Happy Halloween!

Boo!

Halloween holds a special place in my heart, especially since my BFF and I threw a Kick-A Halloween party two years ago.... Look at those sexy witches!

It was supposed to turn into an annual event, but her wedding took precedence last year and this year... well, it's difficult to plan a party trans-Pacific. 

Anyways, Jess feels the same way about Halloween, WITCH is why she gave me some pumpkins to decorate with my kids before I left. Koreans don't really celebrate Halloween, with the exception on English Hogwans (schools like mine) that exploit the holiday in true American fashion. I will put some pics up of that this weekend, but for now I hope this can get you in a SPOOKY mood! 

(notice how early the peace sing in pictures is taught?! kim-cheese!)

Jessica - Thank you for the pumpkins! The kids loved them and I loved having an excuse to break from the usual teaching plans! Happy Halloween!!!

FALLing in Love with Hiking

With so many people living on top of each other in countless skyscraper apartments that lack any inspired architecture, it is no wonder that the Koreans in Seoul love their outdoor activities. Hiking is a very popular pastime here.

 

Compared to back home, hiking in Korea is much more recreational. The trails are crowded and at the bottom, and sometime even on the way up, there are restaurants and bars. In true Korean form, the trails are also lined with hiking fashionistas. The North Face and Columbia must be making a killing here, because everyone is decked out from their boots to the special pants, jackets and backpacks. If you just saw a lone hiker on the street, you would think that they were geared up for some serious expedition.

 Last weekend Zach, Kim, Laura and I set out to take in some fall foliage at the nearby Bukhansan National Park. 

It is a short tax ride from the subway, so it gets packed on the weekends when weather is nice. There are endless paths in the park, and I’m not sure which one we opted for, but I was winded before we got to the first set of restaurants. The thing about mountains in Korea is that most of them go straight up. Elevation-wise, they aren’t horrible, but the trail we were on was like being on a Stairmaster for two hours straight. Luckily, the leaves were beautiful so we made plenty of stops for photos and oxygen.

                                                               

Zach and Laura made it all the way to the top, but Kim and I decided to have an apple and save our energy for the trek back down the hill. We weren’t far, but the trail was getting very crowded and my legs were Jello. Since it is so close, I will definitely return to conquer the mountain, but for my first visit I was pleased just to get out and see all of the amazing fall colors.  

Seoul Searching Books

The combination of sans-TV and daily bus commutes has given me a great opportunity to broaden my literary repertoire. I have already gone through all of the books I brought with me (half of a small suitcase…it would have been more if not for the weight restriction), and I have now moved on to borrowed books until my stock is replenished (Thanks Mom!). Most of the books were donated, courtesy of Miss KP (Kamsa hamnida!) and others were on my “to read” list back home.

Here is the list of books I’ve gone through so far. All of them were excellent and I highly recommend them!

1. Me Talk Pretty, David Sedaris
2. New Moon, Stephenie Meyer
3. Eclipse, Stephenie Meyer
4. Uglies, Scott Westerfeld
5. Pretties, Scott Westerfeld
6. Specials, Scott Westerfeld
7. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, David Sedaris
8. The Road, Cormac McCarthy
9. Falling Man, Don Delillo
10. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Jean-Dominique Bauby
11. My Horizontal Life, Chelsea Handler
12. Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer
13. The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
14. The Memory of Running, Ron McLarty
15. Changes, Ama Ata Aidoo
16. The Tales of Beetle the Bard, J.K. Rowling

1. David Sedaris is HYSTERICAL! I was given this book for my birthday and I am hooked. His books are collections of short stories about his childhood, relationships and growing up. I was really glad to be reading on my way here (SK) because I truly needed a good laugh after goodbyes at the airport and the first week adjusting to my new life.


2-3. New Moon and Eclipse are the second and third books of the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. The series is claimed to be the next Harry Potter. In my opinion, I wouldn't say they compare, but they are engrossing and based in a fantasy world with Vampires and Werewolves. I read the first book, Twilight, while I was in Africa and I can't wait to get the forth book to see what happens next! In addition to the fantasy, this series is truly a love story that I can't get enough of!


4-6. The Uglies series is science fiction, which I usually am not a huge fan of. The premise revolves around a "Utopian" society where everyone is surgically turned beautiful when they turn 16 to level the scales and eliminate jealousy, greed, etc. The hippy in me loved the environmental message that it also brings up, since the new society was established after the "Rusties" (that's us) basically self-destruct due to our greedy nature.


7. Again, David Sedaris had me lol on the bus, in the subway and anywhere else I had a moment to crack open this book.


8. The Road did not impress me at first...but after having a few discussions with other readers I have changed my mind. It is dark and depressing, but brings about some interesting questions. I think if I was in that situation, I would have taken sides with the wife. If you don't know what I mean, read the book to find out! This is also coming to theatres soon or it is already out (but not in Korea).


9. I have avoided all things 9-11 since someone thought it was okay to start turning people's stories of loss and tragedy into movies. With that mindset, I started to read Falling Man which is a fictional account of the emotional roller coaster that one man experienced after walking away from the twin towers that day. Overall, I wouldn't consider it a must read, but form your own opinion!


10. This book was inspiring. It was written by a former editor of some women's fashion magazine. He suffered from a stroke and ended up with locked-in syndrome. This is when a person becomes completely paralyzed and is basically trapped inside their own body. He wrote the book while in this state and it offers some thought provoking questions and insight into his world.


11. Thank you Jessica for sending me this book for Christmas! I was lol on the airplane to and from the Philippines. If you have any morals, this might not be the book for you... but as the title suggests, there is plenty of sexy, raunchy stories that are sure to offend a certain crowd. Luckily for me, I do not belong to said crowd and found Miss Handlers accounts of one-night stands and men in general to be hysterical. I'm looking forward to reading her other book!


12. I finally finished it!!! The Twilight series has been strung out for me (compared to my co-workers who became obsessed and guzzled the books over a course of days). I do love the characters, and am hopeful that this is not the end for the Cullens and the Bella/Edward unit. PS- I saw the movie here... and it was not what I expected. Thoughts from fans??

13. I picked up this classic thinking, "It's a classic for a reason." I really didn't know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was a fast, easy read but it kept me turning the pages to find out more about Gatsby!


14. Again, thank you Jessica for a great read. This book is about a man who loses his parents and sister within days. He struggles with memories and flashbacks as he starts fixing his own life by riding cross country on a bicycle. It's not for everyone, but I liked it.


13.

One potato, Two potato…

Growing up hasn’t dulled the excitement that comes from school field trips!!! Once a month the kindergarten kids go on a field trip, which means I do too!

I teach two kindergarten classes, Nevada and New York (the classes are all called different state names… I’m working on getting Arizona instead of Idaho, because honestly, Idaho??). Nevada is my favorite class when it comes to the younger kids. The class is made up of eight kids with very different personalities.

On this outing we visited a sweet potato farm. Basically, we hauled the kids out to this farm to dig up potatoes and then took pictures of them with their cache. The kids really enjoyed it, which brought about the inspired idea of introducing Vocational English Schools to Korea. We could “teach” the kids to make shoes or cheap trinkets, or perform other labor-intensive operations with only English instruction. I understand that this might be interpreted as a sweatshop, but if the kids are learning English I think the concept has some real potential J

After the kids got their fill of digging for spuds, they took a ride on a tractor and then it was time for lunch! The thing I found the most peculiar about this part of the trip were the lunch mats. All of the kids bring these little mats with their favorite cartoon characters to spread out on the grass before eating their packed lunch. To top it off, they take their shoes off before stepping on the mat, just like at home. It is Korean tradition to take off your shoes at most places and the picnic mats are no exception.

Overall, I think it was a successful day at the farm.

The Life - Chapter 1

As promised, here is the first chapter of highly anticipated chronicles of Zach. Enjoy!

The Life

Pivotal.  Monumental.  Once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.  Those are but three adjectives that have been used to describe the event.  There are some whom refer to the event as, "The Beginning of a New Beginning" or "The Day the Definition of 'Amazing' was Rewritten" or "Hope....Realized".

Me?  I merely refer to the event as "My Birth".  It was nothing special for me.  It was as typical as any birth that I've ever been associated with.  So why have some people chosen to superlativise my birth...and along with it so many other events since that time that can directly be linked to my birth?  Well, that's hard for me to answer.  How 'bout I just tell you the facts, and then maybe you will be able to tell me.

The year was 1980.  Jimmy Carter was president.  He was finishing his term and preparing the office for the actor/president that was to follow him.  I've had many friends, family, and other general colleagues tell me that if the great constitution of the United States of America did not directly forbid occupying the office of President by someone of fewer than 35 years of age, I would have been a shoe-in for the terms that were ultimately filled by Ronald Reagan.

Would that have been a good thing?  Well, let me ask you this:  would it have been a good thing for the United States not to have devoted so much money to the Star Wars missile defense program that never came to fruition?

At the tender age of 2ish, panic struck my family.  Some could say that it struck me, too, but honestly, I was never afraid.  I never gave it a second thought.  I was too busy fighting the ailment that made an early attempt at my life.  As it turns out, Spinal Meningitis was no match for me.  My parents say that I almost died.  My grandparents agree with them.  Little do they know, however, that I was just unable to communicate with them and tell them that all was okay; I was preoccupied with a certain fight.  Why do I not come clean and tell them now?  Why do I not let them know that my life was in good hands that entire time?  I'll tell you why.  Its the same reason the elders in The Village did not come clean and tell the truth about 'Those Whom We Do Not Speak Of'.  It would be bad for business; it would melancholize the script of my life.

I could continue with epic tales of my life.  I won't though.  It's not because I am afraid of boring you, though.  Conversely, it is for precisely the opposite reason; I am terrified that you would never be able to read anything else.  You would probably find everything else painfully boring after you read about my life.  Because I care....I will spare you.  Like I said, though, I'm not sparing you from having to read my story....I'm sparing you from having to read anything else AFTER you read my story.

Instead, I will skip ahead to the present.  I believe that I have effectively left my mark back home.  The United States knows who I am.  At least, those that merit knowing who I am know me.  And that's all that matters.  You see, I don't do it (my life) for the benefit of those that do not matter.  That would be pointless.  I do it for the benefit of those that do matter.

Anyways, the significance of other individuals is neither here nor there.  I just want you to know that I am living in South Korea now.  Why?  Because they wanted me.  What am I doing?  Nothing out of the ordinary.  I wake up every morning.  I change a child's life....for the better.  I go home.  I go to sleep.  I get up the next morning and do it all over again.  How do I manage to keep my head in the game every single day?

It's who I am.

It's who I am........

Team Oedae

A lot of people have asked me about the people I work with, so I figured a “Team Page” was in order. The school, Oedae Language Institute, has four and a half other “foreign” teachers, expats, like me. Three are from the states (Kate, Sean & Zach) and the other (Abueng) is from Canada. The remaining half-foreign teacher is Andrew, who is Korean, from Korea (I think… ), but lived in England for a period of time so they consider him a foreign teacher. I asked some of the teachers to write a short blurb about themselves and how they came to teach in SK, but none of them are excited about the idea, with the exception of Zach.

 

Zach arrived in Korea just a month before I did, so we share the “newbie” title. He is from Texas, but I try not to hold that against him. I could give you a synopsis based on my impressions of him, but you should be able to draw your own conclusions from him. Zach has eagerly agreed to not only write a short bio, but rather a more extended and detailed, full biography. He is taking this very seriously and there have been whispers of memoirs… Regardless of format, I have agreed to publish said biography on my blog with limited censorship. Part I is currently in final editing stages and should be up shortly… Stay tuned!!!

 

Due to the other teachers lack of enthusiasm, their bios are based on my perception of them and whatever facts I have come by via conversations and salacious Oedae gossip.

 

Kate is the eldest foreign teacher as far as tenure goes. She is also the foreign teacher director, which means she is the one responsible for relaying all things decided in Korean. She is basically the spokeswoman for all of the other foreign teachers and it will be interesting to see the shift of power once she leaves next month.  Kate has been living in SK for the last two years. She is originally from Massachusetts and is exciting to be returning home soon.

 

Sean will be leaving Team Oedae next month as well, to take another teaching job in Jeju (basically, the Hawaii of Korea… there are already plans to visit). He previously taught English in Japan, along with a number of other foreigners that I have been hanging out with. Sean is a Spanish major, so he has lived and studied in Spain on top of living in various cities from Vegas to Portland. Rumor is he even flung fish for some fishing company up in Alaska for a while (flashbacks from Pike Place Market come to mind…)

 

Abueng worked with Sean in Japan, so when their school went out of business they relocated to SK. She is originally from Toronto, Canada. Her plan is to work here for a year and save up money until she can return to Japan. She has traveled all around Europe and has even lived in both Germany and….INDIA (I am very jealous)!!! She dabbles in linguistics and is currently learning Japanese.

Andrew is, well, Andrew. I don’t know much about him besides what I previously mentioned. He is married and has two little girls. He is really into fashion and fitness (obviously… did you see the picture??). If his English improves, I might be able to offer a more captivating biography J

 

The Parks (Linda & Mr.) are the owners of the school. Linda is always smiling (except when she is regulating some unruly student or negotiating terms for cell phones or Taekwondo classes). She speaks English fairly well and essentially runs the school. No one is quite sure what it is that Mr. Park does besides handle the occasional bill. Mr. Park’s English is pretty limited, but I have concluded from our conversations that golfing is expensive here and E-mart (comparable to Wal-mart) is owned by Samsung. He is also a stellar car-parker. Spaces here are teensy and I was amazed when I first witnessed him maneuver the Kia minivan without a moment of hesitation. 

 

Mud

The evening after the temple visit a group of us camped on the beach, which was a short bike ride from the pension. I was VERY nervous about the ride with my big backpack, but it turned out to be NBD! The sunset was beautiful as we were riding.  

By the time we got to camp it was getting pretty dark so we quickly set up the tents and settled in for an evening on the beach with fireworks and soju (a risky but rewarding combination).

When I woke up the tide was out and there were endless mudflats to explore. 

Dave and I were the only ones brave enough to venture out into them with the mission of reaching another beach just down the shoreline. 

It was fun until we started sinking up to our knees and then it just seemed problematic (camera + mud = tears). We were able to make it back to solid ground, but without shoes we didn’t make it much further... 

The mud was really fun to squish around in and I am looking forward to the 

Mud Festival next July!!!