shopping. Pictures in hand, I picked out two fabrics for two different suits. I also choose five fabrics for some custom shirts. I was measured then and told to come back for a fitting. My first fitting was last week and I saw the almost-finished suit today. It looks good and fits really well. The tailor was able to adjust it a little bit more to remove some wrinkles and increase the taper.I was able to take the shirts and I'll pick up the suits next weekend. I'm really excited to have some clothes made specifically for me. I don't know if I got the best deal but I felt comfortable paying for what I was getting. I know I could have paid a lot more.

Have you ever had a custom suit?

TGIF

2007-11-02T21:25:00.000-06:00

I've been trying to prep things at school so I won't be overwhelmed my last week. I actually finished writing my lesson plans. I still have student evaluations and a December curriculum book to make.

The week flew by. We had been planning to go to the magic bar again and tonight is the night. We started in the Hongdae with dinner at the TikiTi.

We had a private three act show at the magic bar and then finished the night at Macando.

All Saint's Day

2007-11-01T06:06:00.000-06:00

I forgot my camera at school so my Halloween post is a day late. But, I had pictures too cute not to share. Koreans don't celebrate Halloween so it is kinda hard to find costumes. Dedicated parents pulled through and dressed the kids up right. I had three Spidermans....

one vampire,

Darth Vader,

one witch,

Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and Snow White.

From Saturn class came the cutest Peter Pan ever!!

And of course Clark Kent/Superman had to save the day. Yours truly!

We paraded the kids around two streets taking them to local businesses where the business owners handed out candy. It was supposed to showcase the student's English ability. The Korean staff kept urging us to have them sings songs in English. The kids were completely distracted and were having none of it. I had some major flashbacks from my own childhood: My parents urging me toward a door prompting me with 'What do you say?' and 'Don't forget to say thank you.' Conclusion: Halloween is overwhelming for children of all ages.

What is your favorite Halloween costume/activity?

As Promised

2007-10-31T07:53:00.000-06:00

As promised, here are some after shots of the school. They haven't completely finished yet and the result isn't as dramatic as I thought it would be.

They used the same color paint on the walls and ceiling but changed the trim to gold rather than green. The school smells of fresh paint which means we have to freeze as we air the place out. October is getting to be a little nippy.What renovations have you done lately?

Jack O' Lantern

2007-10-30T18:53:00.000-06:00

Today we got to carve pumpkins with our kindergarten class. It was so much fun and the kids had a blast. Korean pumpkins aren't the same as American ones but it still worked.
I didn't let them use the knife but they used the child proof saw that came in the kit and then got to dig out the guts.What's your favorite part of carving pumpkins?

School Picture Day

2007-10-30T07:32:00.000-06:00

The last two weeks there has been a photographer roaming the school. They are trying to capture great teaching moments on film to be used for fliers, brochures, and someone said great big wallpaper for the school's promotion. All of our classes have been disrupted (teaching isn't really that important). They pull us and the kids out in the middle of very riveting lessons on conjunctions to pose a picture. Most of them are realistic but one of the classes had to pose with violins. Since when do we teach the violin at an English academy?!?

My own class was posed with phonics flip cards and insect posters. The kids were really good about it and did their best to ensure their perma-smiles while the photographer snapped away. They also did an all school picture with all the kindergarten classes and teachers. It was hilarious. Mrs. Lee stood up on a stool doing some sort of impersonation that was a cross of the Joker's laugh, Santa's chuckle and a witch's cackle. The kids were in fits and were to the point of laughing on cue. Here is the result.They're cute though, aren't they?

Burned

2007-10-29T07:21:00.000-06:00

Saturday night Gimpo saw a little excitement when a building across the street from our school caught on fire. The entire second floor was destroyed but the rest of the building appears to be sound with only smoke and heat damage elsewhere.

On numerous occasions I have questioned the lack of fire safety protocol. This is the result. Fortunately it wasn't our building.

What fire safety precautions do you think are necessary?

Seoul Land

2007-10-27T06:31:00.000-06:00

Stupid Tourist Saturday!

We've been talking about going to an amusement park for awhile and it finally happened. It was the perfect day too. The fall colors were beautiful and people were dressed up in costume to get a jump start on the Halloween festivities.
While still in the city, Seoul Grand Park feels completely removed. There are close mountains on all sides that cuts the park off from the rest of the city. The area holds a zoo, an amusement park, a contemporary art museum and a host of other smaller attractions.
Our first order of business was to take the chair lift over the lake to Seoul Land. The whole area is really neat in set up and lay out.
The park is a little Disneyesque with a gigantic ball curiously similar to the main icon of Epcot. Of course it was appropriately designed for Halloween.
The lines were long so we didn't get to do that many rides but we did have a bumper car battle, we climbed to the top of an ice mountain, we zipped around the entire park on a three minute roller coaster and rode the viking hammer. YT and I also had our caricature done. I don't think the artist had had a lot of practice with American faces because he acted a little perplexed when he was drawing me.
You be the judge. I don't see the resembelence.

Mrs. Lee's Project

2007-10-26T17:45:00.000-06:00

We had a busy week this week with our open houses and parents coming into the school all week. On top of that, it is curriculum writing week where we do all of our lesson plans and make our curriculum books for the upcoming month. I'm pulling double duty trying to get my November and December stuff done.

So, what better time to refurbish the school? I should have guessed it was coming. Mrs. Lee has been walking around with contractors for the past few weeks. Don't get me wrong...the school definitely needs it, but why do it during one of the busiest times of the year? Did she think there was a lack of undue stress on the teaching staff?

At first they were just going to paint the main lobby. Easy enough. Then it turned into the lobby and the gym. Then it turned into the lobby, gym and offices. Before long the entire school was fair game to contractors ripping down classroom decorations and reorganizing our curriculum books in a helter-skelter way.

We had to stay late and safe guard anything we didn't want paint on or things we didn't want thrown away. The school looks bare right now. I took some 'before' shots to show the school in this gutted stage. Stay tuned for the 'after' shots coming this next week.

Earlier in the week they wallpapered the doors and trim. I can't say I approve of Mrs. Lee's color coordination but then Koreans do have an interesting sense of fashion. I guess anything looks better than scuff marks and torn wallpaper though.

What is your latest remodeling project?

Where Are They Now?

2007-10-24T05:39:00.000-06:00

Open house week at KC. The stress. The formality. I'm just glad it is over.

Imagine a trumped up version of parent/teacher conferences in which the students have to rehearse and memorize an hour long presentation to demonstrate their English proficiency. Amazingly they all sat still for the entire thing.

All the kids' moms came in to watch and afterwards they had a Q&A with me which mostly consisted of me telling them how wonderful each of their students are while trying not to overshadow anyone.

It went well for the most part. The kids have come along way since I started working with them and it is nice to see the progression. I can't help but wonder what they'll be like in 20 years...when they are my age now.

I've been thinking about dropping a line to all my old elementary teachers to let them know what I've been up to. Some of them know. When I visit my parents, I see Mrs. B. at church and she still says things like 'There's my famous first grader.' Somehow, despite growing up, all of the hundreds of students she has taught are still her 'famous first graders'. I kinda like it.

Do your elementary teachers know what you grew up to be? I'm sure they'd love to hear from you.

Waiting for Heroes

2007-10-22T06:36:00.000-06:00

My favorite TV show of the fall has to be NBC's Heroes. I have limited selection having to rely on those shows that are posted online and that can be viewed outside of the U.S. Heroes airs Monday nights in the States and while it is Monday night in Korea, Heroes won't be posted until Wednesday or if the hackers are really good, Tuesday. I've also been keeping up with Survivor, Dancing with the Stars, Ugly Betty and The Office.

Are there any others I should be watching? What is your favorite series of the fall?

For Your Health

2007-10-21T01:28:00.000-06:00

Today's was Gimpo's For You Health Run. Three of us ESL teachers and then three of the Korean teachers participated.
The race course started at the Gimpo stadium. We saw a few of our students there. At the end they gave away door prizes and then did a soccer ball/basketball throw. It pays to be the tallest one because JT and I each caught one. I gave mine to one of my students who was at the run.I don't think it was a true 5K course. It didn't feel near as long and I dropped my time by about five minutes. My speed has improved but not by five minutes.Afterwards they called the three of us foreigners up on stage and presented each of us with a box of soap. Either they were saying 'thanks for participating' or 'you guys really stink'. I'm not sure which.

What do you do for your health?

Take Two

2007-10-20T04:54:00.000-06:00

Today we decided to tackle Bukhansan again. It was well worth it. The clear autumn day made the scenery perfect. There was a crisp bite in the air as if the color of the leaves didn't belie the season.

email assignment

2007-10-19T07:09:00.000-06:00

Wednesday the curriculum covered how to write an email. As an assignment, I gave the kids my email address and asked them to write me some advice for moving. I got my first homework email today and it made my day. Below is the text. I left the spelling and grammar mistakes so you can get the full effect.

From: 황한나 jade@yahoo.co.kr
To: WF@yahoo.com
Sent: Friday, October 19, 2007 5:53:52 AM
Subject: Advice about moving

Dear,Fett teacher
When you are moving you will pack thise thing.
- Pack your close.(your beautiful close)
- Pack your shose.
- Buy a food.
- When your shose are dirty buy the new shose.

Teacher but don't move plese~

Love,
Jade

Having Fun??

2007-10-18T06:14:00.000-06:00

This week has just flown by. I can't believe that tomorrow is Friday! The most eventful thing that has happened is that my problem child isn't coming to school any more. I think his mom ran out of money or was finally tracked down by creditors.

I don't know the full story. It is a little disappointing because he had come so far in a relatively short amount of time that the hard work was really starting to pay off. But...I get two extra breaks a week because I don't have to tutor him and my class has been sooo much quieter. Practice for our open house has been smooth and I actually found myself laughing with the kids instead of trying to keep him in line.

A pretty positive change, all things considered.

Last Ditch Effort

2007-10-17T06:46:00.000-06:00

My boss had my plane ticket itinerary for coming back to America up on his computer screen today but he couldn't bring himself to click on the 'purchase ticket' button. He called me into his office to try one last time to convince me to stay.

I can't really explain why I don't want to stay. Maybe it is a lot of little reasons. It really has been a good experience and I would recommend it to anyone looking for some international experience.

I was as kind as I could be and told him to redouble his efforts on finding my replacement. I guess it is official now. November 18th I will board a plane and put an end to this year-long odyssey.

ECOIST: Gabrielle Reece

2007-10-16T08:04:00.001-06:00

ECOIST - Josh Lucas

2007-10-16T07:54:00.001-06:00

Blog Action Day 2007

2007-10-16T07:46:00.001-06:00

A Tale of Five Countries

2007-10-15T07:07:00.000-06:00

Today is international Blog Action Day and the theme this year is the environment.

I am really excited of the potential that of more than 7,000 participating blogs and 5 million readers can do to bring awareness to our environment. As humans I believe we have taken responsibility for our environment, but I'm disappointed with the actions (or lack thereof) we've taken toward that end of protecting and preserving our environment.

For my part I can share my observations of four countries I've visited in the past year.

North Korea:

This country might not have the pollution problems of the other four...yet. Being stuck in the comparative stone age, North Korea has preserved some aspects of their environment. But where they save the air from particulates and the water from excessive pollution, they strip the land bare of trees which caused the massive flooding of this past summer. The lack of capitalism might protect, but communism isn't the answer to environmental problems.

South Korea:

When 45+ million people try and squeeze into an area the size of Indiana you'd better have a good plan of how to handle waste and pollution. South Korea has an excellent recycling program. There are massive fines for mixing garbage. Garbage bags are very expensive which encourages use of the free recycling. Glass, plastic, paper and metal. However, despite their best efforts, they still fall short.

Malaysia:

This pristine country is doesn't have the the obviously visual environmental problems of other developed countries in Asia. However, simple statistics can prove the downfalls of this country. Malaysia was home to 266 unique species of freshwater fish as surveyed by biologists. A recent biological survey as quote in Jared Diamonds The Third Chimpanzee, found 122 species of fish. That means that since first being discovered, 144 species (more than 50%) have become extinct. That is appalling and the sad part is that it happened without anyone even noticing.

China:

Unfortunately this country has multiple downfalls. The first major problem is the air. Per capita their particulates output into the air is lower than most developed countries but there is an awful lot of people. Factories and cars put an incredible amount of pollution in the air. With the coming Olympics, Beijing has pledged to reduce the number of cars on the road by one million. But, yellow dust affects everyone from Korea to the Americas.

There was a glimmer of hope this year when locals claimed seeing a river dolphin researchers thought to be extinct. Pollution, fishing in the rivers, and the construction of dams killed off the majority of that species population if not the entire population.

America:

Where do I start. I thought that blogging about the environment would be easy but as I try to compile my thoughts and observations about something I care very much about I realize how hard it is. I admire National Geographic magazine's ability to concisely relay the message of environmental protection. As a world leader, the U.S. should embrace environmental protection. Things like carbon sequestration, hybrid cars, wind and solar energy are all great baby steps but we need to have a collective effort that is greater than current actions. The plan needs to cross international boundaries and not be subject to lack of technology or lack of resources.

So, what can we do?
1. Recycle. Just do it. It is easy.
2. Buy recycled products.
3. Plant a tree. Carbon needs to be sequestered.
4. Support renewable resources....ethanol, hybrid cars, biodiesel, etc.
5. Educate yourself.
6. Educate others.
7. Do more.

How do you protect the environment?

Yeouido Gospel

2007-10-14T04:10:00.000-06:00

I decided to break from tradition today and check out the Yeouido Full Gospel Church. This is supposedly one of the world's largest churches with seven services each day and from what I could estimate, a regular attendance of 2,000+ at each service though they say membership is around 800,000.

Though they don't have an English service, they do offer translation services in English, Spanish and a few other languages. This is a mega-church and everything is high tech from the HD video display screens, to the song and dance praise team, to the 75+ member choir. You can even find all of the sermons online.

I give props to the church. The worshipers seemed devout and the service was uplifting and energetic. I was a little overwhelmed with the sheer scale of everything.

The founder and lead pastor of the church has some controversial points of view which incorporate a little of Korea's shamanistic heritage. I can't really blame him. It isn't the first time Christianity has incorporated pagan traditions to suit the needs of its constituents. Jesus wasn't really born on Dec. 25. The date is ceremonial and was started to replace the pagan Roman celebration of their god's birthdays.

At any rate, the sermon was decent and it was neat to just witness a huge congregation worshipping. What's the biggest congregation you've ever seen?

Roots

2007-10-13T19:26:00.000-06:00

Stupid Tourist Saturday!

What a day! We decided to rent a car and drive to Chuncheon (Yoon Teacher's (YT) home town) to look at the fall colors and just see the sights. Road trip!The adventure started Friday night. YT had been talking to the rental company on the phone. 'No problem to rent a car....come in Friday night. We'll set you up.' I walk in and they see that I'm American and they change their minds. They used some excuse that the contract was all in Korean and that they didn't speak English. So we had to go to Hertz Saturday morning. Which car is mine? Every car in Korea is either silver, black or white. At least I got to drive on the right side of the road.

It is approximately a two and a half hour drive to Chuncheon which is northeast of Seoul from Gimpo. It was a nice drive and the leaves were just starting to change color. Once there we hooked up with YT's sister and niece.We went to lunch for one of Chuncheon's two famous dishes...makguksu. It is a buckwheat noodle dish and we also had boiled pork and bean curd soup. Our second stop took us to a sculpture art display at the MBC building. Not exactly my cup of tea but it was a beautiful afternoon to walk around outdoors, so, no complaints.Chuncheon is intertwined with lakes and rivers and so we decided to take a duck paddle boat out for a spin. A para glider kept dive bombing us and other boats on the lake.After the boat ride, we went to the Ethiopian War Memorial for those who had fought in the Korean War. I had no idea the Ethiopian commitment in the war efforts was so great. It was a little surreal to be looking at Ethiopian cultural artifacts and learning Ethiopian history in Korea.At the war memorial we met up with more of YT's family and then went to the Gangwon Province Arboretum. We didn't have a lot of time but we did see the mineral and forestry exhibit, one of the greenhouses, and then watched the sunset over the city.We met up with even more of YT's family and went to a dak-galbi dinner. Chuncheon is known for its chicken farms and is the hometown of this famous spicy chicken dish. We even got to wear these stylish bibs.Finally, we headed home. The roads were relatively free of traffic until we got to Seoul. Today was the Seoul International Fireworks Festival. It ended at 9pm just when we were trying to get through. It took an hour and a half to go the 20 kilometers through Seoul. Yuck!

Are you enjoying fall?

I like...

2007-10-12T06:01:00.001-06:00

I like dark chocolate.
I like smiling (it's my favorite).
I like standing on top of a mountain I've just hiked and feeling like I'm on top of the world.
I like cooking fancy dinners for family and friends.
I like the cold exhilaration of skiing on fresh snow.
I like going places I've haven't been before
and doing things I haven't done before.
I like comments on my blog.
I like supporting cancer research.
I like supporting youth education.
I like recycling.
I like that sense of accomplishment in reaching a goal.
I like getting my hair cut.
I like towels fresh from the dryer.
I like planning.
I like adventures.
I like talking about great new books I've read.
I like learning.
I like the tang in my cheeks after I eat a pack of Smarties.
I like sunrises and sunsets.
I like naps.
I realize how blessed I am that I can enjoy all the things I like.
What do you like?

Summer Palace

2007-10-11T05:44:00.000-06:00

I wasn't in Beijing that long, but from my posting, you'd think I was there for a month. This will be the final installment of my Beijing highlights...the Summer Palace.This is one of the most frequented tourist sites in Beijing and well worth the visit. It is about twelve kilometers from the city center. The entrance is guarded by the dragon (emperor) and the phoenix (empress). Inside the grounds you can walk around the edge of the lake or take a boat ride across it. The lakeside path was covered but open air so it could be used no matter what the weather. The area is dominated by the main hill which has the palace on it. We didn't get to go inside because it was too late in the day but the outside was very beautiful. The architecture was very neat and it was a nice place to sit and watch the sun go down over Beijing.Where do you like to watch the sunset?

Tea and Health

2007-10-10T05:39:00.000-06:00

After hiking the Great Wall our feet were maybe a little sore and blistered. The tour had scheduled a stop at the national athletic medical training center. Doctors at this facility usually only treat Chinese national athletes with traditional Chinese medicine.They said that they would be giving us free foot massages so that we could tell the world about Chinese medicine and the holistic health benefits. Supposedly, the foot has pressure points that can affect all of the major organs in the body.

In actuality, we were brought into the facility to be guinea pigs for the medical students so they could practice their skills. I don't know how I feel about being a guinea pig but I'm not gonna say no to a free foot massage. I guess it was a win-win-win scenario. The jury is still out about Chinese medicine.

I private tutored an adult student studying Chinese medicine. I don't know if she had a hard time expressing herself in English or if she really didn't know that much about her field of study, but when probed she always had trouble explaining Chinese medicine.

While at the health center in China, a medical palm reader diagnosed our bodies by looking at our palms. Curiously, no one was deemed healthy. I was diagnosed with major liver problems and others had problems that ranged from intestinal to hormonal. It is a good sales pitch. Captive audience having their feet massaged being told they might have terminal illnesses and should shell out money for herbal remedies.We also went to a Chinese tea shop which was much more to my liking than the health clinic. We sampled a variety of teas, my favorites of which were lychee and oolong.Which do you prefer massages or tea? (Not that either are remotely related and require you to choose one over the other.)

The Markets

2007-10-09T05:40:00.000-06:00

Beijing markets were incredible. If you like to bargain and negotiate then China is the place for you. No price was fixed. I don't like to bargain and I even had fun. On the first day we went to the silk and pearl market. It was a six story building with vendors elbow to elbow competing for your money. They were vicious. If you've ever been splattered with blood and then dropped into a tank full of two pound pirahanas you might have an idea of what the market was like.I saw a coat that I like but wasn't in the least bit interested in buying. The lady quoted me a figure of 3,200 yuan (approximately $450 US). I played along and we went back and forth. In the end she was willing to accept 400 yuan (approx. $60 US). I almost talked her down to one tenth of her original quoted price. I was actually very tempted to buy it but I was sufficiently turned off when as I walked away she barred my path and later grabbed my bag to keep me there. Vicious!

On the silk floor they had plenty of cheap silk but I've always been against silk because of the maintenance requirements. They did have a demonstration of how they remove the silk from the larva. Dump the worms into a vat of boiling water. Evicerate each larva by hand and stretch the silk to dry. Finally, spin the thread.

We also went to a night market which had an entire street of food vendors before turning into other shops. Anybody care for some milipedes on a stick? Or deep fried starfish?

The butterfly coccoons (below center) are especially tasty! Actually, I'm glad we ate dinner before hand because even if I wanted to, I don't think I could have.

I was able to enjoy sugar coated fruit on a stick.

What is the most outrageous food you've ever tried?

What the Flup?!?

2007-10-08T05:54:00.000-06:00

One of my kinders said the F bomb today. At first I thought I misheard him. But, then another one said it. They were also using their middle finger. I was furious and marched both of them straight to the principals office. I felt like washing his mouth out with soap!

When I was in kindergarten I don't think I even new any of those cuss words in English let alone a foreign language. And I don't remember using a cuss word until well into high school. Neither kid new what they were saying but they both knew it was a bad word and they shouldn't be saying it.

Of course this is the same kid who was kicked out of the school a year ago for cussing in Korean. Apparently he has learned the English equivalents. The educational system is working!

I blame his parents. He is a problem child in more ways than just foul language and he probably heard the word from a movie he watched. Why are his parents letting him watch a movie with that kind of language? Shouldn't they be watching Disney cartoons?

After the incident, I talked with the rest of the class to make sure they understood that it was a bad word and they were not allowed to use it. To my shock almost all knew the word, had a vague idea of what it meant, and some had even used the word (not in my class). What is this world coming to?

Do you cuss? When did you start?

Taoists and Buddhas

2007-10-08T05:42:00.000-06:00

We were able to bike to two of the more famous temples in Beijing...one a Taoist temple and one a Tibetan Buddhist temple. The Dongyue Temple follows traditional religious customs and is considered 'the way'. Much of the temple is broken up into departments of religious type worship including devotions to the Chinese concept of hell.We were lucky enough to arrive at the temple in the middle of a traditional Chinese theater performance. The characters were absurd and hilarious and I was pleasantly surprised at how well acted it was. Ever actor stayed in character throughout, even when they were off stage. The costumes and make-up were colorfully vibrant and made the performance that much more enjoyable.

We also went to the Lama Temple which is Beijing's largest temple. The air was rich with burning incense which were so overwhelming I got a headache.

The grounds were laid out ancestral shrines and prayer markers. We even saw a rather modern looking monk with tennis shoes and a backpack.Both temples were completely different from those I've visited in Korea. It was shocking how different the Buddhist temple was compared to the one I visited.

What religious beliefs do you subscribe to?

Cycling

2007-10-07T05:41:00.000-06:00

To really see Beijing you need to be elbow to elbow with the locals. Fight your way down city streets, dodge cars and buses and ride a bike.

Beijing has to be the cycling capital of the world with huge numbers of its residents taking to these two wheeled machines as the primary form of transportation. So many people bike that the city has built special traffic lanes specifically for bikes and the also installed crosswalk lights for bikers. (We're gonna have to develop a new word for these lights because you clearly don't walk and 'traffic light' implies some sort of motorized vehicle.)These 'bike lights' work in sequence with the pedestrian crosswalk lights but give bikers a five second head start....very valuable when racing quick footed pedestrians.

Many of the bikes were modified to hold small electric motors that were charged with manual power. Pedal for a mile and then let the battery operated motor take you the rest of the way. Very ingenious.

Do you like to bike?

Peace on the Peninsula

2007-10-06T07:51:00.000-06:00

Mushroom Update!

This past week has definitely been a big news week in the Koreas. Firstly, North Korea has agreed to nuclear disarmament by December 31. This is huge considering the years that they have been in failed talks.

Then last Tuesday, South Korean President, Roh Moo-hyun, and North Korean Dictator, Kim Jong-il met to discuss a peace treaty. President Roh walked across the border in an elaborate ceremony and the two leaders triumphantly clasped hands as if the past 50 years hadn't happened.

Could the DMZ become a thing of the past? Is reunification for the Korean peninsula actually possible? They idea almost seems surreal.

The kicker is that Mr. Kim gave President Roh four tons of the prized pine mushrooms to take home worth $2.6 million. Never look a gift horse in the mouth...but don't the people (people, not army) of North Korea need that money more than the financially secure S. Koreans?

What do you think of the summit results?

Beijing 2008

2007-10-06T05:39:00.000-06:00

When in Beijing, we had a chance to unofficially preview the site for the 2008 summer Olympic Games. The city still has eight months to prepare but I can't say everything is ready for a successful hosting. The theme is 'One World - One Dream' and the Olympics are represented by not one but five official mascots. The Fuwa embody the natural characteristics of four of China's most popular animals -- the Fish, the Panda, the Tibetan Antelope, the Swallow -- and the Olympic Flame.
Each of Fuwa has a rhyming two-syllable name -- a traditional way of expressing affection for children in China. Beibei is the Fish, Jingjing is the Panda, Huanhuan is the Olympic Flame, Yingying is the Tibetan Antelope and Nini is the Swallow. When you put their names together -- Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni -- they say "Welcome to Beijing."

In some respects the Chinese are ready for the the Games. The stadiums are all nearing completion and should be wrapping up construction in plenty of time to welcome athletes. The most famous of these stadiums is the National Aquatics Center or 'Water Cube' as it has come to be known. This building will house all of the swimming events and was designed to be visually stunning. The exterior of the building is meant to imitate water. The picture I snapped of it from the bus didn't capture the glory it was meant to reflect. But the artist interpretations are quite impressive, inside and out. Despite the stadiums being built, Beijing still has a lot of work to do to be ready. One clear downfall is the transportation system. The subway routes are adequate but the trains are short and run at infrequent intervals. They have attendants whose sole purpose is to forcefully shove people onto an already over crowded train car to ensure that the doors close. We were victims of said forceful shoving and nearly toppled out backwards when the train arrived at the next stop. The buses are no better. Buses in the city are numerous but so many people ride the bus that they are already overcrowded with Beijingers. I can't imagine adding the thousands more who with surely swarm the city to attend the Games. Don't even get me started on taxis! Accessibility is nice. One hardly has to wait 30 seconds to be able to hail a cab. But don't plan on going anywhere fast during rush hour. The twelve miles from the Summer Palace to our hotel took an hour and a half. The one nice thing about all the public transportation (taxis included) is that it is incredibly cheap. The city of Beijing won the Olympic bid with reservation from the Olympic committee. They would be allowed to host only with conditions. First, they must improve the humanitarian efforts for their own people. Human Rights Watch is having a field day with the lack of effort on this front. Pictures circulating the web speak volumes of China's shortcomings. Second, this Olympic Games would be billed as a 'green' Olympics. 'Green' Olympics in Beijing? Who are they kidding? It has to have one of the worst air pollution problems in the world. Their proposed solution is to take a million cars off the road by the start of the Games. My questions: How? and Won't it just worsen the already problematic public transportation system?

On the plus side, Chinese horticulturists have outdone themselves with temporary monuments to the Games. Unfortunately they'll have to start over next spring because there is no way the plants will make it through the winter. I hope the budget allows for it.

One more bit of trivia for you... We learned that the Olympic metals will be unique this year and will be inlaid with jade. I guess it is appropriate considering the Chinese fascination for the stone.
Are you excited for the 2008 Games?

Michael Bublé - Everything

2007-10-05T07:58:00.001-06:00

Great song.

Sweet Potatoes

2007-10-05T06:50:00.000-06:00

Field trip day at Kid's College again. We took all of the kindergarten classes to dig sweet potatoes. The field was owned by one of my students' grandparents and they had prepared three rows for the kids to dig through.

It was chaos and the kids had a blast. They dug as many as they could find. After digging potatoes, we went to Mrs. Lee's house and picnicked on the lawn. She has a great lawn (rare in Korea to have a lawn at all) and persimmon trees in the yard. We got to play with her border collie and a new collie puppy. Mrs. Lee is a part time school principal and part time deer farmer. At her house, she had four deer in the back yard. She never ceases to amaze me.
The kids were so tuckered out on the bus ride back that they crashed.

We all ended up with some sweet potatoes that will made a good dinner some time.What was your favorite field trip from school?

English Mishaps

2007-10-05T05:37:00.000-06:00

You'd think they might bother proofreading any signs that would be displayed publicly to an international audience. When will people learn that languages don't translate exactly, word for word?

Throughout Korea I've come across numerous examples of English Mishaps that are meant with the best of intentions to inform, educate and illuminate. The message is lost when you are laughing so hard you can't figure out the intended meaning. These signs were a sampling of the ones we found in China that ranged from the strange to the comical. Most of them were a two-for one deal.

Obviously they weren't written by anyone with English as his/her first language and it is very likely they simply translated the signs using a Chinese-English dictionary. Thank you writers, for providing my chuckle of the day. I hope that cellphone doesn't get arrested for talking during a thunderstorm.
Heart cerebral?? Does that mean that those who have hearts for brains shouldn't climb the wall or those that have brains for hearts should avoid it? Either way, the eyes in the wall should easily watch those bumbling fools.
Avoid breaking out into a chorus of YMCA and definitely 'don't letter up'. I think it means that graffiti is illegal but I kinda prefer their version. 'Environmental Sanitation of the Scenic Spot Needs Your Conserve.' Huh??
'No Smoking Fireproofing Caution' and 'Cherish the Cultural Relic Please Don't Scribble'. I want to introduce whoever wrote this sign to Lynne Truss. She'd have a field day with it. Have you ever heard of a comma?!?

This last sign was located half way up a mountain at the Summer Palace in Beijing. Thank goodness they told me about the incline. I couldn't figure out why I was out of breath after climbing the first 50 meters and gaining that much elevation...then they pointed out that it was hilly. Mind means 'to be careful of' in this sense of use. One can be careful of ice and step around icy spots. One can be careful of hot coffee and prevent the possibility of spilling it. But how does one go about being careful of a hill?!? Is the hill going to jump out at you? Is it going to rise and fall with such speed that your legs will be swept out from under you? Enlighten me.

What is your favorite publicly posted English Mishap?

Dictionary of Jack: Needless to say

2007-10-04T06:04:00.001-06:00

Peking Duck

2007-10-04T05:32:00.000-06:00

On our first day in Beijing, we tried the dish that Beijing is famous for...Peking Duck (please don't let me contract avian flu!!!)

The duck is served with efficiency that is unmatched because so many people order it at restaurants. We had numerous sides brought to our table and then a chef brought the duck to our table to carve it. The thinly sliced meat is dipped in sauce and then eaten with a kind of rice tortilla. The chef also splits open the head so you can eat out the brains. I couldn't stomach that part.The duck was very good though. It is marinated and then sered to create a crispy skin. The duck is then cooked in an oven of fruitwood or straw fire until the meat inside the skin is nice and tender.

I'm not sure it was all that it is cracked up to be but it was a good meal. In addition to the duck, we tried a lot of other types of Chinese cooking at various restaurants. Our favorite meal was our very last at one of the local hutong restaurants. We had chili chicken, sauteed shrimp, and deep fried fruit.

What is your favorite Chinese meal?

Completely random...We had dinner at a local restaurant in Gimpo tonight and the proprietor stopped me to tell me that I looked like Brad Pitt. I think that to Asians all Westerners look alike because I don't see the resemblance. I'll take the compliment though.

International Peace Marathon Festival

2007-10-03T04:18:00.000-06:00

National holiday in Korea so a day off work. Do we catch up on sleep? Do we rest up? Do we do laundry? No! We signed up for a 5K run as part of the International Peace Marathon Festival.

It started at 10am but was two hours across Seoul at the Olympic stadium in Jamsil.

There were over 12,000 participants and a huge crowd of organizers, celebrities, officials, sponsors and supporters.

It was a good run right next to the Han River. After the race we were given a participants medal.

We also scored some stylish gym bags for entering the race.

What kind of races do you run?

Zhu Di and Kin

2007-10-02T06:48:00.000-06:00

After the Great Wall, we went to one of the Ming Tombs. The Ming Tombs were built to bury and honor the Ming Dynasty emperors of which most notably for me was Emperor Zhu Di. Any fans of history would do well to acquaint themselves with Zhu Di and his voyages around the world and his discovery of the new world. What?!? The Chinese discovered the Americas? The evidence in 1421 is hard to refute. Read it for yourselves. In addition, he moved the capital to Beijing and built the Forbidden City The tombs are laid out in a semi circle butted up against the mountains allowing for maximized chi. There are few stairs but a lot of elevation at the tombs. The ramps were built at a specific incline so that as one walks up them, the angle the body naturally takes is one of a bowed position so that you bow to the elders. I just liked this picture of the brooms stacked in the corner. Don't ask me why.
Who's your favorite Chinese emperor? For readers of 1421: What did you think?

Jade Dragons

2007-10-01T05:33:00.000-06:00

After the Great Wall, they took us to a jade carving factory, jade museum and jade mega store. We first had a short demonstration of how they go about carving and polishing the jade. Each craftsman is highly skilled.

We then had an overview of the different kinds of jade and how to distinguish real jade from imitations. The jade found locally in Beijing is white but jade can vary from white to green to brown with most of the coloration patterns being different shades of green.
Real jade has a very high pitch when struck with another rock such as agate. Glass imitations will sound flat. Real jade when held against a light will have a cloudy interior. Glass will have tiny air bubbles trapped inside. The final test should answer the question if the others were inconclusive. Real jade is hard like diamonds and should easily scratch the surface of glass. Imitations won't.
We were finally given some free time to walk around the museum and store. Real jade is expensive. It is by far the most expensive thing we found in China. They have a lot of beliefs in the connection of jade and medical practices and jade is very prized.
What precious stone do you prize the most?

Mushrooms and Trekking

2007-09-30T07:22:00.000-06:00

Stupid Tourist Saturday and Sunday!

No rest for weary travelers. After five action packed days in Beijing it was time to return to the Korean tourist routine. We signed up for the Pine Mushroom Festival with Adventure Korea.

The website had advertised the the festival to include such events as horseback riding and bare handed trout fishing. No such luck. Not to put down the Korean sense of fun but the festival was kind of lame. The Rhubarb Festival in Ulm, Montana has nearly as many activities.

So what is a festival? Do we really need to celebrate things like pine mushrooms, rhubarb, chokecherries, or sweet peas? Many festivals are fun but it seems like we should have a better reason to get together and celebrate.
They did have a couple of interesting displays and activities. They had an old fashioned thresher which we could try out with freshly picked rice.

There was also a man demonstrating weaving grass shoes as was traditionally done before modern shoes.

After the festival we were led up to the mountains where we were each allowed to harvest one mushroom as designated by a guide. The mushrooms are supposedly quite expensive and one mushroom may run you $10 US. A kilo of mushrooms is upwards of $300. The pine mushroom is valued for its late season harvest in which it retains a lot of moisture and has a woody aroma. We tried some mushroom soup and then grilled the rest up for dinner. On Sunday, we went trekking. This is were you walk, climb, wade, swim, traverse, jump, balance, ford and hike your way up a river. It was beautiful and fun. We got to cliff jump into a pool of water. I wasn't sure if I'd ever dry out after that adventure. What festivals do you attend?

Stairs I Don't Take Two at a Time

2007-09-29T05:27:00.000-06:00

Life ambition #3....check. The Great Wall. The only man made object visible from space. I climbed the Great Wall! It was everything I'd ever imagined. Sometimes I get my hopes and expectations up and then am disappointed with the results, i.e. most movies based on Michael Crichton books (Congo, Sphere, Lost World). They are such amazing books and such crappy movies. The Great Wall however, did not disappoint. We toured the Badaling section which was the first to be opened to the public, the most heavily restored and thus the most visited. We got there early and didn't have to fight the crowds to get up. It was a pretty strenuous hike and I definitely couldn't take the stairs two at a time like I normally do.

Once at the top, there wasn't much to do but turn around and come back down. Our tour guided had only given us an hour and a half and some people for lack of time or because of physical condition didn't make it to the top. I also walked in the footsteps of The Amazing Race contestants. It was in season 6 when they had to try unlock a lock with a given key on the Xi'an city wall. The padlocks are supposed to symbolize never ending love.On the way down we met a lot of people trying to get up. I can easily see now why the steps were so worn along the wall. With that number of visitors even stone wears out quickly. What are your life ambitions?

Heaven

2007-09-28T06:39:00.000-06:00

From Tiananmen Square we walked past several museums as well as vendors selling everything from guide books to kites.
Our own guide book was quite comical and describe the square saying "bicycles are against the law (but apparently tanks are okay)."
We were talked into taking a rickshaw ride the rest of the way to the Temple of Heaven.

Inside the grounds we stopped to listen to musician families enjoying the afternoon making music and then berating each other when they were off beat or off pitch.

Everything in China signifying heaven is round including the buildings, ceremonial grounds, and burial plots.
The buildings had some beautiful tile work all in blue and green (as opposed to the royal buildings of yellow). On each tile was either a dragon (the emperor) or a phoenix (the empress).
It is a really nice park and a great place to spend a Sunday afternoon.
What mythical animal are you? Dragon or phoenix?

Forbidden City

2007-09-27T05:32:00.000-06:00

Once only open to royals and court officials, the Forbidden City takes up the greater part of central Beijing and is truly breath-taking. The city is situated on a north-south axis with a mountain at the north and water all around. (Something about good chi.)

Inside the moat and exterior wall are countless ornately decorated buildings, gardens, statues, etc. The tile work on all the roofs was yellow which symbolizes happiness and was specifically a royal color. In contrast, all the hutongs that surround the Forbidden City use grey tiled roofs.

The stone carvings are amazing and one has to wonder how long it took commissioned artists to create all of the art word. The courtyards are massive and each one is immaculately laid out.

I wouldn't doubt that there were more than 50,000 people that visited the Forbidden City that day...probably more.Just outside the walls of the Imperial City is the Gate of Heavenly Peace which is easily one of the most recognizable structures in Beijing. This marks the north end of Tiananmen Square which is the largest city square in the world...supposedly.

We started at the north end and made our way south which is opposite of the common tour. It was much better that way because we didn't have to deal with the crowds of people as much.

Where do you run into big crowds?

Dictionary of Jack: Good

2007-09-26T18:24:00.001-06:00

Duty Free

2007-09-26T05:32:00.001-06:00

Needless to say, our trip to Beijing was amazing. We saw and did so much in four days I'm gonna have to break it up into about 12 installments on the blog. The next week or two I'll highlight all the cool stuff we saw and did (Great Wall, Forbidden City, etc.)

We got to the airport last Saturday with plenty of time to spare (which is more than I can say about this morning's return trip...but more on that later). I don't think I have ever truly given a good sense of how much Koreans like to shop. On previous visits to the airport I was amazed at how packed the duty free stores were and more so, they had a duty free pick up counter.

Apparently, you can shop duty free online now. Know any friends going on an international trip? Shop online and have them pick up your items at the airport. This is definitely the thing to do as the pick up section of the store was packed.They had each person's items bagged and labeled on two stories of conveyor belts. Attendants on the top floor just dropped stuff down to the people below. Each item was in about four different bags and then after you picked up your purchases, they had to be checked and then re-bagged in another two bags. Seems like one of the middlemen could have been cut.Then, if you didn't get your fill at the airport stores you can buy stuff mid-flight. I wonder if the stewardesses (sorry, flight attendants) get commission from the sales. They were hawking that stuff pretty viciously.

Unfortunately, I didn't need any cigarettes, cosmetics or liquor so I refrained from purchasing.

What have you bought duty free? Ever purchased anything from those SkyMall magazines?

Taxing the Aliens

2007-09-21T21:57:00.000-06:00

Maybe Korea has it figured out. Maybe not.

I was informed yesterday that my boss had paid my residents fee. At first I didn't know what they were talking about. Apparently Korea charges everybody living in the country a yearly fee. I thought that is what taxes were for (which I do pay). It is an interesting concept. Taxes aren't very high but they find other ways of collecting.

For example: Garbage collection services are free...but the mandatory regulation garbage bags are a dollar each.

After they gave me my receipt for my residents fee, I actually felt kinda special that they would splurge and spend $4 on their favorite teacher.

This will be my last post for several days because I'm off to Beijing. What weekend plans do you have?

Happy Chuseok everyone!

Farewell

2007-09-20T06:50:00.000-06:00

Mrs. Lee took us to dinner tonight to thank and congratulate two teachers who will be leaving on Tuesday.

Rule of thumb: Never say no to a free meal.While we dining we noticed a curious sign. 'Descending Life Line'. Since the restaurant is on the seventh floor of a building and Koreans don't really believe in fire escapes, this was their solution. I'd hate to be the one to try it out.

Bills, Bills, Bills

2007-09-18T06:29:00.000-06:00

Bills, bills, bills. It is that time of month again. The roommates and ex-roommates had better cough up.

Utilities are cheap here and as that is the only expense we pay for our living situation, I really don't mind. The total bills for our apartment are approximately the same as what I was paying for my utilities in rural Montana.

Phone and Internet runs about $35 which is mostly the Internet charge because we rarely use the phone. Gas is between $30 and $4o a month. The water/electricity/maintenance is rolled into one and that can vary from $175 to a whopping $310. Split three or four ways it really isn't bad.

All the bills are paid at the bank. I can walk up to the teller bills and money in hand and she'll file my payment and mark the account paid. It is a pretty slick system. Sometimes it is a little challenging finding time to make it to the bank but over all it is very easy and effective.I have to take my bills to two different banks but fortunately the banks are right across the street from each other and both are a block from the school. Despite my inability to read or speak Korean I can easily take care of the bills.

Are bills something you dread?

Hunting Elusive Prey

2007-09-17T06:39:00.000-06:00

My return to the States is coming frightfully quick. I had a dose of reality last year at about this time when I realized how long of a process job hunting is.

I am in the process of searching out that elusive perfect job again this year. Here are my desires in order of importance:

1. Work that will allow me to be happy and enjoy my job.

2. A job that will bring me satisfaction in knowing that I made a difference in the world.

3. A job that will pay me beaucoup bucks.

4. Co-workers and a boss that are easy to get along with.

5. Moderate amounts of vacation time.

6. The opportunity to travel internationally for business (and vacation on the side).

7. A little time off to pursue an advanced degree (or better yet, financial help).

Is there such a job? Am I setting my sights too high? Let me know if you hear of any good positions that are open or that will open in the next couple of months.

Until then, I guess I'll just keep filling out applications.

Did you find that perfect job?

The Buzz on Daffy

2007-09-15T06:23:00.000-06:00

Every once in a while my Blogger Dashboard will point me toward some really interesting things from the blog sphere. Today's highlights are a new blog called Hobo Teacher and Blogger Play.
Hobo Teacher offers some excellent insight to the world of teaching. He says it best that in order to keep our sanity we often poke fun at the situations we are put in.

Blogger Play is a new feature on blogger that offers a slide shows of pictures being uploaded in real time. This is an interesting concept and serves well to demonstrate the diversity of the blogging community. It is easy to lose time just watching the pictures scroll through.

In other news: It was a lazy Saturday in Gimpo. Yoon Teacher called us to go to eat at our favorite duck restaurant. Back home to relax and digest our meal.

Do you eat duck?

Nore Bong

2007-09-14T06:57:00.000-06:00

The Korean teachers invited us out to nore bong with them. Somehow in the process of it we were shuffled into a room of our own. They wanted to sing only Korean songs and didn't want to be bothered by the occasional English song.

Since there were only two English speakers we killed our vocal cords for an hour. It was a night of classic rock and pop from the 60s, 70s and 80s.

What is your favorite genre of music for karaoke?

Sneak Peek

2007-09-13T06:59:00.001-06:00

This movie looks ridiculous but funny. It is called Mr. Woodcock. Staring Sean William Scott and Billy Bob Thornton (two three name actors). I might have to go see it. There is a funny Montana reference in this clip. They probably used the only two funny lines of the movie in this clip and in the trailer. Said to the stewardess on an airplane, "Bring me a real bottle. I'm an alcoholic not a Barbie doll."

EEsacks

2007-09-12T06:06:00.000-06:00

I would like to introduce you to a staple food in Korea....toast. This is not your run of the mill ordinary toast, this is Isaac's. I've tried a number of them, but the one in Gimpo is my favorite. I love the walk up window. Koreans don't believe in drive-throughs but apparently walk-throughs are much more acceptable. The Isaac restaurant chain serves a variety of grilled sandwiches. Think grilled cheese but better. Each piece of bread is grilled to perfection and then spread with a sweet, buttery herb sauce (secret recipe unknown). A scrambled egg patty (with corn mixed in) is layered on. Next comes your choice of meat (ham or bulgogi). Then there is a heaping amount of shredded cabbage and a squirt of special sauce. Finally, a slice of processed cheese. The sandwich is neatly wrapped in a napkin and handed to you for carry out convenience. This place has become one of my regular places of food consumption partly because it is delicious, partly because the owners are a hoot, and partly because it is ridiculously cheap (this meal $3). The restaurant is named after Isaac (the guy from the Bible). But rather than adopting the English pronunciation (I zak) they opt for (EE sak). Either way, it says a darn good meal.
One the side of the beverage cup is the passage from Genesis 26:12-13:

Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him. And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:

What mispronounced name or word do you hear most often?

Never Fails

2007-09-11T07:22:00.000-06:00

I was slightly worried about what I would blog about. It was just an ordinary average day. I should have learned that Korea never fails or disappoints.

I came home to a street mall and carnival. I guess it was kind of like a block party with vendors, entertainment and food. They had cross dressing karaoke singers,
a huge food court with a spit of pork roast,and dozens of vendors for anything from shoes and cookware to bedding and artwork.My favorite was the rice cake machine. A dollop of batter, a lot of heat, and a lot of pressure and... viola! Rice cake. The machines shoots them out like a high powered air rifle. Good thing there is a screen to stop them from injuring people.

What was your last block party, bazaar or carnival like? What do you like most?

Classroom Management

2007-09-10T06:10:00.000-06:00

I decided to tighten up my classroom management style and the discipline in my class. It hasn't been bad (by my standards) but I decided to try some different tactics today.

I tried to nip potentially disruptive situations in the bud before they got out of hand. Monday is a good day to do that for my class because most of the students are tired and sluggish from the weekend. On the weekends they usually don't have bedtimes (even my kindergartners). On Mondays the kids are sleepy and low key.

I always hated the idea of classroom management because it isn't really something you can be taught but it is something that has to be learned. Going through teacher training in college I always dreaded classroom management the most. I didn't want to be a teacher because of that. I love to teach students who want to learn. But, if they don't want to learn, I don't want them in my class.

My technique (if you can call it that) is based on expectations. I set very high expectations for myself and for the students in the class and I want them to live up to those expectations. All students consciously or unconsciously seemingly have a desire to please the authority figure. When the students don't meet my expectations, I show them how disappointed I am. So the next time they try to please me by acting appropriately or learning the material.

I am not sure it is the best technique but it works for me because I am not an authoritarian teacher and the soft spoken approach doesn't work because I lack the needed amount of empathy.

Time will tell if my efforts will improve my class' behavior.

What management techniques do you use for your class/home/office?

Biblical Ignorance

2007-09-09T07:59:00.000-06:00

I have been wanting to go to the aquarium at the 63rd building ever since we went there the first time way back in April.
I was unfortunately disappointed with the aquarium. It cost 12,000 Won ($12 US) to enter and it was pretty small. It did have some varieties of fish and other critters I've never seen before. We watched the sea lion show for a while and then headed to church.

The lectionary came from a book of the Bible that I have never heard of before...Philemon. It is a small book (one chapter) but in all of my years of church I don't think I've heard a sermon from it before. Sunday school was an awful long time ago and I don't remember the book of Philemon from that either.

When I took a semester in Missouri we would regularly look up Bible verses. To know if we had found it, the leader would say "Raise your hand if you've found it, say Bible study if you haven't."

I felt like saying 'Bible study!' aloud in the middle of service. The book is one of Paul's letters and I quite like the text.

What's your favorite book of the Bible? Why?

Pseudo Goodbye

2007-09-08T05:59:00.000-06:00

After a day of shopping, I met up with everybody for a pseudo goodbye party. CW is going back to the States for three weeks but then will be returning to start her second contract.

We went to our favorite hole-in-the-wall sogum gui restaurant in Yongsan for dinner. Afterwards, we found a really cool street drum festival in Hongdae. Video here.

We then went to a jazz bar with live music. Video here. We also found some delicious crepes where you could point to any of thirty varieties displayed on the wall. We bar hopped our way to a place that served not only peanuts with your drink but also kim (seaweed) and fish oil. We ended the night but we don't say goodbye. We say, see you later. What do you say?

Zen

2007-09-07T05:53:00.000-06:00

TGIF and a moment of Zen.

Worse Than We Expected

2007-09-06T09:15:00.000-06:00

Last night, 60 Minutes Korea as aired on KBS ran a story about American teachers living in Korea. The story profiled 125 schools that were searched and 6 American teachers who were arrested for being under the influence and addicted to marijuana. Five of the teachers were from the same school.

Apparently, they run this story every year about the same time and it really got our Korean management in a tizzy. They called a special staff meeting to tell us not to do drugs and that we shouldn't drink or make a scene 'until after the Korean Thanksgiving'.

Our manager started the staff meeting by saying "It is worse than we expected". I think Koreans blow it a little out of proportion. They must not be able to disseminate the information. One-hundred twenty-five schools checked with an average of five teachers each. Six teachers were found to be under the influence of the illegal drug. That is less than a one percent occurrence! Granted, they shouldn't be doing it. Yes, it is extremely illegal in Korea, but a one percent occurrence? That is a smaller percentage than betting against the Chicago White Sox to win the world series!

We were warned that they might search schools in Gimpo. Cool! I've never given a police mandated urine sample before. (Note to self: no poppy seed muffins for the next couple of weeks.)

Apparently the Korean attention span is only two weeks long. We were told that we shouldn't do anything to disparage the reputation of the school in the next two weeks but that after Thanksgiving (starting Sept. 24) people will have forgotten.

The problem comes from the fact that in addition to those six teachers using marijuana, they also forged their college diplomas which is how they got jobs here in the first place. In order to work as an ESL teacher in Korea you need to prove you have a college degree. (I actually had to send my college diploma.) Forgery constitutes illegal tenure and smoking pot doesn't help the rap sheet.

It was an interesting story. Some parents even called the school to check up on us. Koreans are more racist and prejudicial than anyone I've ever met. Because less than one percent of a representative population subscribes to illegal drug use, that must blanket the behavior of all foreigners. Honestly!?!

Two times in one week I've been discriminated against for being American. Are you prejudicial?

Umbrellas

2007-09-05T07:02:00.000-06:00

Every time it rains businesses in Korea fear the multitude of wet, dripping umbrellas that might trail their way into their places of business. Thus, the invention of the plastic sleeve dispenser.With one step into the business you can quickly slip your umbrella into a specially designed plastic bag that will catch all of the drips and keep the floor of the shop dry. The bags are disposable so before stepping out into the rain, place the bag in the recycle box and then pop open your umbrella. No umbrella should be without one.

What do you think is the most unusual but practical invention?

International Peace

2007-09-04T07:01:00.000-06:00

October 3rd is a national holiday for Koreans. Instead of lounging around like we usually do on national holidays, we decided to support international peace.
We signed up for another 5K run as part of the International Peace Marathon Festival. Apparently this is a well attended and well publicized annual event. It should be fun. How do you support peace?

Sore Calves

2007-09-03T06:35:00.000-06:00

That hike yesterday really did me in. I went to bed early and woke up with calf muscles that were screaming to be stretched out. I was woken up by the door bell at 6:30 in the morning. I was expecting it but it was still jarring. Our boss delivered a new member to the teaching staff whose plane got in at 5am. For the next two weeks we'll actually have seven staff members. Wow!

My aforementioned problems might soon be resolved. I don't want to get my hopes up. Apparently, a place to live is not part of her contract. They only allow her to live in the apartments 'if there is room'. Once we have a full staff (shortly), there won't be any room.

We are in the process of getting our visas for our trip to China. It only takes four days to secure the visa but it costs $100. That seems a little steep especially since it is a fee applied only to Americans. Other nationals wanting to visit China can expect to pay $30, $60, 0r $90 depending on desired length of stay. I'm not sure I've ever been discriminated against for being American. First time for everything I guess.

What have you been discriminated against for?

National Pastime

2007-09-02T02:25:00.000-06:00

Stupid Tourist Sunday!

I woke up this morning to a chilly 23 degrees C. After more than two months of 28+ temperatures, 23 is almost cold.

I decided to take a day hiking trip to Bukhansan National Park which is on the northern city limits of Seoul. It was cloudy but it hadn't yet started to rain. You can reach the park via the Orange subway line (#3) to Gupabal station. From there , a cadre of buses go directly to the park. If all else fails, follow the surplus of Koreans decked out from head to toe in hiking pants, shirts, hats, gloves and shoes. I felt really under dressed as I made my way up the mountain. However, the best equipment in the world doesn't make the athlete. Few of the Koreans could keep up with my pace and I overtook hundreds of them on the trail.

I opted to take a 4.1km (8.2 round trip) hike to the summit of Baegundae. There are three major peaks in the park and this is the tallest at 836 meters. The first 2km were easy going and packed with Koreans. It seemed like the entire city of Seoul was on the trails today.

I eventually broke away from the crowd. Koreans have an interesting habit of stopping right in the middle of the trail to rest or to take a picture at the most narrow area making it impossible to pass. I kept a steady pace and by the third kilometer, I could really feel it. The last kilometer up the mountain was very steep and at the summit you literally had to pull yourself up.

The entire trail was forested and so the only views afforded were at the top. It had started to rain early on in the hike and I was drenched by the time I got to the top. Everything was shrouded in a veil of clouds. I'm sure it would have been an amazing view. I was more concerned about my own safety.
Despite the rain, the rocks had surprisingly good traction. The steepness of the rocks was amazing. In some places it was like rock climbing (without all the proper gear).By the time I did reach the top, I was completely exhausted. I didn't trust my legs at all because they were shaking so badly. It was a grueling day hike. Hiking truly is a national pastime here as there were tons of people out even on this nasty rainy day.

Brew Good Times

2007-09-01T00:57:00.000-06:00

We were going to meet in Itaewon for steaks. Four became three. Three became two. Geckos was full up so we ended up eating at Mignon. It is a French-Belgian resturant that served excellent dishes.I had the scallops and a carmalized crepe for dessert. It was delicious.
We went on a pub crawl in search of some good beer. We tried a couple different places before closing the night at the Rocky Mountain Tavern. It was strangely remeniscent of bars in Montana. It had a majority Canadian crowd and featured t-shirts like "I'm not perfect, but I'm Canadian (and that's close enough). They had imported MooseHead beer that was was much better than any of the Korean brews.

What's your favorite brew?

Never Before

2007-08-31T06:52:00.000-06:00

Never before have I thought of myself as old. Not even a few days ago when I turned a year older. Today was a poignant reminder of exactly how old I am.
It was field trip day at Kid's College and we took the kindergarten classes to Jungle In. It is basically like the old school McDonald's play lands but bigger and better. Ball pits, slides, zip lines, crawl tunnels and countless other tools of fun to wreak havoc on an aging body.

It was a lot of fun. The nice thing about this place is that anyone who surpasses the 4' height mark (even by two feet) can still play. My kids hung on me constantly dragging me through the torturous tunnels and using me as a human sled.
I played with my kids non-stop for the entire time. It was so fun to just play with them and not worry about a lesson, correcting grammar or punishing inappropriate behavior.
At Jungle In we had to take off our shoes and we got to wear these cool slippers that ensured me that my feet would stay healthy.
The kids' parents packed lunch for us and they put on quite a spread. Way too much kimbap and plenty of fruit.
Before lunch, our boss and school principal, Mrs. Lee, talked to the kids about eating. She stressed the importance of eating slowly and waiting before running around. Waiting at least 30 minutes prevents the otherwise inevitable vomit episodes. Her warnings and demonstrations must have done the trick because we were accident free. Her demonstrations were absolutely hilarious and I was able to capture them on video. I couldn't stop laughing as she was talking to the kids. Check it out.

It was a fun day but I can barely move now. Every muscle in my body hurts and I think I sprained a finger on my right hand. I sustained several other injuries including a scratched retina (ball to the eye), bloody lip (head butted by Rex), and a bruised tailbone (way too many trips down the slide). It was worth it.What activity reminds you of your age?

Jon McLaughlin - Industry

2007-08-30T06:30:00.001-06:00

I've had this song stuck in my head all day. I love it. It is from his CD Indiana.

Obsession for a Laugh

2007-08-29T06:32:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I ashamedly cannot pull myself away from my computer. Today was one of those days. Thanks to Freakonomics, I discovered a new blog (new to me) called Indexed.

The writer uses standard index cards to illustrate ponderings in a mathematical and economical way. Who ever knew economics could be fun?

Her Venn diagrams and x/y graphs put the world into simplistic realisms that provoke thought and a good dose of laughter.

No subject is taboo and she touches on everything from Disney
to the Bibleto Monty Python.She will be publishing a book next February and anybody in need of a gift idea for me would do well to write this one down. ;-)

Can you view the world in a Venn diagram? What would it look like?