낭만 고양이 있다 - Kitty

I have enjoyed the song 낭만 고양이 (I Am A Romantic Cat) ever since Cherry Filter released it years ago. Feel free to listen to it as you continue to read.

One of the biggest things I have missed in Asia is seeing someone when I get home. So, as a way to fix that, I got my own kitty. Female, had previous owners from our local US Military base. Came pre-spayed, with shots, de-clawed, with an identification microchip in her neck, and even her own instructions to how to evacuate her in case a new conflict with the North breaks out (not even joking).

She decided to hide for the first 36 hours but when she came out she was very friendly and very talkative. She is also very good at being cute.

It's always been a running joke of mine that whenever I see a cat I saw his name is 낭만 ("Nang-mn" - Romantic). People realize the second word; cat, put two and two together and realize I am referring to the song. I've wanted to call my own cat 낭만 (Nang-mn) for years and now I have been able to do so~

Sugar High

Friday is over.
Classes went well.
Had a Thanksgiving on Yongsan Garrison via the Dragon Hill Lodge buffet.
Spent some great time with friends.
Grabbed a Tropic Thunder movie poster I saw (it's coming here in a few weeks).
Had a nice walk at 2 AM.
Crazy sugarless sugar high. I can't really say it's sugar since the last sugar I consumed was dinner at the buffet.
Using Skype to chat with a few people and then going to bed.

Cell Phones, Snow, and Editing

On Thursday I participated in the testing of several voice controlled programs for upcoming cell phones. I had to speak predetermined text messages and the cell phones would do their best to figure out and type what I said. One was really bad and the other was getting about 75% correct. My favorite two messages:
The teach ain't show up yet
Her attractiveness rises like the price of petrol

---

The great news is it snowed on Thursday. Western Seoul had about 30 minutes of the white stuff falling from the sky. The more east the clouds went the less snow there was. I heard the Shincheon area only got about 5 minutes of the stuff.

---

I have been an editor for several ESL books by a large publisher here in Korea. I am currently editing a third book for them which is closely tied to the second that I worked on. Looking at the updated version it looks like they only made twelve changes out of the first fifteen pages of notes I wrote for them. I only wrote, you know, 73 pages of notes >_<'''

I love this country but the education system (books, teaching styles, punishment systems, and almost everything ESL related) is really skewed. It's really hard to care about teaching when we have to teach the wrong material, use problematic books, have too tight of schedules, too high of expectations, numbers of crap teachers, employers who don't follow their own contracts. I'm tired of being disillusioned and tired of feeling that my efforts are for naught.

I cannot wait to get out of this system and into full time Korean lessons; which I know will be crazy hard but for me will be more beneficial. For now I'll be going to work, putting on my 15 pieces of flair, (continue) to use my spare time for Korean, and leave as soon as work is done.

Pepero Day & Soccer

Today for our third English class I read sentences out loud and then the students had to fill in the key words:

My father is a _____(<-farmer).
_____(<-he) likes ______(<-flowers).
...
I am a ________(<-player).
I like soccer.

Who says English can't be fun? ^_^ v And yes, I had to repeat each sentence 3 or 4 times out loud and very slowly ㅋㅋㅋ

Second order of business, Happy Pepero Day~ The only holiday which doesn't hide it's corporate backings.
Let's meet the Pepero characters!
To get a kiss all you need is Pepero.
Let's all sing the Pepero song!
And before you sugar high wears off, watch the crazy acid trip of yet another Pepero Song.

Got My Sample Ballot ~

Last week I got a letter in the mail telling me to get ready for the election and yesterday, November 6th, I got my official sample ballot in the mail. I just need to fill this thing out, put the postage on it, wait a week for it to get back to California (which of course needs to arrive before the 4th) and then my vote counts. Oh yeah~

Richard in Tokyo - Part 2

Going to Asakusa we were right on time as the clock slided up and other parts turned around to show characters in traditional costume as we were in the densest temple area in the city. It had to be the biggest lantern I've ever seen. But we still had to pass a ton of shops to get to the temple itself.

When I was in junior high I remember seeing round glasses which would make the wearer look like he had asian eyes. Magically everyone seems to have forgotten that these ever existed. However in Asia we have the other side of the coin.

When we get closer to the actual temple entrance on the left and right are tons are lanterns showing the names of people who have donated. I really didn't expect to see this kind of building in Japan. A monk praying by the main building? I didn't know the Lions were involved in temples.

The next day at Shibuya we fought the crowds a bit, got lunch together, and wandered around from there. Later that night we passed a rice vending machine. Please read the label. Had a wonderful homemade dinner (the chicken was amazing~). Glanced at the family photos, traditional bedroom, and New Years badmittion racket. Went to the sauna with my friends' father. Saw the coolest toilet ever where you can wash your hands right then and there. One of the problems with similiar toilets in Asia is your leg can activate certain buttons unexpectadly. Another advantage with this one is that the controls are off to the side.

Back at the airport I got there in time to still get a nap before our flight. Saw another multipurpose bathroom and gazed at the posters talking about illegially imported meat. I guess it is not just the Koreans who are afraid of beef specifically.

Richard in Tokyo - Part 1

My favorite airports in the world are in Asia. The workers are polite, the facilities are clean, and things run at an efficient pace. The backrooms are sparkling are even clearly labeled. Have a child with you? Not a problem.

I met with my friend and her mother and we headed for a large building with an observation deck. I enjoy the clock on this building. This was such a new building that it was not on the maps yet. This huge green area is actually the grounds of a temple. It reminds me of Central Park. Something with the glass and/or my lens, possibly the sun, tweaked the colors in this shot. These two are connected and the closer building shows the track on the top me thinks to clean the windows. A lot of Japanese buildings show the struggle with traditional and futuristic. I never expected to see six huge fans on top of a building in downtown Tokyo. Mt. Fuji was a big hard to see but the clouds actually pointed directly towards it. I'm used to seeing 25+ story apartments in Seoul so I was rather surprised to see such few skyscrapers here. Construction. Cute little river. Even my friend was surprised to see it. The observation deck was covered with different sporting posters for the Olympics to possibly return to Tokyo in 2016.

The Imperial Palace covered a large area with a steep wall and truly deep moat surrounding it. This was the bridge in the country of it's style for quite some time. To access the palace you must cross the bridge and enter the gate. My favorite picture. Unlike the equivalent in Seoul, this is only open to the public on New Years and maybe once or twice more per year. But just like the palace in Seoul, the Imperial Palace (traditional) it located right next to skyscrapers (modern). I had to get a picture of my friend ^^ Check out the sun coming through the clouds into the city. I wouldn't see surprised to see this in a Korean TV drama.

If you look closely you can see a sign saying Cow Parade. These are internationally traveling cows that I previously saw in Amsterdam several years ago. And if you look in the distance you can see another. I think these are #38 and #39.

I couldn't get the focus right in time but I still like the shots.

새로은 이름: 함민우 - My New Name

Now my English name plays out a little bit like "Who is on first?" With Who, What, and I Don't Know being the names. Well Richard Moore becomes Ri-cha-ee-du 리차드 Moo-oh 뭐. Well the family name sounds like "What?" So techincally my name is Richard what?

Since Moore is spelled either 뭐 or 무어 my friend Jiyeon had the idea of taking the 무 from 무어 and using that as the family name within my new Korean name. That is more rare and then using something a bit more common for the rest of my name. She then sent me a list of 35 personal names.

Well I talked to my 누나 Korean sister and she had the idea of using her family name 함 (Haam) and then 민우 (Min-ou), which is actually the second name in Jiyeon's list. In Korean we take the phonetic sounds of names and then use a dictionary to see all of the Chinese charaters that match that sound therefore giving our names meaning. Well 민우 often translates together as "People Friend" so I will be taking that as my Chinese characters aka the meaning of my name. 민우 is also the second name that Jiyeon gave me in her list of ideas. Also if you say my name 민우 (Min-ou) it has a very gentle sound to it.

I am hoping within the next week or so to go to the shoe repair/keymaker/name stamp maker and get my personal name stamp made. I've only wanted a Korean name for, how many years now? And now I have it~

Engrish

Saw a t-shirt today on the way to work. It was worn by a mother of a kindergarten-aged boy. it read:
More Parties
More Boys
More Kisses

A few hours later I saw "DISH" 8 inches tall on the back of a woman's jacket.

Remember folks, words on shirts are meant to look good, not to portray any meanings.

And as of ten minutes ago I have now seen 91 Korean films. I've got another 30 used DVDs I haven't seen yet and probably another 20 on the computer. This is a lot better than in Japan where I couldn't find a single Japanese film that had English subs >_<

So Far...

So I am in Japan for the weekend. My friend that was supposed to pick me up never showed and accidently gave me the wrong phone number. 6 hours later I was able to discover the correct number but now I can't find a phone.

My other friends who live in a neighboring city aren't picking up their cell; that or I got a wrong number again.

I'm almost found the hostel but I can't seem to get there yet. Oh yeah, and it's raining.

This whole traveling outside of Korea thing isn't working well for me. But at least I'll get two stamps in my passport which is better than the US and Canada do; jerks.

Update: I'm meeting with my first friend in about an hour and I got in contact with my second group of friends.

Karaoke and Live Crabs

Last night I met some friends I haven't seen in awhile, we got pizza, and went to a karaoke room together. I've spent a good chunk of time in Korea but this was only my third time to such a room; which surprised my friends. I rarely listen to English language music and the songs I do know aren't available. I can't sing along to the Japanese songs I know due to my never learning Japanese. And the Korean songs I listen to have traditionally been too fast for me to read along with and sing out loud. I was pleasantly surprised to discover I can read and sing along a lot better than I could before. I think it helped hearing Bohemian Rhapsody sung a few days prior. Now I know how to change the pitch of the song, the speed, as well as how to skip the instrumental parts.

I was grabbing a few items this evening at the grocery store and stopped and stared for a few minutes as I watched an employee pulling live crabs out of cardboard boxes, packed with sawdust. Just like I used to see live lobsters with rubber bands on their claws at grocery stores in the States, I now watched rubber band-free crabs pulled to customer specifications and put into a plastic bag for purchase. I must admit it is true how they pull each other back down if one tries to escape.

First Week Back

Saturday was the mark of my first full week back. In that time I moved almost everything to my new place. Did a multiple day scrubbing of the apartment. Stocked the fridge, freezer, and shelves. Got plenty of pots, pans, dishes, knives, etc. Ordered wardrobes and got my computer table in. I met with some friends, ran all over the city, and completed my first week at work.

I've now got some tutoring gigs lined up. Meeting with an evening fellowship group Thursdays. Bought a great used washing machine, got it delivered, and got the special hookups completed. Internet will come in next week. I have a meeting Thursday morning to get curtains and I'm online now with a friend to get bedsheets. Notices how my entire kitchen and bathroom were finished before I started on my bed and curtains. You can see where my priorities are ;)

New Apartment

Well I have moved most of my stuff into the new apartment. I've just got two more shelves in the kitchen I want to clean and then the cleaning is done. I had the most enjoyable experience the last two days as I went on multiple trips to the supermarket and surrounding stores getting things for my new place:
Oil, pepper paste, pepper powder, udon, jajjang noodles, milk, water, seaweed, kimchee, doncasu, tons of dumplings, cereal, and my first ever 4kg bag of rice~

I get the rice cooker tonight and hopefully can get some curtains, bedsheets, and a washing machine soon.

After changing where I was living every 2 to 4 months, I can actually call a place home.

Stressed

After a rather unpleasant series of flights, I am finally back in Korea.
-Got all of my suitcases and successfully brought them into my new apartment (good).
-Really deep cleaned the bathroom and kitchen (good)
-so much so that I bruised some tendons in my arm (bad).
-I've already brought a load of things from my dorm to the apartment (good).
-Getting some used items via expat websites (good).
-Am stressing about working tomorrow (mixed). It's good that I am concerned about doing a good job and so it is frustrating how there is be little to no time between getting to the office and starting to teach my first class. I am hoping I can meet with the principle after my day of work so I can actually prepare for my day's worth of teaching.
-Trying to apply for the Korean Language classes at Yonsei and having issues with their website. If I cannot get into their program I will apply for Ewha or the university just south of me (good).
-The really good news is that I found my old ID card, so I can get access to areas of Yonsei reserved only for students. (very good)

"We're Too Busy" ~IMDB

So now I have submitted the second time "Rough Cut" with tons of information and IMDB has again e-mailed me back saying they don't have enough time to verify our little foreign film.

"We are contacting you because our approval team has been busy
reviewing many submissions and hasn't had time to examine your new
title"
...

"Please note that your title has not been explicitly rejected as nobody
has even looked at it."
...

"Please know that new titles are processed in order of their priority." (and some little Korean film that might make a few screenings in the US in 6 months isn't high on our radar).
...
"Otherwise, the title will remain at the bottom of our editors' list,
where it eventually runs the risk of being removed from our system
entirely without ever being reviewed."

Okay, so I'll post on the forums for the director and writer and such. IMDB will eventually catch on.

All By My Chef - 베니건스~

Bennigan's in Korea has been running a promo "All By My Chef" recently. With the spirit of their campaign they are running a new competition in which they want you to pose with one of their chefs.

The only problem was that none of their chefs were dressed in the chef-style clothes. They apologized and told us to come back next week. I'm in the wrong country the next week.

Ten minutes later they convinced one of their chefs to done the garb and come upstairs for a picture. Too fun.

Trailers~!

I found a trailer and a behind-the-scenes for "Rough Cut". And like all films these days, the trail gives away almost everything. I don't have subs for it but the trailer is here.

And a short making-of is here with the director making a brief appearance throwing eggs (throws the second egg) 1:02 in.

I get to go to a special screening of it on Monday and I've heard my name will be making the credits~

^_^ "v"

너무 행복해요! 다음 워요일에서 이 영화 봘껬어요. 그리고 Richard Moore 크레둣에 있겠어요!

"영화는 영화다" (Film is Film) aka "Rough Cut"

Through a friend I met a producer who works for the writer/director Kim Ki-duk. The next day I am on the set watching Japanese fans trying to get glimpses of the Korean actors big in both Korea and Japan. I meet the director Jang Hun; the former assistant director on two Kim Ki-duk films. I also meet So Jim-sob, the editor, the sound man, and a few other people.

A few weeks later I have a copy of the script and am reviewing footage. Every weekend since I was taking trips up to Seoul and taking part in the editing. The last two weekends were the best since I was able to review the entire movie getting closer to final cut and was able to make my own side-by-side edits of the entire film. The editor and the director reviewed my work and discussed if they liked it or not.

Since my Korean is at a low level, I was not exactly able to edit dialogue. However I was able to focus more on flow (we had to cut 30 minutes from the rough cut) as well as continuity (fun!). It is being released Sept. 11th; the Thursday before Chusok. Today I saw some of the posters posted around town. The first teaser poster came out on the internet several weeks before (love that shot) with another poster I spotted today on the web (ㅎㅎ looks so posed). Here is another poster.

In a nutshell, this is a movie within a movie. I enjoy how it continues to go back and forth between what is "real" and what is being filmed for the "movie". The main character has been playing gangster roles for so long he sees himself as a gangster. During fight sequences he really punches the stunt men and has more than an air of superiority. Then he meets a real gangster who finds movies to be his new hobby and things escalate from there.

This is a low budget movie that doesn't feel low budget. Both of the actors are well known and it is getting a large holiday release in Korea. We'll see how it does when it comes out next month.

Costco

Walmart used to be in Korea but has pulled out a few years ago. While Sam's Club seems to just be in the US , Costco has locations in eight countries. A few years ago I visited the Costco in Taipei several times, but this has been my first visit to them in Korea. A few things I found interesting on my visit:
-Clothing sizes were marked with S M L but also with "US Size" or "Asia Size". Handy.
-I can buy large bags of tortilla chips and salsa by the gallon, not to mention A1 and Tabasco. However they do not carry any kind of taco or burrito seasoning.
-Cheese balls and beef jerky are located next to some Japanese snacks and Dutch beer.
-I can buy a 1.75L bottle of official Kirkland Signature vodka.
-They still sell pizzas ready to cook however Koreans rarely have an oven.
-Both locations I have seen in Korea are two stories of store with additional floors for parking.
-Snapple is available in vending machines and in 12 packs.
-A two-pack of melons is only $12 after coupon. In this country fruit is really expensive. At a normal store those two melons could cost $18.
-They have a wide selection of dumplings ^_^
-X-Files seasons, which have normally cost around $100, were being sold for $35! Amazon is currently selling them for $37. US TV shows have optional dubbing depending on which channel you watch them on in Korea (if you see them in the US the big shows will have optional Spanish). The trouble is when DVDs of US shows and movies are released they don't including the dubs. This is frustrating for me because it could be a fun way to learn Korean. So I was surprised when The X-Files have the dubbing on the DVDs! I watched "Bad Blood" with dubbing. ㅋㅋㅋ
-A little boy called me 아저씨! I've only been called that a few times. It's used for a much older man.

I had fun. I'm not sure how often I will be using my membership, which BTW I was able to get a penpal her own card, but I am glad I got it and am getting a kick out of going to the store.

My Second Sister Gets Married

I have two sisters. One of them is by blood, one of them is not. Two summers ago my American sister married and this last weekend my Korean sister married as well. After arriving at the wedding hall I first saw the welcome table for the bride (can give your gift of money, say hello, sign the guestbook). Next I saw one of the mothers dressed in hanbok in front of the traditional flower displays you will see at various events.

To the side they have the photobook, filled with pictures taken before the wedding while wearing various wedding clothing.

The student orchestra warms up. And then one of the students asks me if I am going to see my sister or not. Now I am used to the idea of the bride and groom not seeing each other before the service. Isn't it traditionally bad luck? But then I find my Nuna (big sister) sitting in a room accessible to everyone. She'll pose for pictures and then return to her very stoic pose. Okay, so I guess it isn't bad luck for non-groom people to see her before the ceremony.

Teachers want to take a picture with their fellow teacher? Not a problem. Different group of teachers go up, sure thing. Admit it, it took you a few minutes to find me there. I just...blended in. Just like Waldo~

Bummer they weren't flower girls; they were so darling. Come to think of it, I haven't seen flower girls at a Korean wedding before. Students in their uniforms want to take a picture with their teacher? No problem. But what about the groom, surely he isn't allowed in; bad luck right? Guess not. Acting cute for the camera. Now with a heart shape to show your love. Teachers' turn!

In traditional Asian photos no one smiles. Not even at a wedding. Well, to get away from those traditionally "boring" photos, we gotta spice things up a bit.

He's got such a kind smile. Song of blessing as they pull out the white cloth for the couple to walk upon.

Truly guess forget about not seeing each other before the wedding. Really like the coloring with this one.

This was a parody song of some sort. I kept hearing lines about "beautiful woman" and "great woman" but really didn't catch the rest.

Fun action shot.

What's fun glancing at this photo is that I recognize twelve people in it. But for me, the part I was looking forward to the most happens after the Western-style ceremony; there is a private ceremony only for family (and Rick!). The couple dress in extravagant clothing and go through a few rituals. After that they change to more tame traditional clothing and then go off to their honeymoon. The best part of the day: I got to see my sister and brother-in-law in hanbok ^_^v

Dance Party, er...I mean English Class

The students are in the middle of midterms, which is never a fun time; they are tired, don't want to talk in "English Conversation Class," and a number of the kids are getting head colds. I have found it is really hard to teach around this time and last year ended up forfeiting the day before midterms simply telling the kids they have a self-study time; much to their delight.

I did that again this year but my 8th class was really disappointed by my idea. Their Taekwando class consisted of changing into their uniforms and then studying alone for two hours directly before my class >_<' Dang it.

Getting input from the students they really wanted to hear some music, as they are not allowed to have MP3 players, they really wanted to hear music. I pulled out my iPod, hooked it up to the computer, and handed it to one of the students who became the class DJ. They played Black Eyed Peas, Wondergirls, Loveholic, Jaurim, Boa, Jewelry, Chaeyoon, and Clazziqui.

But the even bigger surprise was they had the dance steps memorized for these songs. At a minimum we had four students doing the entire dance sequences from the music videos. I have learned how Asians from several East-Asian countries enjoy singing in public but somehow I have missed their desire to dance. Another day another realization.

Fan Death - The Silent Killer

A friend a few years ago had a homestay in a Korean home (this all happened in Seoul) and one morning he complained about his experience the night before. It was summer, it was hot, he turned on his fan, X amount of time later he went to sleep only to later wake and discover the fan was turned off. Hot, he turned it back on and went back to sleep. He later awoke again and discovered the same thing. The following morning the family told him, very seriously, that they saved his life.

I have since learned about a saying in Japanese that roughly says "don't let a breeze cross your face while you sleep." I have discovered that a fan (breeze) will sometimes give me a sore throat if the air was dry. Pouring water on the hard floor or putting a bowl of water out saves me from any discomfort.

Since Korea has had very hard times in its' history, simple colds could lead to bigger health problems sometimes being death. Case in point, they celebrate the 100th Day Birthday of children as it is an indicator of the health of the child; if the child is still alive and healthy after 100 days, chances are the child will live for years to come.

So okay, head colds are bad, in poor conditions it could prove to be more dangerous. That all makes sense to me. Then I was reading my favorite expat blog and they linked to Wikipedia's page on "Fan Death". In summary there are several methods in which people can die due to use of a fan:
-vortex is created which takes the oxygen out of the air: death by suffocation
-oxygen particles are broken apart: death by suffocation
-the fan uses up all of the oxygen in the room causing carbon dioxide poisoning
-body temperature will change too dramatically causing hypothermia

There have been many news articles on "fan death" and the victims it has claimed, not to mention some indie short films on the subject.

I asked one of our English teachers about their views on the subject, only to have them confirm the urban legend. Standing up, she then asked all of the teachers in the Teacher Room their thoughts; everyone straight-faced agreed that fans are in fact deadly. Thirty minutes later another teacher confirmed this and warned me to be careful.

Don't worry if you've never heard this before. Koreans will also proudly tell you that kimchee cures bird flu as well as SARS, not to mention it will prevent multiple kinds of cancers, improve the skin, and literally is the cure to the common cold.

Not to mention that Koreans are more vulnerable to contracting Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (Mad Cow) despite the fact that no Korean has ever caught the disease in the last 28 years.

I have previously thought that this shirt was funny (closeup on the image), then extremely, and now I'm just shaking my head.

Oh, and I should mention that thankfully we Americans are the rational ones. I have yet to hear of another country having animal psychologists to determine what our cows are thinking. Through one of these psychologists we Americans now know that cows don't want to be sent to Korea. Oh yes, the rational thinkers.

Weekend in Pictures

I can write about this country as much as a I want, but I know that for myself to understand a country I also need to see it. The following are the pictures from a 3 day weekend last month.

Last year there were 160 plays in Seoul. This year includes a strange looking Lady Macbeth.

I think of the 1950's as being the high point in the donut business. When Dunkin Donuts (est. 1950) was getting popular in the US, the only people in Korea who had heard of it were the GIs fighting during the Korean War. Donuts have not been in Korea for very long and have only more recently become 'cool.' That is why you can see so many trendy donut stores around the city.

The subway tracks get an upgrade from wood to concrete.

"At PMS we make decisions." Thumbs up to PMS~!

Blood drive poster right next to a promo for a play. The clothing is Korean but the art style is Japanese. I've been seeing a lot more of Japanese culture this last year.

There are so many street vendors in the city. You really miss them when you can't find any in the countryside.

Hold hands everyone. Let's go~

I'm used to seeing large apartment buildings as well as large buildings in general (notice the curve), but it's always fun seeing other building styles throughout the city.

I'm used to seeing a lot of people at Myungdong when I visit, but this time was a bit different. This crowd spotted a celebrity of some sort (couldn't see the face clearly) in the second floor of a coffee shop. I was in the area to get some kitty cell phone accessories for friends.

I'm a BBQ mom.
I'm a BBQ dad.
I'm a BBQ guy.
I'm a BBQ girl. And yes, the entire subway car was decked out from this one sponsor. That company makes the best "yangyam chicken" I have ever eaten. Oh, and there was a public service announcement telling passengers of inadvisable activities. I thankfully have yet to see either of these actions taking place in the subway.

There is a family from church who I spend sometimes spend time with. They are a very fun married couple with a darling daughter. She combined a few games together to make her own game and practice her fighting skills? ^^

Behind the nation's capital is a former private retreat. The history is so exciting the author couldn't help but use four exclamation marks!!!! As my friend mentioned the leader was "killed with gun" and henceforth it was open to the public. It really is pretty there. Stream. Poles.

When I first learned how to use chopsticks my hands would get a little cramped since those muscles were not used to that action. Hence Koreans have developed what I call "My first Chopsticks" and I saw them in use at my friend's house.^^

I was teased before for adding hot dogs to fried rice. I was told it wasn't Asian. I am vindicated! Bits of hot dogs in Korean-style curry! Ah hahahaha~

Somehow Asian and Latin things normally don't go together. Baek JiYoung did have a salsa vibe running through some of her songs, but that isn't normal. So something just felt 'off' when a friend took me to a Mexican restaurant near Yonsei. It came with it's very own cactus (and a warning since Koreans aren't used to seeing cacti due to the lack of any deserts in the country), plenty of Cholula, chips and dip, fajitas lunch menu, and calls for "una mas." Now I know I failed Spanish class, but shouldn't it be "Uno mas"?

Until next time, Rick out.

Leaving a Sinking Ship

UPDATE: (sigh) After talking to Immigration, I have discovered it is almost impossible to quit my job and go work someplace else. By the time the paperwork is ready my contract will be ending anyway. If I didn't want to stay in this country then I could simply hop onto a flight and never come back. But the problem is that I do want to stay in the country. And simply said, if I don't finish the job then I could have a black mark on my immigration history for the rest of my life, which means a two year ban and usually a refusal for future visas/entries. Helpless...


ORIGINAL POST:
The past few days I have tossed around the idea of quitting. But since last night, when they told us that we had 12 hours to move everything, again. And actually we couldn' t start until the next day and two hours later we had to leave the school.

People have made fun of how much stuff I have, but honestly this is my home. Everything I will need to use for the next few years sits in that room. They can go to their hometown on weekends and get something they missed but I can' do that.

The more I think / pray about it, things are going to get worse before summer, when my contract ends.

If you can, give me a ring this weekend.

The US Government Does Not Allow Us to Receive Money From the North At This Time

When I was an exchange student I was able to get free hosting from a friend (thank you Michael) and for the last year I was able to get free hosting from another friend (thank you Ben). But that year has now passed, which means I needed to find my own hosting. The basic accounts are still cheap, and now I get 10 gigs of storage and 300 gigs of transfer; per month. I'm sold.

However, I had the hardest time getting the hosting. My credit card was rejected. My bank account was rejected. I e-mailed the hosting group and got the default e-mail; 'double check you put in the info correctly,' 'contact your bank;' nothing really helpful.

Then I saw a large box in the middle of the message; "We are unable to process transactions originating from the following countries...North Korea." Awesome, I get lumped into the same group as Iran and Syria~ >_<

Drat, you caught me. I do live within a couple hundred miles of the most heavily armed border in the world...but I live on the southern side of it. Ah well, who said Americans were good with geography?

I might as well start using some of my space.
Here is a Cherry Filter song off of their new album (punk pop).
And here is a song from Kim Younah from Jaurim (sounds eastern European).

Counting Down: 4 Months

Our employers have seen that the students are not respecting the teachers as much as they should and are rebelling in other ways as well. In the wisdom of our leadership they have determined the teachers are to blame for the students not being happy here. So today all of the teachers are being punished Bell-style; which means we are doing exercises literally the entire day.

Our highest boss is leading from, actually I'm not sure where he is. He seems to have skipped out today.
Our next boss is longterm out of the country; that I can understand.
The 3rd boss has conveniently located himself in the Teacher Room because he must "be here to answer the phone."

Funny, this whole time I thought the idea of leadership was to lead.

Tea and Dumplings

It's Sunday night, everyone is either studying quietly or asleep.

I've got some hot dumplings, some kind of yummy tea, listening to Lampshade, and fresh kimchee (kind of a joke since kimchee is fermented). And in a minute I'll be starting the latest podcast from Grace Chapel (how many times have you eaten kimchee 'n dumplings while listening to your pastor preach?)

The students have midterms Wed-Fri yet I am not giving them a test. I know that if I try to teach most of them won't really listen. With that in mind I will giving most of the classes study sessions; the next few days will be easy. And when the students are taking their tests I will be going up to Seoul to meet with my pastor and we'll see how many ducks I can get in a row.

Come summer my visa will expire and I will need to get a new one. Question is what kind will it be~?

Those Sexy Double Eyelids (쌍꺼풀)

Isn't it amazing how some things are so incredibly important, yet other people have no idea? Someone can be very proud of a something and yet others never even see it. Something very important in the Asian world that is rarely understood in the West is the idea of double eyelids, or 쌍꺼풀. The basic idea is do you want eyes that resemble slits (especially when smiling) or do you want big beautiful Western-style/almond shaped eyes?

I know I am going to sound plenty racist, but when students are comparing the eyes of a friend to the slots on soda machines and pulling coins out of their pockets for a visual aid; I'm actually being very honest.

A friend confided in me that they don't like to smile in pictures because it makes her eyes look closed. Could that be why no one smiles in older photographs from Asia?

Asians can see very easily the line on the upper eyelid (hence a double eyelid) or lack there of. For all the Western readers I've included a nice drawing as to point out where that elusive second line is. Here is a great side-by-side comparison from a plastic surgery site. I have heard that this is the most common (and rather cheap) form of plastic surgery in Korea.

Doing a search on Korea's biggest search engine for 쌍꺼풀, I found a number of great things I wanted to share;

How about a makeup tip to accentuate that upper eyelid?

Banner which says "Plastic Surgery Professional Dr. Kuk WonSok's Beautiful Story." Yes, he will make your eyes look big and beautiful, as is the prevalent thought in East-Asia.

I found a number of people showing off their beautiful eyes or those of their child.

A number of products from Japan and Korea (literally "eye tape") which will temperately give you the look of having double eyelids without paying for the surgery.

This particular product, sold via eBay, came with a full set of directions. You first put an adhesive on your upper eyelid and then with the special tool, create the desired look.

To quote a plastic surgeon from Southern California:
Irrespective of ethnicity, an upper eyelid is typically considered more attractive by most people if it lacks excessive skin and fat, possesses a reasonably defined crease (which makes the eye appear bigger--a universal signal of youth and attention), and displays at least some platform of exposed skin between the crease and the eyelashes (which, in ladies, allows for a more effective application of makeup).

A well-contoured lower eyelid free of bulging fat projects an image of youth, energy, and rest.

Now it's easy to tell the difference, right?

Unicode Zip Support!

My computer problems always seem to be different from those of other people (I'll save my video list for another time):
-How can I type in multiple languages?
-How can I change my OS base language into that of another language?
-Why are CJK (Chinese Japanese Korean) titles coming in as gibberish? (Unicode!) or Why I can I only see one Asian language at a time?
-Where can I buy stickers for my keyboard so it supports multiple languages?

Considering how much interaction I have with Asian languages, the invention and integration of Unicode has been a blessing to me.

With WinXP I was able to read and write without needing to purchase software that costs hundreds before then.

With an MUI disc I was able to change my entire OS Language into Korean and back into English whenever I want. Now if I don't understand a menu I can simply change the underlining language, see what it means, and go back into Korean.

With those hurdles conquered I have still have issues with unzipping files, zip or rar, with keeping the names intact. One particular file I had this evening involved Korean, English, and Japanese. Winzip will sometimes support one Asian language at a time but will never allow me to keep the source file name in a non-English format. I've found a program, ALZip, that seems to fully support Unicode, supports 36 kinds of compression, has more file option support (reading/writing) than Winzip and is free, and the primary language is in English.

Only in Korea would they name software after eggs~

Please enjoy the "Egg Song" either in English or in it's original Korean~

English Book Mistakes - Part 3

I initially e-mailed the publisher with six pages of notes talking about the various mistakes I have found in their book. Since having gotten the gig I have written another 39 pages of notes and corrections to cover the rest of the book.

It has felt like it took a long time but in all actuality it was only about 25 hours of work.

I'm hoping they ask me to check the second volume in a few weeks~

English Book Mistakes - Part 2

I initially sent six pages of mistakes to the publisher of the English book we are using with our sophomore students. They thanked me for pointing out the mistakes and have incorporated around half of them into the new printing of the book, which commenced within a few days of my e-mail. It seems I am going freelance now as they have offered a deal in which I would finish checking the book. I have accepted and am over halfway done now. My second list of mistakes is currently on page 18.

The book has a lot of old terminology, misspellings, grammar mistakes, Konglish, etc.

My favorite vocabulary terms include "boffo" which is a movie term, and "too maw maw" apparently a shopping term. With that last one I would swear I was living in Singapore and checking for Singlish.

For "online courses" they have said "Open Cyber University" of "OCU."
For a "retreat" they have said "Membership Training," or "MT," which they later say isn't in America and after doing a search I found out this term is only used in Korea.

This book was published last year and yet it references restaurants that have left Korea years ago.

"I love good coffee. You could call me a coffee gourmet." While this term is technically correct it sounds instead like he is saying "You could call me gourmet coffee." Which is similar to my first great mistake in Korean. I very proudly told the teacher "Barbecued meat ate me for lunch."

My favorite mistake in this book, which brought me to tears in the Teacher Room, was trying to ask about someone's feelings; "Are you happy all the time?" That sentence is fine, but it was preceded by the question "How is your mental health?"

Weekend in Pictures

My bike keeps being used by everyone and their brother, which, living at a high school, is a lot of people. I have bought a new lock for my bike. It had me at the spelling of "locker."

A trilingual sign inside the male dorm room at the youth hostel in Seoul. Yet it does not make sense in Korea either.... Please understand that this is the only door~

I met a friend who owns a coffee shop in Seoul. I brought her some fruit as a gift. She felt compelled to give me a gift in return. I got a stick of cheese cake~ ^^ And no, that is not a mistake. It is a stick of cheese cake, not a slice.

Advertisement for a movie where the pictures/painting come alive! The girl is saying "Mom, the pictures are alive!" Notice the "yeah" (peace) signs several of the paintings are flashing.

I still don't understand this. I've seen these posters a lot. It seems to be promoting the newest half of the subway lines in Seoul. Not the old lines. Not all of the lines. Just the new ones. Why?

And remember folks, in certain taxis you can pay with your credit card or metro card. I've never tried but then again I am usually too cheap to ride in one unless I have to.

The one, the only, "The Beer." It is hard to understand the usage of "a" and "the" when they don't exist in Korean.

Sign for a public bathroom on the side of a telephone pole. However, despite the sign, there is no bathroom in that area. I would not suggest using the power pole as the bathroom either; this isn't China folks. Instead, please be respectful and use the brick wall in the alley where no one can see you. That would be the polite thing to do.

Medical store a few blocks from where I used to live. Can you spot the item that doesn't belong with the others? Let's see, back braces, prosthetic limbs, cigarettes. Nope, not sure.

Posters and signs for World Agape. When I read a sign I can usually understand part of it. maybe I can understand the product or what they are saying. But with this sign I understood every word and grammatical device. The literal translation says "If you don't maybe it won't happen."

With the recommendation of a friend I stopped by Ewha University, where it looks like I will be taking a language course in summer. They have had construction near their south gate for some time. I was surprised to discover not a tall building but an underground complex. I took the side with the slope as I really didn't want to go down, gosh, how many flights of stairs is that? Either nine or ten.

Weekend in Seoul

We've got a weekend off. Everyone is going to their hometowns, which means I went to Seoul. I'll be meeting with a friend on Saturday and one of the teachers Saturday night. I've got the hostel booked and checked-in. I hit the bank and got enough money to last me several weeks. I purchased a return train ticket for Sunday so I can still attend church in Seoul and make it back to the last stop before our school bus makes it back to campus. I got a free ride up to Seoul via the school bus. I read half of the book Papa gave me; thank you Papa. I must admit it is interesting reading a book about a murder in North Korea when I am about 50 miles from Pyongyang and less than 20 miles from the most heavily armed border in the world.

I got a new cell phone and it has the features I have most wanted; subway maps for the entire country, English support, and a bi-directional dictionary. I have several 'older sisters' in the country; some of which I work with. The remaining 'big sister' owns a coffee shop and I was able to drop in, say hello, give some oranges, drink some peach iced tea, chat for a bit, and got some encouragement on my Korean. With the coffee shop owner I have only met one other member of her family. With my other "big sisters" I have met 6+ members of their families.

I missed the last subway of the night by about 10 seconds; I saw it, doors closed, rolling away. I "knew" where a bus stop was; and found out I didn't; I then waited for a bus that never came. Walked from 12:30 at night to around 2:30 am, minus 15 minutes on a bus I accidently found. I had $600 in cash, several credit cards, two debit cards, and a US passport in my should bag and still felt safer at 2am than I do in parts of my hometown in the early evening.

I ate wonderful streetvender food and happily chatted with the owner and some of the patrons. A semi-drunk man kept wanting to shake my hand and wanted us to bow to each other. I got really mixed up while walking home yet now know the area much better than I did before and considering how often I come to this hostel, knowing the area well will truly help me in the future.

I was still happy as could be. I haven't spent real time in Seoul since the beginning of December, not counting getting over jetlag or preparing to leave the country again. I tell people that Seoul is my "hometown" and it feels it.

My Own Language Mistakes

I have a list of mistakes in my mind from Taiwan. I have found that with the Chinese language I have an incredible ability to change really run of the mill words into profanity, sexual slurs, and flat-out insults. In comparison my Korean mistakes seems really mild.

First real mistake: "BBQ meat ate me for lunch." (proudly said to the Korean language teacher)
Second real mistake: changed the word for "shoes" into the f-word. Again, I was showing off all of the clothing words I had learned that day.

Other mistakes have been changing the word "magnification" into the term for a snack food ( I thought they were talking about dinner....). Misheard "someone who can listen well" into "a Filipino person." Most of my mistakes make people chuckle... or make them hungry.

Now being afraid of saying the word "shoes," I have stumbled across a few more issues. The word for "color,"used everytime you mention a color (yellow color house, red color car) sounds like the same word for "baby animal" which is spelled the same as a curse word. I had a, dare I say colorful conversation with several teachers over the usage and pronunciation of these words ^^ I have the same grace here that I did in Taiwan; "he's a foreigner, he doesn't know what he's doing."

Mistakes in the English Book

I was surprised with being told I am teaching a new grade 3 days before classes start. One of the nice surprises involved with that is the book that has already been purchased is one that I looked through at a bookstore before and remember really liking. The problem came in as I began studying the book and realized there were a number of mistakes in the book that I am now teaching. This is the second edition which was released only last year yet there are terms not used since the 60's, bad grammar, incomplete sentences, errors in the crossword puzzles, etc.

I actually really like the book but it is not a pleasant feeling that I need to teach incorrect sentences and terms.

I e-mailed the publisher telling them there were mistakes in the book and within an hour they got back to me saying they would get together with the editor and the author to discuss what I viewed as mistakes. I then typed a list of about 40 errors I caught in the first 36 pages and sent it off.

I am happy the book will be getting some fixes and it makes me quite happy that some of my corrections will end up in a published book.

Rick's Guide to How to Get and Keep a Foreign Worker

1) Do not assume the foreigner already knows Korean culture. Telling him after the fact is helpful but is bad timing.

2) Don't assume the foreigner knows the Korean language or wants to learn it. Most foreign ESL teachers only come to Korea for a year and hence don't have much need to learn the language.

3) Fluency does not happen overnight. When someone is immersed in a new language it still takes 5 ~ 6 years to become fluent.

4) Everything needs to be translated. When a teacher stands up and announces something or when a sign is posted on the wall, it needs to be translated. When there is information announced over the PA, it needs to be translated. When there is a meeting or a worship service, it needs to be translated. Please understand that hearing a sermon translated versus preached by a native speaker are not the same thing.

5) The contract is the law and is set in stone. A contract is a legally binding document that must be followed by both parties. The only way a contract can be changed is by the agreement of both parties. Changing or disregarding the contract by the employer without consulting with the employee results in distrust and sometimes with the employee leaving mid contract.

6) Not fully disclosing all of the requirements of the job (surprises) can lead to resentment. Also, telling them they are late with doing something they were never told to do is not good.

7) The Bible talks about taking care of the widow and the foreigner. It is not easy being a foreigner. There is often depression, discrimination, along with the understanding that they are now very limited with what they can and cannot do by themselves. They will needs assistance with simply things such as phone calls, obtaining food or toiletries, getting clothes, opening and keeping a bank account, etc.

8) Culture difference. In Korea when someone makes a mistake or is angry, often the reply is a smile or mild laughter to lighten the mood. In other countries this means you are making fun of the individual.

9) In Asian culture things are planned last minute. In Western culture things are planned far in advance and almost never change.

Make sure both parties know these items and both know that they need to be flexible.

(It's not fun being the first....)

Trials and Frustrations

This entire month has been filled with "one step forward - one step back" and often four or five times in a day. So many things are broken, or missing, or not working. And now they changed what grade I am teaching about 3 days before I need to start teaching it.

I can see the positive things in this. I know I am not getting flat out burned. I know this could be a lot worse. And I know that if I was here alone I would be in a much worse situation.

I have been reminded, several times today, of what a just incredible support network that I have. I know the people around me care for me and are truly looking out for me. I know that my other friends in the country are tried and true friends; they have helped me so much in the past. I know that I have friends and family in the US and in other countries who are incredibly supportive of me.

If I didn't know I am suppost to be here, if I didn't have the people supporting me, I would have quit awhile ago.

Tired Frustrated Lonely

Energy is low from Manila; still recouping energy-wise. Somehow almost no one knows what happened so I have had to explain my story so many times >_<
"You lost so much weight" (about 10 pounds in one week)
"Wait, why aren't you going to China?"
"So, how was the Philippines?"

One step forward and two steps back happened so much today.
Computer progress met with more problems. (fixed the fuse in the power supply only to have trouble with the RAM, the heat sink on the CPU, four drivers, internet, and Windows itself so now I am again unable to even start the machine).
Was able to save money only to have to spend it somewhere else unexpected and am unable to buy anything unless I silicate the help of others.
Am able to communicate more with the people around me (very excited and very happy) yet am unable to communicate with either one of my bosses and took over 20 minutes to get 15 seconds of information (this has happened how many times?) So incredibly frustrating. Today I learned why so many English teachers say "forget it" and leave the country in the middle of the night.

Spent the best part of the last two weeks being utterly alone for almost the entire period. And now that I want to be alone to recoup I am being told I have a full schedule and no, I can't back out of it.

Wish to meet with friends but of course they are too busy to meet/talk.

And while traveling to/within the Philippines:
Cell phone is missing.
Old glasses were partially broken by students.
New glasses disappeared.
Toothbrush is gone.
Toothpaste was stolen who knows how many times.
Clean clothes drying either fell and were covered in dirt, tossed wet onto a dirty floor, or flat out disappeared.
Both towels for showering disappeared.
etc etc...

Unsure if I want to scream and break something or simply cry and fall asleep

End of the Tour

My health troubles have lasted more than a week but due to the lack of internet I had been unable to tell anyone outside of our group until recently.

I have repeated the various tests, had a doctor interpret them, gotten a physical of my abdomine, and have been given a clean bill of health. This is just in time as we will be leaving the city tomorrow morning to go to Manila (hotter than Hades) and then the day after (Friday) will be going back to Korea (woo!)

I have talked with my supervisors and have mentioned that with my immune system taking a hit like it just did, I should not be going to China two weeks from now with the new freshman, as originally planned. I will still have a job but am unsure who I will be teaching in a few weeks *pauses* as if I ever know what is going on; life is constantly changing. Another reminder that we are not in control of our own lives despite the feeling that we sometimes are~

Cheers,
Rick

Dysentery

So I've been in the Philippines for about two weeks and almost the entire time I have been uncomfortable. We have been to three cities, never staying in a place for more than 4 days. We have eaten local food, Korean food, and fusion of the two. The heat has been a killer and never before have I been able to say "I've gotten sunburned while taking a shower or going to the bathroom."

I am, unfortinually, the sickest person in our group. I've been to several hospitals and am on two medications. I have given several stool samples; the second into a plastic bag and the first into a recycled KFC plastic cup while squatting over a newspaper on the bathroom floor of the dirtiest hospital bathroom I have ever been in...wait, I used one in China before, I think China wins this one. In an interesting note the cost of doing one of these tests is 60 pesos. This is also the same price as a taxi ride to the hospital, as is the same price as two bars of soap and three rolls of toilet paper.

To quote the famous line from Oregon Trail, "you have dysentery." Wikipedia says there are two kinds of dysentery; amoebic based (parasites) and bactaria based infections. Well, lucky me, first time to the Philippines, first time getting dysentery, and I get both kinds of dysentery at the same time. Woo hoo! Oh boy I'm going to buy another set of round-trip tickets here for my next vacation.

Several items of good news:
-We have more than 2 bathrooms for 40 people now; very happy with than development.
-I am no longer curled into the fetal position due to stomach pain.
-I can daily now eat more than a small bowl of rice porridge, which seemed to be my daily max total of food intake for the past week. This also means I have lost considerable weight in the last week, however, not by the methods I would have chosen.
-I am also not forced to do the work the rest of our group is doing (which would be impossible for me right now).
-No one has grabbed my stomach in the last 24 hours asking "does it still hurt?"
-And last but not least, I will be returning to Korea, back to civilization, in a few short days. God speed sir, God speed.

Oh, and before I forget, after taking a urine test I was told by a leader in our group "Rick, we got the test results back. I'm sorry but you have cancer."
Rick: (From a 15-minute urine test?) What?
Leader: Yes, you have cancer. I'm so sorry. (immediate exit stage left)
Thirty minutes later, as the doctor has not told me anything about my 'cancer' and we are now leaving.
Rick: What did you mean I have cancer?
Leader: What? Who told you that?
Rick: You did! You told me I have cancer. Thirty minutes ago. You don't remember this?
Leader: What are you talking about? You have cancer and a bacteria infection? I'm so sorry.
Another five minutes later....
Leader: Oh, 'cancel' we are going to 'cancel' the second test. You thought you had cancer? *Laughs* Let's go~

4 Currencies

Checking my wallet yesterday I saw US currency from when I was in the US, Chinese currency as I had a little leftover, Korean currency which only makes sense considering where I live, and now some money from the Philippines as our school is taking a trip there on Tuesday.

I am mighty proud of my passport. With entering and leaving Korea I will get four additional stamps, plus I learned that my alien ID saves me paperwork for each entry/exit. With the next two school trips coming up I should be getting another four stamps on top of the other four. I've got a number of pages open and a little under 3 years to see how much of it I can fill. Really hoping I can do a South-East Asian tour of a few countries next winter.

Bank Troubles Explained

When I came back from Korea my bank account had Zero Won in it. I was wondering if this was my mistake or someone accessed my account, either way I was out the money and if it was my fault then at least I don't need to get a new bank account and don't need to re-attach my cell phone to a new account. Turns out it was my fault.

My last week in Korea was busy. I bought or paid for 3 sets of airplane tickets, got Chinese currency, took some Korean money out for when I would be in the US and to pay for expenses while in Korea, and made a few purchases online. Turns out two of the items I bought (airplane tickets being one of them) decided to wait several days before coming out of my account. I got mixed up as to how much should be in my account and so my bank account being empty was my fault.

Now with that fixed I okayed having my paycheck get deposited into my account which means now I have money. All is well~

China Update

-Touched down in China an hour after the guys from Grace did
-Took an overnight train (freezing train station)
-Got some great time with the GC guys
-10 hours of footage, send everything back with the Branners
-Went to several villages several times
-Rode a motorcycle taxi with 2 other people and somehow God kept us from being knocked over by the wind
-Saw the kids (I will need to get the pictures of Laergaga from Chris)
-One of the roads was so bumpy that, not only did it throw us around (got some comments it was like a theme park ride), but it ripped one of my camera batteries in half~!
-Got a headcold at the very end of the trip (very happy on the timing as that I didn't miss anything)
-Met with multiple people living longterm in the city and was able to learn a lot from them. Most seemed like review (which I expected and was happy it was that which means I know the situations and what is going on) but got some great info and some wonderful affirmation
-Spent a fair amount of time with the Branners. Tossed lots of ideas around and I was able to ask a ton of questions
-"Everyday feels like a week" kept being repeated as so much happened in every single day
-I won't be able to come again in the summer as work will conflict, but am really hoping I can come again in future winters

More Troubles

So after arriving Friday really late, getting my hotel canceled, with none of the buses running, I thought this would be the end of my troubles. After all, I love being in Korea Things are hard sometimes but hard times are usually pretty spread out.

Then I went to get money out of my bank account today to find that my account has been emptied. With the bank being closed Sunday I can only use the ATM and can see that the last three transactions were all withdrawals with the last two being after I left Korea. One of the transactions could have been my cell phone bill (which is the only attached account) but it still means that several hundred dollars are still unaccounted for >_<'

Strange how all of this trouble happens right before I am going to China with Circo...

Whirlwind of Travels

I have said that "my live in Korea is an adventure" and I find that reaffirmed often.

Left my parent's house at 6:30 am + 3 hour drive and 2 hours at the airport + 12 hour flight + 3 hour layover + 2 1/2 hour flight + 4 hours until I am in my hotel room.

During this time I slept quite a bit (huge blessing), security did a deep search on all my carry ons (1 bag 2x), I was wanded, each flight left late, turns out it snowed yesterday in Korea so the airport buses stopped earlier tonight than usual which was a problem since the guesthouse (hostel) decided to cancel both of my reservations, got dinner, waited another hour for a bus to get me into Seoul, then took a taxi from there. So now it is 3:30 am, I am in the hostel and I will be meeting with a friend tomorrow. Now to bed~