RickinKorea

Balanced

2011-05-08T07:29:00.000-07:00

I try to be balanced in my views and so I feel I should write an update here as well. While I felt troubled over the (lack of) professionalism in journalism and the judicial system here I read an article in an expat magazine that helped bring more peace. The beginning isn't so great, a female foreign teacher was sexually assaulted. But the ending, she told her employers who called the police and those responsible have been arrested.

Another article talked about free daycare for mixed children and said 167,000 multicultural families are eligible with an estimated 28,000 kids to be enrolled. Which is nice to see and also more signs of the mixing of this country. Most of the marriage are with single male farmers with mail order brides from Vietnam, China, or North Korea (seriously). The other side of the coin are white males with Asian females but they tend to leave the country and go back to his home country. Which I guess can be said with the farmers; moving to his hometown. Eligabilitiy depends on one person being a citizen here + lower income.

Afraid

2011-05-06T01:09:00.000-07:00

Between planning multiple wedding ceremonies in several countries, adjusting to marrage life, going back to school for higher education, and trying to make sure we have enough in finances, I have neglected this site and the amount of time it takes to update.

However there is one thing that I do want to mention and that is what makes me afraid. It is stories like this. A lot can be obtained from searching other blogs but the only official information aka news, is from one perspective. Believe what you want but the whole story is not and won't be told in the news (a good chunk is because the other side left the country the following week).

But then again where can someone be truly safe from fraud, lawsuits, or other issues? Every time I hear about some crazy story or event here, which can make me wonder why I should stay here and not return to my home country, I can pretty quickly think of something crazy that appears in multiple other countries. A large company gets hacked and scores of personal information is taken (as a bank here recently had). Well what about the 70 million paid users of PS3 who had their information hacked recently? I believe both happened in the same week.

There is no perfect place, there is no 100% safety, and as much as I could bash Korea right now there are plenty of examples in Western countries as well of ID theft and bogus lawsuits. I really need to hold my tongue and keep a wider view.

I guess it all goes back to the idea of 'pick your poison.' No place is perfect, no place is competely safe. And I don't mean this as a downer. I mean this in a positive since things always look better from outside. Stay in your hometown/country long enough and you will see things you dislike/hate/scare you. Suddenly overseas or another city is romanticised. And then move overseas or change cities and stay long enough and then your hometown is romanticised and you long to go back 'where things are right' or 'where things make sense.'

In some ways I feel life is better where I am living now. Othertimes I feel it was better in my hometown. And I bet the time will come in which I think life is better in the birthplace of my wife.

I've been stewing over this for a couple days but specifically the last few hours and I can honestly say that I feel I've worked through everything and I have peace.

A good friend told me recently "ignorance is bliss" and considering how much the news focuses on the negative (and let's be honest - so do certain expat blogs) it might make more sense to turn off the news and just focus on the world around us.

Cheers,
Rick/Richard

2 Koreas in the News

2010-11-23T16:41:00.001-08:00

update: this is a good review of the situation as well: link.

If you have heard anything in the news about the two Koreas don't worry. In fact that is what this article is saying.

There are several islands that are disputed in ownership near the border of North Korea (map). There have been several confrontations in that area over the years (link, link, link) including one yesterday.

This is the main Wikipedia page covering the event. It keeps getting updated as information gets clearer. What it looks like happened is the South did a planned military drill that the North said not to do, the North decided to 'defend itself' (official North media) by firing 100~200+ rounds of artillery into the disputed area killing a few people and unsettling fears in everyone else. South Korea did fire their own artillery in response and the damage is unknown.

One of the artillery hits can be seen in his video.

The US Embassy here issued an update:
This warden message is being issued in response to reports of North Korean artillery firing into the Northwest Islands (Yeonpyeong-do) off the coast of the Republic of Korea the afternoon of November 23, 2010. This artillery exchange was isolated to the Northwest Island area of the Republic of Korea and ceased as of 3:30 p.m. The Embassy is closely monitoring the situation. Should the security situation change, the Embassy will update this warden message.

The timing matches with Kim Jung-un, successor of Kim Jong -il, demonstrating his military power. This could also be another sword rattling for future food aid as conditions get worse in the North. This also matches the timing of the North showing off their nuclear capabilities to US scientists.

And I'll end with pretty pictures of the DMZ and links to the best expat blog about the South which will post way more than I ever will.

School Begins + China

2010-09-12T20:03:00.000-07:00

Now entering into our third week of graduate school I am getting a better idea of what I have gotten myself into. I now have filed almost all of the new student paperwork, have import things like student ID card and academic advisor and am starting to know where things are and how things work better than I did in the past. The learning curve is almost done.

I now have my 3rd Chinese visa, the most visas 2nd only to Korea (unsure how many I've had to far for this peninsula). I have airplane tickets, train tickets, and enough currency converted for this trip and hopefully the next. Considering how Chinese currency is going up in value it makes sense to convert more now rather than later. I have little stashes of foreign currency because in the next few years I'll be visiting China, Japan, and the US again.

Weather

2010-09-08T04:45:00.000-07:00

The hot weather is near it's end right now. With the typhoon that recently came through it brought much needed cool and a rather wicked breeze through Seoul. According to the news reports the typhoons normally come through Jeju Island area (southern tip of Korea) but they have been going steadily northward and now are going through the middle of the peninsula.

I knew about a bunch of blown over trees (saw it all over the city) but didn't hear three subway lines were affected.

And the weather here changes quickly. Koreans pride themselves (and get taught in school) that one of the great things about Korea is it's "four distinct seasons." The problem is there really are two main seasons and it feels like fall and spring are more transitions. But for now the weather is wonderful and the rain and the winds have been wonderful for me as well.

Cheonan Aftermath

2010-06-11T01:48:00.000-07:00

Well unlike the North when someone cries "heads will role" the South government doesn't actually kill them. They do however fire people from high level positions, even when they have cute Dixie cups.

There was a recent inquiry (watchdog group) into the official military report on the sinking of the Cheonan (which I am surprised they actually did an inquiry).

""Military officers deliberately left out or distorted key information in their report to senior officials and the public because they wanted to avoid being held to account for being unprepared," a BAI official said. (source)

Some choice quotes:
"Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Lee Sang-eui was heavily intoxicated on the night of March 26 when the sinking of the Cheonan took place. This represented an effective surrender of his command responsibilities."

"...military authorities willfully revised the time of the incident in order to avoid criticisms about an improper early response..."

"Park refused to disclose the extent of Lee’s personal responsibility, saying it would be “inappropriate” to do so, leading observers to contend that the announcement only presented an abbreviated version of the findings. "

"...following a military leaders’ forum...he traveled to Seoul by KTX in a heavily inebriated state...and, after spending about ten minutes attending a situation assessment meeting...(he) effectively abandoned his duties and fell asleep."

There are reasons why people don't trust their governments. Stating again I am proud though that people looked into the official story and held people accountable.

Finiances and Purges in the North

2010-06-09T01:34:00.000-07:00

I had heard a lot about the currency reform last November north of the 38th. The idea was to exchange the 'old' currency for the new one at the rate of either 100 Won -> 1 Won or 1,000 -> 1 Won. The changes caused people's savings to disappear and will likely cause a rift with the people.

Being fare, this was no the first time their currency was re-evaluated. And actually I was surprised that there used to be an official exchange rate between North Korean Won and the US Dollar.

So with a tight economy they are looking for investors, like from Germany. There already is an industrial city open to outside investment but workers do run the risk of arrest for trying to preach what the outside looks like (true story, don't have time to find the link). And with the recent boat sinking hasn't helped matters much either.

But reading some (not exactly new news), I discovered the finance chief was executed by firing squad for the currency reform. Official statement "a son of a bourgeois conspiring to infiltrate the ranks of revolutionaries to destroy the national economy". Some people believe that this could mark the start of another purge within the North.

Laundry

2010-05-30T19:43:00.000-07:00

I've grown up doing laundry and was always careful about mixing light and darks or reds and lights, etc. But I've also met a lot of people who have mixed (university) and never had problems. In fact despite some of these washers being stuffed to capacity didn't seem to matter; the clothes still got clean.

Now, for the first time, a shirt that I've had for 3+ years, has decided to lend it's red color to all the lights in the load. Now several socks, undershirts, and underwear are the cutest color of pink I've ever seen.

The good news: the clothes were all old and not many were affected. The white shirts gone pink were from 2003 and 2004, so their prime had already past a long time ago.

The other good news: I have a fantastic washing machine. Yes the red bled onto other clothes but it was like a beautiful dying job. The red->pink spread perfectly on the clothes; no spots or splotches.

Import Stores in Seoul

2010-05-10T05:33:00.000-07:00

A friend asked me where the import stores are and I spent nearly 45 minutes writing it up. I want to post it here as well so for future reference I can show this page instead of re-writing that all again.

So here you have a guide to some of the import stores within Seoul:

신촌 - behind 현대백화점 there is a 3-sided concrete park. At one end is a large 닭갈비 place. Next to it is an import store. It has a fridge, baking items, deodorant, and a lot of other food stuff.

신촌 - 신촌역 exit 8, walk straight, pass the Grand Mart, pass the Canon Store, pass the 999 Won place, and soon after the alley you'll see the road ... See Moreto your left slopes down and it's more like an enclosed traditional market. The entrance is between a locksmith/shoe repair place and a large bowling pin. Walk down and as you get close to an intersection (like 15 meters) there are several import stores. Good for toothpaste, over the counter medicine, and tons of snack foods.

신 촌 - 신촌 exit 8 (or in between exits 7 and 8 is basement 2 entrance) If you go into the Grand Mart, basement 1, near the milk they had an import section but it might have been moved when they changed around the store. Not too big but it's something.

해방촌 - 녹사평역 exit 2, walk straight down hill. The Yongsan military base is on your left. The slow ends and you'll hit a crosswalk. Ignore the crosswalk and instead turn left and keep hugging the military base concrete wall which will quickly turn into a ton of kimchee pots (this spot is nicknamed Kimchee Pot Gate). Keep going on the incline, on the left, with the cars next to you. First intersection on your left is a good import store. Keep going and you'll hit 3 or 4 more good import stores. Do try even the Philippino places as they have good Western food as well. There is one Philippino place I have in mind, it's decently far up on that main straight street, on your right. It has various phone card signs in it's window. On your left is a little mart which looks like an average Korean selfowned mart. However towards the rear of the store is where you'll find the import items.
Since this area is right next to the Yongsan military base it'll mainly have items from the base and sometimes items from Costco (like muffins, cheese, and instant oatmeal).

이태원 - 이태원역 between exits 3 and 4 (across the street from the Hamiliton Hotel) they are opening a Taco Bell (first one outside of the military bases). This area has a lot of Muslims and hence has a lot of Halal foods in their marts. If you go on that road~ish you'll find some import places and tons of international restaurants if you wander around enough. To be honest I don't know Itaewon as well as other expats. This is a great area for curry supplies as well. But I also found that red packages of curry (domestic brand, forgot the name, available in places like E-Mart) are available in more flavors than the standard yellow and are darn good.

동대문 - Inside Doota, go up several floors, near the escalators and near a coffee shop there is a good import place. I am not positive which floor it is but it's up at least several floors.

Express Bus Terminal - Look at a map, find both Express Bus Terminal and 반포역. In between those is a 4-way intersection. Go north on that (towards the 한간, I normally am on the bus when I am in that area bus lines 143, 342, 362, 4318 all work). And one bus stop past Express Bus Terminal/north of that big 4-way interersection, on the left, is a McDonalds, a Pizza Mall and a place called Kim's Club. You'll want to enter the building just right of McDonalds and you'll go down an escalator. Drop off your backpack in the lockers, go inside the store. The first part is all non-food items; keep going and you'll find the food area of the store. On the right side, right before the food court-like stores (there are like 3 or 4), you'll find a nice import section. It has a wood motif and has multiple rows of things.

Costco - There are 4 locations within Seoul; Ilsan, 양재, 영등포, and the 4th I forgot the exact location. Their website has basic maps with locations but were not helpful before. Maybe they have been updated? Membership is around 35,000W or 40,000, I forgot. Everything is big sized, no plastic bags provided but they do give their used cardboard boxes. These stores have a lot of import items from the West (sometimes British chocolates) and some Japanese items as well (Japanese style 짬뽕 is wonderful). Like Costco in the US they only accept 1 kind of credit card and it changes, they don't take debit cards, they really only want cash. Keep this in mind. When thinking of how much money to bring expect everything to cost between 10,000W and 15,000W. Also keep in mind how hard it will be to take it home.
This store has a lot of import items, all big sizes, and pound for pound cheaper than you'll find anywhere outside of a US military base. Great for things like peanut butter, jelly, various cooking sauces, cereals, trail mix, cheese balls, muffins, bagels, bread, marshmallows (so hard to find in Korea), vitamins, cheese (normally so expensive in Korea) and also decent priced pizzas (also hard to find in Korea) and cheap passport photos (but for technical reasons "passport" sized in the US and in Korea are different sizes. So if you need US passport sized pictures then you should get them in the subway stations. The difference between them are they Korean ones are the same size as the one found in a standard US passport; a rectangle. But the US government likes a wider image (square) and for things like renewing a US passport they want the square sized, stapled to the application, and then they cut it down to a rectangle.
You need a membership to get into the store and need to use it to buy things (except at their food court).

And technically you aren't supposed to but if you have an army friend they have access to things on base as well.

US Embassy - Passport

2010-04-30T04:41:00.000-07:00

I just got the monthly mass mailer from the US Embassy in Seoul. I noticed point "5. It is midnight. Do you know where your passport is?" It goes on to talk about replacing lost/stolen passports and finishes with "If you lose more than one passport in 10 years, your replacement passport will be limited to one-year’s validity. So keep those passports secure!"

I knew that people under (I think) age 16 have their passports valid for less than ten years, but I thought age was the only reason for a shorted period of validity.

Last week I stopped by the embassy to apply for a new passport. Mine is hitting the 10 year mark soon so it's better to renew before summer starts. Their photo machine in the lobby is now gone, which is a shame because "passport photos" in Korea and "passport sized photos" in the US are different and my Costco "passport photos" were too small. But I will admit they gave a great map to a photo machine in the stairwell of a district office a block away. Yes, it's in the stairwell next to the elevator. The lady was cleaning it and assisted in the process. I found out she knew just enough English to do her job and my other chattings had to be spoken in Korean.

The last time I was in downtown LA I remember seeing concrete barricades in front of some government building and really felt uncomforted to see those. I did spot some new planters in front of the US Embassy and on closer inspection found them to be the prettiest barricades I've ever seen.

Emotional Masks (or a nervous laugh)

2010-03-17T04:04:00.000-07:00

You could also say it as "putting on a happy face" but it happens plenty over here as well.

I found a great group of images that were taken within a moment of each other. The girl on the right is Yuna Kim figure skater as she and the other Olympians returned to Seoul.

It appears these images were taken after the Culture Minister tried to hug Yuna unsuccessfully. And if it's worth looking through tons of images you can see he's trying to hug everyone.

Someone took the original video from the event and edited it in such a way where it looked like he was trying to molest the medal winner (and no, I can't find that video).

It now it gets even better. The government has filed defamation charges against the uploader of the edited video.

It's reasons like this that Reporters Without Borders has added South Korea to their Under Surveillance list; a sub group under the Enemies of the Internet.

Henry Kissinger in Town

2010-03-15T03:51:00.001-07:00

Look who just got out of Several Hospital in Sincheon:
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2917804

Oscars

2010-03-09T21:44:00.000-08:00

Despite finding a television complete with remote and rabbit ears, we have yet to hook it up. Even if we did I doubt we would be able to see the Oscars and it would be when I would leave for work.

So with that in mind, I waited around 18 hours after the ceremony, checked my favorite Chinese website, and got download links for the whole program including red carpet talks and after party stuff. The site also said which movies had won awards and then provided links for those movies to be downloaded as well. Ah the power of the internet.

Dictionary

2010-02-23T20:28:00.000-08:00

It's amazing how incredibly simple things can become so complicated living in another country. In Korea I have been able to read and write for years, but I remember visiting Taiwan and being unsure where I could purchase soap. And then if you can find the store is this the soap for clothes (they also sell bars of soap for clothes) or is it for your face/hands? And then you see a bottle of toothpaste with a black man in a top hat. At least it is toothpaste, right? And as a side note my friend was shocked that I said it could be considered offensive. "But why?" was the response. "It's the best toothpaste in Taiwan!"

Well since I've living in Korea for a combined three years now, I have those basics down. I can get toiletries, I can get books and import magazines, I know where to find Taco Bell (on the US military bases and they are opening one in Itaewon soon), but some things continue to remain a challenge. My dictionary broke. I had it for 2 1/2 years. I used it almost everyday. I used it so much I wore off the serial number and a bunch of the paint. Well the screen broke and I needed to take it in.

But where to go? I tried to search online and just couldn't find it. I asked a friend and they gave me directions. I went there and they had since moved to another part of town. With the address they gave me I was able to locate it on a map but it was in a nondescript building behind a security door.

From the screen breaking to finally being able to drop off the unit took almost two weeks. I had spent tons of time, asked various people on the street for directions, and was finally victorious.

I was elated. Telling this to a friend who has never been overseas their response was of confusion; "Okay, so you dropped it off at the repair center. And why are you so excited?" But talking to a friend who has lived by herself for years, aka someone who understands how complicated little things become, truly understood.

On The Big Screen

2010-02-04T21:33:00.000-08:00

In 2008 I helped with a film here in Korea. I sat through the crew screening the night before the media premiere and waited for my name to appear in the credits, only it never came.

My connection apologized and said my name would be in the next film. Well last night the next film came out; 의형제 (Brother, or a better translation is "two people who are so close they are like brothers"). For the same trailer and a promo poster pic here is the link and You Tube trailer link is here.

I got opening day tickets with a good friend,watched it without subtitles, and waited until the credits. Under the 'special thanks' category at the end, there was my full legal name in capital letters with 님 at the end (honorific ending).

The main actor is one of Korea's biggest actors. The cinematographer and editor both worked with that actor on "The Good The Bad The Weird" together; which was one of Korea's highest grossing domestic films (#13).

Despite no subtitles, we followed the movie well, loved the music, the cinematography was wonderful (the camera kept moving and I love that), and after seeing the credits I was floating.

Japan Said I'm Sorry How Many Times?

2010-01-04T09:52:00.000-08:00

Over the course of nearly a decade I have heard from various pen-pals, friends, random people I meet, and of course news articles, about the horrors of war, the occupation of Korea, and comfort women who were 'still waiting for Japan to apologize to them' (and seen photos of survivors literally wailing in the streets refusing to rest until they get an apology).

After confronting a friend who knows far more about Japan then I do, I asked why - as Koreans have stated so many times - has Japan not said sorry?

My friend replied that they had done so and multiple times at that. Yet I was surprised. Why hadn't I heard about it then? Why were the Koreans so sure that Japan had not done so?

Purely by accident I found a list of the times Japan has apologized to various groups about previous wars.

Here is a brief list of each public apology that was aimed in some way at Korea:
22 June 1965 - Korea
24 August 1982 - Asia
26 August 1982 - Korea
6 September 1984 - Korean President (Chun Doo Hwan)
23 October 1985 - UN
1989 (exact date unknown) - Korea
18 April 1990 - Koreans
24 May 1990 - Korean President (Roh Tae-woo)
25 May 1990 - Korean President
1 January 1992 - Korean comfort women
16 January 1992 - Korean President
17 January 1992 - Korean + comfort women
6 July 1992 - comfort women
4 August 1993 - comfort women
31 August 1994 - comfort women
9 June 1995 - Asia
July 1995 - comfort women
15 August 1995 - Asia
23 June 1996 - Korean President (Kim Young Sam)+ comfort women
8 October 1996 - Korean President (Kim Dae Jung)
28 August 1997 - Asia
16 January 1998 - universal
15 July 1998 - comfort women
8 October 1998 - Korea
August 10, 2000 - Asia
August 17, 2000 - Asia
April 3, 2001 - Asia
September 8, 2001 - many countries
October 15, 2001 - Korean President
2001 (exact date unknown) - comfort women
September 17, 2002 - North Korea
August 15, 2003 - Asia
April 22, 2005 - universal
August 15, 2005 - Asia
March 26, 2007 - comfort women

You would think that 35 recorded apologies from over 4 decades, including multiple times directly to four Korean presidents, and even to North Korea would have, at some time, have actually been reported within Korea. Which to be fair it probably had been but the masses still don't believe it ever happened.

Homesick

2010-01-02T09:34:00.000-08:00

I was looking through pictures of my friends' travels to the US; California and New York. As I was looking at the various pictures I started see things and places I haven't in several years. I saw resturaunts and drinks I haven't had access to in quite some time. And suddenly I felt myself starting to miss them.

It's not that I used those products often; maybe once every 4+ months. It was the fact that I no longer could get it if I wanted it. The choice was no longer mine to make.

I walked away and took a shower and for 20 minutes my mind went back and forth; from I miss ____(place, food, person, experience) to ...wait a second, I've been out of that country for how long? Two and a half years? Seriously, 2 1/2 years and I'm feeling homesick for...the first time? Maybe the second?

I think I've felt this way before while living here. Maybe around a year or so ago. So that's twice in 2 1/2 years.

But I felt that before; frequently in my hometown. I was with family, friends, a job that I still miss to this day, and access to all things in my home-culture. Yet I felt homesick there for here.

And now it's been about twenty minutes from when I started to feel homesick and now I just feel confused. I'm not homesick, I have found my place in the world, but I don't have access to the things I used to for most of my life. And then the best thing happened. Talking about this outloud, my friend responded with "most of your life so far."

Just because I have lived most of my life in country A doesn't mean I have to be tethered to it. I have the chance to continue to live in country B. To continue to make my life here.

To quote the movie "Traitor" "what language do you dream in?" I don't really dream in other languages but I find myself more and more thinking in the language of country B.

I will continue to ponder my identity as I am not fully country A and not fully country B; and I never will be. I've talked to and read from people who have done this 20 years+ and then they came to that conclusion. I find peace that I know that now.

150 Films

2009-12-29T06:31:00.000-08:00

Some of the film majors in college kept lists of every film they had ever seen. I briefly contemplated making a list of my own when I realized several things; I wasn't that compulsive about all cinema, and second I could never remember the names of every film I've ever seen and neither would I really want to.

But, with Korean films I would want to make such a list. And as an added bonus it would help me from buying duplicates of DVDs (which I've done several times since the covers are sometimes different).

My list consists of the film name in Korean, the film name in English, and a brief synopses. At the top I have the number of films and the date of the most recently watched.

As of tonight I have seen 150.

I have seen almost all of the top grossing Korean films and would love to work on the local equivalent of API's top 100 films. But let's be honest, how many of these actually have subtitles and could I even find half of these titles?

Pain in the Back

2009-12-15T21:37:00.000-08:00

Sunday morning, after walking around for a bit, my back had the most incredible pain in it. I sat down and I felt a numbness from my chest up. As I sat there the feeling went into my face, I was told my lips went white and I soon lost my vision.

Laying down I felt much better, but I knew I needed to go to the hopsital.

Sunday isn't a great day for visiting the doctor's office since so many are closed. But thankfully I was with a friend who found a back specialist who was open. We crawled into a cab and took a ride over. Much to my surprise the doctor had a very high level of English ability; which is unheard of in a small clinic.

They took 6 x-rays and within a few minutes the images had been scanned and send to the other side of the clinic. Viewing them on a 40" screen and being able to play with the brightness gave great flexibility to these digital copies. I should not be surprised but I have not heard of this in a hospital before.

After looking at the scans the doctor said the problem is not with the bones in my spine but was somewhere else; either muscle related or something more serious with internal organs.

He wrote a prescription (which later proved nearly impossible to fill since it was special meds. But we were turned to some over the counter for $6 which did the job). The nurse gave me a muscle relaxant shot and I was sent upstairs for 40 minutes of physical therapy which consisted of a hot pad, ultra sound, and a strange massage machine which had four large suction cups.

Total cost with national health care: $10 (10,100 Won).

A few days have passed and my back feels much better. I have much more flexibility. Our family has done some research on exercises and things to avoid this again in the future. And this could be my chance to try more than two needles worth of acupuncture. Hmmm~

College Prep

2009-12-08T21:39:00.001-08:00

My Korean class has finished and from now I'll be going outside of class, studying with the same materials and with a friend or two.

This means I no longer have the 45 minute commute in rush hour nor the restrains of 4-hours a day schedule. I have heard about a program in Gangnam that a friend recommended.

Yonsei's program is good but the speed is designed for Korean-Americans.

I'll go at my own speed for awhile and see what happens :)

This also gives me a good chance to finish applying for grad school. I'm looking at a Master's in TESOL and I should hear back around January sometime.

Schedule & Korean Class

2009-11-20T15:43:00.000-08:00

I've noticed that as I become more accustomed and more comfortable here the less free time I have and the less I post on this blog. My current schedule involves being a full time Korean student and working 3 days a week at an academy. Toss in some errands or meeting with a friend for an hour and I am only at home to sleep. I leave at 8 am and my early nights get me home around 9.

I've found out a critical bit of information concerning the Korean classes at Yonsei; they aren't deigned for Westerners. Officially they are designed for people whose 'native language is similar to that of Korean' and unofficially they are designed for Korean-Americans who have grown up hearing Korean at home or at least at family gatherings. So they tend to go at a break-neck speed even if you are only studying and not working. So with me having a job i can keep up with the lower levels since it's mainly review and filling in the pieces. But when it gets to purely new material I won't be able to keep up.

So once this term ends I'll be joining a gym and doing group study with a friend. I might have a bit more of free time and we'll see what all happens.

ID Card and Halloween

2009-10-21T21:45:00.000-07:00

The cell phone provider I have is not the best. Everytime my visa runs out they cut off my service "at my request". It's happened 3x in the last few months. So to fix it I need to bring in my Alien ID card and prove I am still legal. But this time I have no card to show them and if I don't show it within two weeks they close my account.

Contacting Immigration they said I won't get a new card for about 3 or 4 weeks. So my account will be dead and I'm concerned at getting my deposit back.

But in good news I can change to a cheaper service, will probably get a new phone, should be able to transfer my numbers, etc. And in other good news my Halloween costume is almost ready. We're hosting a party at our home and are expecting 20~30 people to attend.

I have a costume I've been putting together for the last few weeks. It includes camo from Greece, a flight cap from Ukriane made under the USSR, and a big scarf from the Philippines. I am hoping to get some flight goggles to add to it. And I've changed the wiring in the flight helmet so I can no hook up the communication system to my MP3 player ^_^ v

End of Story

2009-10-15T22:21:00.001-07:00

Tuesday night:
I decided that this would become a vacation and attempted to make it into one. Took several hours walk and found where I stayed before.
Stumbled across several Pachinko parlors that just had hundreds and hundreds of these machines.
I found a cool pet shop with puppies and kittens costing $1,500 ~ $2,500 USD.
I found a great noodle shop and got a front row seat next to the cooking area. Real dirty looking kitchen but oh so good.

Wednesday:
Made it to the office and dropped off paperwork. Spoke Korean to the Japanese workers.
Was able to contact friends and co-workers in Korea informing them of change of plans.
Changed my airplane tickets and found an easy way to the airport.
Got some bubble tea from Quickly Tea Shop. Now I've been to their shops in the US, Korea, Taiwan, and Japan.
Found "Rough Cut" DVDs for sale with big signs up :) So glad to see that. Wrote down some movies I would like to research.

Thursday:
Couldn't sleep. I got upwards of three hours total last night. Too much green tea?
Went to visa office to pick up passport with new visa.
Listened to a bunch of Jpop and Jrock and wandered around the city more.
Found a traditional market, temples, elementary school, post office, and just here and there.
Ate at Lotteria and studied last years' Korean notes for a few hours.
Made it to the airport, slept on the bench for 20 minutes, made the flight back, got back home around 9pm and went to sleep an hour later.

Hit the Ground Running - Visa Run Continued

2009-10-13T02:57:00.000-07:00

Tuesday Evening:

Well I did something new today. I arrived at the checkin counter for my international flight 3 minutes before take-off. They didn`t let me procede.

So I got new tickets and most of a refund from my old tickets during crazy pouring rain and a few hours later was able to get on the flight and go to Japan.

I made it here sucesfully despite Immigration on both ends of my flight hauling me off to the side initially refusing me entry / departure. Not to mention they confascated my Korean National ID card (insert profanity).

Being tight on time I got a $30 taxi and made it to the consulate 30 minutes beore they closed. However they stop taking visa applications an hour before that and refused me access to the building. So I`m going to need to change my tickets again and I might come back on Thursday if everything goes smoothly at the consulate. If somehow they get really crowded then I will come back next week. Would I still have a job by that point?

The last time I did this I made friends in the consulate and we got adjoining motel rooms together. This time no luck. Tried to find the motel I went to two years ago but was unable to find it ~ I might have found the right subway station, but am unsure.

I followed a big bright sign to an inn only to find out the whole building is under construction and it`s completely closed off; metal baracades and everything.

Through some tourist pamphlets at the airport I found an inn and have internet access in the lobby. It`s $5 cheaper than the love motel I found and this place looks just a bit more respectible. I didn`t plan for this much expenses so I didn`t have the cash; thank you credit cards.

Gosh, I`m batting 1000 today aren`t I? I haven` had this much adventure traveling since China. And if I am ranking things I should say dysentary in Manila comes in third.

Gone to Japan

2009-10-12T15:29:00.001-07:00

Tuesday morning:

Well my visa is expiring and this time around I need to leave the country and get a new visa. So in a few hours I'll be making my way onto an airplane and visiting Japan for 24 hours.

So I'll be back by Wednesday.

Bye bye~

Properly Balanced

2009-10-10T15:25:00.000-07:00

If a language class is not properly balanced then a majority of the students will have the same native language. They no longer need to rely on the language being taught to communicate within class, but they instead reply on their native tongue. Our Korean class at Yonsei has changed the students daily in five days. We dropped two, added one, dropped that one, added two more, and got one of the first students back. The class was more balanced before with speakers of a number of different languages. But now a third of the students are Japanese and we still have no Chinese students (which I had heard there is a large number of).

I was disappointed by, in my opinion, the lack of balance in the class until a few days ago. The teacher was explaining a term and the German student did not understand. They attempted several times to no avail. Then the Japanese-born yet Korean-by-blood student turned to our German friend and started to explain this in Chinese.

And it got better when the German replied back in Chinese to clarify a detail. They went back and forth for a minute until "Okay, I understand now."

Turns out he has a degree in Chinese. Go figure. But I guess we have a more balanced classroom now~

Oh, and to clarify it turns out that the first morning classes have a ton of Japanese and the second afternoon classes have a large number of Chinese. Apparently it is like this every year.

Language Classes and NamSan Park

2009-09-24T03:50:00.000-07:00

Tuesday I didn't have work yet and the Korean classes didn't start yet, so I took a hike on Namsan. The trails start about 5 minutes away from our apartment and after an hour and 20 minutes (with the last 20 minutes being me making my own path) I reached the Seoul Tower. Coming from the other side is a cable car which I've taken before.

A lot of couples have gone up to the tower and attached locks to the gates as a sign of their unbreakable love. A little more than a year ago there weren't many locks. Now they number in the 10s of thousands.

Well my dinner plans for tonight were canceled so I walked from my university to home skirting around Namsan at the same time. Total time was 2 hours 20 minutes. I think I'm enjoying walking again...

And today also marked the first day of Korean class again. Our class has 13 students from the US, Germany, China, Japan, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia. I've stepped back in terms of levels since some of my foundation isn't as strong as I want it to be and I need to improve my grammar from the bottom up. My plan is to take at least 6 months of full-time courses (while working part-time) and see what happens then.

New Job

2009-09-18T07:35:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was my last day of work. I searched some job vacancies on Wednesday and applied to one on Thursday night. Friday morning I get a phone call, a few hours later I get an interview, and we will sign paperwork and start on Monday.

It's part-time, 3x a week, 6 hours a session, visa covered, and covers my expenses so that I can go to Korean language school and still have time for homework and friends and if I am careful I won't need more tutoring to keep myself afloat financially.

Now the question is if the company can get the paperwork in order fast enough so my roommate and myself can do the visa run together.

Oh yeah, and all of this happened with a head cold :)

Transitions

2009-09-16T18:19:00.000-07:00

My job has officially ended. Well, officially by the first contract but not by the second but...ah forget it. My last day was filled with games and told the older half of my students; a large amount of whom didn't understand that a new teacher would be coming in the next day. Oh well.

I have been very happy every since. I have about a week of vacation and then I become a full-time language student again. I'm looking for supplemental work so I can continue to be a language student. And I have extended my visa for 30 days which gives me more time to look and prepare.

North Korean Infiltration Equipment

2009-08-27T20:10:00.000-07:00

Work was done and I was headed to Costco and in a nearby park I see something that I remember from a James Bond movie. It's several tanks, the first is an air tank for divers and the other is a larger tank with a propeller on it, like a mini submarine.

This was on a table next to a truck that was opened to display various North Korean army / spy equipment captured in years past. All of the items were bilingual except for the background information section. There was everything from AK-57s (newer models), to tourniquets, 300mm zoom camera lens, night goggles, and even "counterfeit South Korean Army Fatigues" and North rank patches going up all the way to general.

While I was looking the curator was taking pictures of myself looking at the items. Who knows, maybe I'll end up in some brochure for this mobile infiltration library.

Moved In

2009-08-26T06:57:00.000-07:00

My bedroom, the guestroom and kitchen are fully scrubbed down and cleaned.

Internet is hooked up ( 6mbps at the old place, now 54mbps for $38 a month ). In speed tests our home was doing over 2x the Korean national average and more than 10x the national US average ^____^ v

New shiny rice cooker has arrived.

Gave away my kitty to two girls who looked oh-so happy to take her from me.

Got two movers to bring in the big, heavy, and awkward things including the washer which the 57 year old man hauled on his back and by himself climbed two flights of stairs.

Found a fried chicken place that sells for $7 and a rotisserie chicken truck that sells 1 for $7 and 2 for $12. I've got my orange juice, head of lettuce, and honey mustard sauce and a French action film ready to rock.

Found a bus + subway route to work and timed exactly how long it takes.

And lastly spent a few hours cleaning the old place and handed in the key. I still have a few things there including a bike that I need to move, but I have several weeks to do that within.

The old place was nice but this place feels like a home.

Job and Housing

2009-08-12T22:02:00.000-07:00

Jobs at most last a year here with few exception. The middle of next month is when my contract expires and I start working for someone else. I missed the window for university jobs so I'll try those again next term. Our vice principle, who I have never met, said he wants someone else and hence won't renew my contract.

With a job comes housing, the two are always tied together. Usually after you sign a contract you get an apartment for the same term as you are working. So no job = no home. I'm tired of my employer holding housing about me and I don't want to get pressured into getting a new job quickly, so a good friend and I have gone out and rented a place with our own deposit and in our names. There is about a month of overlap in which I own two apartments (the last one was end of summer and that's bad timing).

I'm going from an 11 pyong (pyeong) apartment (390 squ. feet) to a 26 pyong apartment (925 squ. feet) as a three bedroom (it's either 1 bedroom or 3, we can't seem to find 2 bedrooms here). So my friend Wade will have the masterbedroom, I will get the next one, and the last one is open for friends and family when they visit.

It's next to the foreign district (bummer) but it's also a short bus ride from the heart of the city (yeah~).

Thunderstorms and Lightening

2009-07-01T18:42:00.000-07:00

It's officially Monsoon Season as it started raining heavy last night and at about 2am had super bright lightening and thunder that rumbled out honestly 10 seconds or so.

Now, 10 am, chubby rain is still (off and on) falling from the sky. Weather.cnn.com gives a very optimistic picture of "FOG" and tonight having "showers".

Weather.com gives a more honest posting with some cool icons for thunderstorm~

The 50,000 Won Bill ($50)

2009-06-24T09:04:00.000-07:00

In Korea the exchange rate has been pretty easy to understand for a long time. Much like $10.000 = 10 dollars (delete the .00 and it equal dollars) take 10,000 Won and it equals 10 dollars (or less recently).

In terms of bills we have 1,000 Won, 5,000 Won, and 10,000 Won bills. If you want a few hundred bucks in cash your wallet is going to be quite large. But shopping malls have been selling gift certificates in terms of 100,000 Won ($100) for quite some time. So it makes sense that it's time to have a larger denomination. As of today, ladies and gentlemen, we have the brand new 50,000 Won bill~

The front features Chin Saimdang on the front and bamboo and an apricot tree on the rear. I'm actually surprised to not see a map on the back since I heard they wanted an old map of the entire Korean peninsula showing Dokdo on it and couldn't really find one.

Don't believe Dokdo is Korean? Just talk to Snoopy; on his "map of the world" which shows all of 3 countries on it (but only one is named, we don't need to talk about the others).

And before I forget, some possible prototypes including one for a 100,000 Won bill. Pretty huh?

Roh Moo-Hyun Commits Sucaide

2009-05-25T05:59:00.000-07:00

The last president of South Korea killed himself yesterday by jumping off a cliff in his hometown. News are blaming the suicide on pressure from the indictments over 2 bribes totaling over $6 million USD.

But don't worry, all police work has been called off the corruption case. Because apparently, if the receiver of the money is dead, then the family which possesses and has used the money, as well as the individual who has a history of evading taxes and bribery, no longer need to be questioned either.

A few thousand people gathered to "mourn" the man which quickly turned into a anti Lee Myung-bak demonstration with riot police being assaulted.

But it gets worse. When he transitioned out of office he did a bit of house cleaning. An aide of the new president said "We have some trouble doing our job because many of the former president's records were classified as confidential."Those files are sealed for the next 15-30 years. The other files were on computers which were wiped or on the 238 hard drives (72 terabyts) which were swapped out and no one knows where the originals are. Only 25% of all records of that administration remained.

But he was a good enough man that he had the first state funeral in 23 years.

I wish the current president has more morals but his line about ugly prostitutes giving better massages leave a lot to be desired. Then again he seems to be in line with law enforcement which has, multiple times, announced the dates for future prostitution crackdowns even mentioning specific areas by name, again ahead of time.

Past presidents haven't fared much better:
The prior president, Kim Dae-jung was soft on organized crime, didn't take good care of the economy, and his sons stole billions of dollars. And he was also kidnapped before his presidency, then put in jail, and finally reinstated after the current leader was assassinated. In good news he was given the Nobel Peace Prize for the Sunshine Policy, which meant South Korean turned a blind eye to everything bad North Korea and actually supported the Northern Regime in more ways than one. And actually that summit was found to have been a bribe to the North of several hundred million dollars which led to the suicide of one individual invovled.

Before him was Kim Young-sam who ran a sucessful anti-corruption campaign which includign arresting of two of his predecessors. Only drawback was his son was also implicated in corruption.

Before him was Roh Tae-woo who was the the country's first democratically elected president and led a number of reforms and tried to better relations with North Korea, China, and the Solviet Union. He was later on trial for bribery, treason, and mutany for his role in the Gwangju massacre. He was given a 22 1/2 year jail sentence.

Chun Doo-hwan came before him. He was former military who retired only after promotign himself to a four star general and ousting the 4th president in a coup. He centeralized the government and led to great economic growth. He was nearly killed by a bomb blast in Burma which killed 21 other people. After his reign his family was accused of embezzling $4 billion USD. He spent two years in a Buddhist temple as a sign of repentance for the excesses of his regime. Despite this he was sentenced to death for treason and mutany connected with his takeover for power. He was pardoned by the man he had sentenced to death 20 years prior.

Choi Kyu-hah assumed power due to an assassination of the previous leader. He made a new constitution and held elections which he won. He lost control by the next year to a coup which left him with no power. With Chun Doo-hwan in charge, martial law was declared which leading to multiple uprisings the most notable of which was the Gwangju Massacre which left 987 civilians dead. Choi resigned soon afterwards.

Park Chung-hee was the 3rd 'president' despite actually being a dictator. He served in Manchuria with the Japanese army during the Japanese occupation of Korea. After Korea gained it's independence he joined the army but was kicked out for membership in a Communist cell. He took power in a coup in 1961 but officially took power in an election in 1963. He normalized relations with Japan, and had an upward fight as North Korea was stronger and had more finances than the Souths meager $72 per capita income. He stopped freedom of speech and of the press, rigged the electoral system, and changed the Constitution so he could "run for office" a third time.

After his third electrion he declared a state of emergency which suspended the Constitution and dissolved Parliament. He had two assassination attempts, both involving the North, the second which killed his wife later in the day. Despite his wife having been shot in the second attemt, he continued his speech while aides carried his wife out of the room. He was finally assassinated by a group of Southern men. A movie which I highly recommend, was made about the events of that day. He was officially in office 16 years and on TIME magazines list of top 100 Asians of the Century.

Yun Bo-seon was the third president of South Korea. He came to power since the former leader was ousted by a student-led pro-democracy uprising. He officially lasted less than two years in office but reality was less than a year in power due to a coup by Park Chung-hee.

Rhee Syngman was the first president of South Korea. He was arrested for demonstrations against Japan which lead to him going to the USA and obtained several degrees. He was the first "president" from 1919 - 1925 of the Provisional Government which was located in Shanghai. Despite being impeached he was annointed provisional leader of South Korea by the Allies after WWII. Three years later he gained a seat at the First Assembly of South Korea by a parliamentary vote after left-wing parties boycotted the election. He won a landslide vote against an opponent who did not know he was on the ballet. In less than two years Rhee assumed a dictatorship position overseeing several massacres.

After the Korean War broke out, Rhee encouraged the citizens of Seoul to remain in the city while he himself was already on his way to refuge. He destroyed the bridges over the Han River which trapped civilians (I've heard this is one of the main reasons why Koreans don't trust their politicians). He did everything he could to twart ceasefires for he wanted to rule a united Korea, not a divided one. He was also mad at the US for not bombing China despite Chinese soldiers joining on the side of the North. He also imprisoned Empress Sunjeong of the Joseon Dynasty as a bid for himself to keep power.

His fourth term in office won by a 90% vote (his main opponent died several days prior). However during elections for vice president the public claimed the election was rigged. A student uprising happened soon after which resulted in the CIA whisked him out of Korea in a DC-10 as protestors converged on the Blue House. During his exhile in Hawaii it was discovered he embezelled $20 million USD. He died of a stroke 5 years later.

So after our not-so-brief history lesson, which one of you wants to become president?

Korean Class -> New Movie?

2009-05-23T05:48:00.000-07:00

Due to a lot of self study I was able to skip Level 1 Korean and was able to go into Level 2. Our teacher was amazing, the co-students were wonderful. And since I had studied so much on my own before I got there, half of the vocab and a number of the grammar forms were review.

I studied on the bus to and from work, occasionally went to a coffee shop to study, and found it was sufficient. Now in Level 3 we don't have vocab lists (we need to make them ourselves) and most of the vocab is new as are the grammar forms. I know that studying on the bus everyday won't be sufficient. I know I am missing more pieces as I have missed part of the skipped Level 1.

My ideas has been to pass Level 3 and get through Level 4 best I can and then take a term off and let it all sink in.

Our Level 3 teacher was horrible. I was considering swapping to the other class but didn't want to leave the other students. Thankfully she went on maternity leave and the class chipped in and got her a "going away present" which some students did not want to participate in. They had to be sold on the idea of a "good riddance present". The replacement teacher is much better but we only have her for a few more weeks before the term is over (middle of next month).

The sad part is our class is breaking up. One student's job called him to another country 3 years early. Another student has missed so many classes (as we all have full time jobs outside of Korean class) that he won't pass. Several other students are going back to their home countries for summer and another student is thinking about going to a university where speaking is more emphasized.

That was Thursday night. On Friday morning I got a phone call from the producer I worked with in the past. He said they are working on a new movie and production starts next month. He asked if I would like to meet next week for dinner and discuss it. It looks like I'll be taking my term off a little earlier than I was expecting...

Hanyang Universities 70th Anniversary

2009-05-06T09:34:00.000-07:00

Through a friend at who works at Hanyang University and another school, we got tickets to Hanyang's 70th Anniversary. Today was the first of two nights of musical performances; the first being traditional Korean music and the second, tomorrow, being more modern music.

We heard his ten students would be in the performance and so I was surprised to see such a large group on stage. It was also interesting to note how the conductor would lead the group by a single clap of his wooden board to signal the start; much as how a drummer would start the timing of a song by tapping his drum sticks together three times. Unlike Western conductors who are constantly giving hand motions and waving their conductor's stick, the conductors I've seen at these performances always stand by the side not intervening except for a single wooden clap to start each song and then three claps to note the end of the music.

We later joined some of his students and sat around drinking tea and coffee until 11 pm. Everyone seemed to click really well and so we swapped some phone numbers and made plans to meet again.

Packed Like Bean Sprouts + Parents

2009-04-27T16:53:00.000-07:00

Our school is either the largest or second largest elementary school in Seoul; aka in the nation. Our cafeteria, which can be packed pretty well, still doesn't fit many students. Most of the students get carts wheeled to their classrooms and eat inside then stack everything near the elevators. This is just from the 3rd floor. Our building has 6 floors~

Recently I showed up at work to see an abundance of parents swarming around classrooms. I look down the other hallway to see the same thing. I peek into a classroom and at first it looks normal; 공기밥 교실 which means "classroom packed like bean sprouts" (packed like sardeens).

With starting a new school year parents were allowed to come and observe for a day. Parents Teacher Day (parents + teachers but no students) will come at a later time.

Excuse me, pardon me, you'll never know we are here. No no, it's okay, keep teaching. Don't mind our cameras.

Sunsets and Language

2009-04-02T09:31:00.000-07:00

One benefit of living in a desert is seeing the sunsets. The dust in the sky somehow makes it look beautiful. Well with the yellow dust from China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan, do make for some pretty sunsets. Two more shots from the roof of our building.

The US military even has a site to update us on the levels of dust within the air.

Thankfully we don't get it nearly as bad as cities like Beijing do.

In other news night class Korean Level 3 has begun. Got the new book, most of the students are the same, our old teacher is teaching the other class (No~ we want her back >_< ) I'm looking forward to seeing what we can learn and how my level will improve by the end of this term.

Korean Class

2009-03-24T21:29:00.000-07:00

The numbers are in. My overall grade for evening class level 2 is 82%.

Listening was my strongest with 95%.

Reading was also high with a score of 91%.

Conversation was lower than I was expecting with 74%. All of the points I love minus one was because of missed grammer markers 이, 가, 을, 를, 으로, etc. Teacher said people have no problem understanding me and my pronouncation and accent are good. So if I had all of the grammer solid I could have gotten 99% on that section. I've also been complimented by my peers in terms of speaking. Considering my history with languages (see below) I'm very proud of this.

The writing section was the lowest with 67.6%. I've known this is my weak point so I wasn't exactly surprised. Again the grammer was the main reason for missing points. I've been spending a lot of time on the bus with a grammer book and the questions I am asking in and out of class have been a lot more grammer related then before.

I've always struggled with language classes. Spanish in high school was pathetic. Korean as an exchange student was hard and knowing that I would stop learning Korean after that affected my so-so studying at the time. The summer class I took before was mixed with the idea that I would only be in the country for a few months mixed with my dad visiting and me having been away from Korea for years. My grade there was alright but...I actually don't remember my score. Oh well.

With that as my history, I think this is the best I've done in a language class period. My average was a low B and I aced two sections of the exam. I'm real happy~

2 Days

2009-03-18T04:23:00.000-07:00

I've been enjoying my Korean class for quite some time. I'm performing well in the class and apparently I've developed a reputation for my laughter (no surprise) and for my accents (little surprise that I am more comfortable using them in groups) and for cracking language related jokes in class (this I really like).

Last night we had a practice written exam. There were two questions tied together. Listen to the conversation then select which activity they did and select the younger sibling from the photo taken during the event. After going through everything the teachers went over each question and answer to help us.
One teacher asked "So how did you know which activity they did?" clearly wanting us to tell which word tipped us off.
People were a bit scared to answer so I said "I looked at the picture!"

The pre-test went pretty well. After class I wandered over to the park close to my house and found two guys plays bongos and a guitar and singing some songs that I recognized. Hung out there for a bit before going to Choi's Tacos and got my chicken burrito cooked by Mr. Choi himself. He went to Mexico and learned burrito making don't-cha-know.

English classes went pretty well. Watched a short documentary after work (45min), followed by a music video that grew on me quite quickly. A lot of identity searching eh?

And finally I met with a friend and we went to an authentic Chinese resturaunt which are really hard to find since Koreans only really like two Chinese dishes. I've been craving real Chinese food for quite some time. Shoot, even Americanized-Chinese food would make me happy. But this, oh this was Heaven.

Gee Gee Gee Gee Gee

2009-03-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

This is a very catchy pop tune with a real bright and colorful music video. Normally I wouldn't care enough to post something like this but I enjoyed hearing the song being sung by 1st graders on Friday. It made a cute song even cuter.

Oh yeah, and the group has nine members.

But we've seen other large girl groups in the past. Korea has also had "7 Princess" (sp) with seven really early preteens while Japan has had Morning Musume which has had anywhere from five members to around 13 or so. Morning Musume has had 25 past and current members and a total of 38 singles to date.

Lack of Time

2009-02-16T07:06:00.000-08:00

I'm really not sure the last time I updated this. I have had tons of ideas and things I would love to talk about and pictures to link to and just haven't been able. With this site blocked at work and getting home at 9:30+ 3x a week (Korean class), I just haven't been able to.

Some things I wanted to mention:
-Snowed several times. Beautiful but never lasts long enough. The last time was Sunday at 4AM.
-Bumped into a press conference with Tom Cruise. I think I saw him but an not positive as I haven't been in an area that crowded since riding the subway Christmas Friday at rush hour.
-Am really enjoying the Korean class. Am trying to do the workbook (not assigned until now). Went there after class and stayed until closing.
-Met a guy with similar interests as myself. We met for coffee at 9:45PM and chatted until 1:30AM. The more we talked the more we found in common.
-Was paid so now I have more than $6 in my local local bank account. Ah it feels good.
-The school is forcing our employer to do things like build a waiting area and give us computers that work. Rock on~
-Another friend is being forced out of the country due to a power struggle. He was given 2 weeks before his visa would expire (in the power struggle the promised extension of the visa was denied).
-Am meeting a lot more people who I would love to spend time with but that is what I am lacking.
-Am getting more advice on real estate and know what to look for come this August/September. Am hoping to have enough $ that I can afford the deposit myself (read: stability and living in one place for as long as I want).

Well, it's past midnight, I should be going to bed soon. Night~

Big Fish Small Pond

2009-01-19T06:59:00.000-08:00

Open this link in a new window. It is track 26 from the Road to Perdition soundtrack.

We have just started week two of the night Korean class. I must admit leaving at 8:30 am and then getting back at 9:30 pm is not the best of situations, but I have wanted this for years. Off and on I want to take Yonsei's full time language program but I am satisfied with 2 1/2 hours 3x a week. I took level 1A full time before in 2003. They have completely changed the book series for the better. So to a certain degree this is review from 5 years ago and from what I have been studying everyday on the bus and in my bedroom off and on since 11th grade.

With about five years in between taking the class for the first time and the second parts of it are review but now makes so much more sense. For now I am the big fish in our little eleven person pond. And surprisingly enough when I think of that I think of the commentary for Road to Perdition. When Mike Sullivan is in his small town, he's the big man on campus. But when leaves he sees just how small he really is.

I have always done terrible in language classes grade-wise. I always walk away with a lot of information but my grades leave something to be desired. I know that my language skills are low and will be years until they are high. I also know that within the expat community I have wonderful language abilities and currently in the class I am in partaking in I seem to be at the head of the class. I would love to be there. I would love for once to be one of the guys who can answer the questions involving vocab words we haven't been taught yet. And for the first time, I am. Some of my peers have asked if I want to be bumped up into a higher class; into a bigger pond. The time will come. My pond will get bigger and my size will continue to match it.

Christmas in Korea With All of the Dayls in My Home

2009-01-03T06:21:00.000-08:00

My Christmas week presented in bullet points with linked pictures:

-Dayl was kind enough to come to Korea for Christmas and stayed the week.
-Got some funky socks and a dancing chicken from the kind people at Grace.
-Played with my cat.
-Got to try on my new shirts.
-Spoke four languages (English, Korean, Japanese and a touch of Chinese) while meeting friends at a Chinese resturaunt with "Sichuan" spices... I wish people would use actual 'whajao' in "Sichuan" food as they do in actual Sinchuan.
-Afterwards we sang songs karaoke in three languages (English, Korean, Japanese).
-Observed a unique advertisement on the subway.
-We fought any urges to rid ourselves of any PETS at the local 7-11.
-Enjoyed a photo op at the DMZ while looking across the most heavily armed border in the world.
-And thankfully my arrest was in Seoul as opposed to being at Panmunjom.
-And I'm afraid to say that Dayl suffered a similar fate...
-We rode several bullets trains.
-We visited my old workplace which provided Dayl with another audience for his yo-yo tricks.
-Started Christmas morning with family before we entered a kimchee contest and played with the camera features on cell phones.
-We also ate some Christmas tacos and took a stroll along the stream.
-Then we took a few pictures with a lovely couple before meeting with a well known comedian after he finished preforming in a sold out local play.
-The next day we got a taste of traditional clothing before I took a new image for my background in my computer.
-Then we grabbed some quick INFO Mation before getting fresh directions and heading home.

낭만 고양이 있다 - Kitty

2008-12-14T06:27:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-28T10:17:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-24T17:37:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-11T06:52:00.000-08:00

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 ~

2008-11-06T15:12:00.001-08:00

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

2008-10-28T19:08:00.000-07:00

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, a nd 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

2008-10-23T16:43:00.000-07:00

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 are a 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

2008-10-19T19:05:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-16T14:27:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-10-10T18:54:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-07T09:14:00.001-07:00

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

2008-09-22T05:44:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-17T16:17:00.001-07:00

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

2008-09-15T19:09:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-08T10:56:00.001-07:00

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~

2008-08-24T21:08:00.000-07:00

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~!

2008-08-19T07:26:00.000-07:00

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"

2008-08-15T07:34:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-10T00:14:00.001-07:00

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

2008-06-26T01:08:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-11T07:46:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-04T00:58:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-19T17:59:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-15T07:23:00.001-07:00

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

2008-05-08T19:40:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-14T19:36:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-13T08:45:00.000-07:00

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)

2008-04-05T07:41:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-03-18T08:43:00.000-07:00

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 compressio n, 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

2008-03-16T08:45:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-15T00:05:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-12T18:57:00.000-07:00

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 limb s, 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

2008-03-07T09:42:00.000-08:00

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

2008-03-04T01:26:00.000-08:00

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

2008-03-03T05:26:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-26T07:23:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-24T08:17:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-18T08:15:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-12T23:21:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-10T19:04:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-26T01:13:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-24T18:01:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-23T07:29:00.000-08:00

-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

2008-01-13T04:17:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-11T09:51:00.000-08:00

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~

MP3 Players ^__^

2007-12-27T22:30:00.000-08:00

I have never had a real reason to buy an mp3 player. But I will be on the move almost constantly for the next six months; I now have my reason. Within hours of my purchase of an Apple iPod 80gig Classic, I discover Keith has received a Microsoft Zune for Christmas. After suggesting we bring our machines and have them battle to the death (plus internet research later) I discovered the following:

Same price, same hard drive space, same audio quality, basically same set of features, same weight and overall size.

Zune screen is much larger.

iPod battery lasts a lot longer.

Zune accepts more video formats.

Zune only works on PCs and noticed that software only runs on Vista. iPod works on both platforms and all OS versions. Noting also that my music is primarily on a Mac and it sorted on that Mac, iPod wins here.

Zune does not recognize DRM copyright protection meaning you can legally purchase music but will not have the ability to play it.

Zune requires software hacking to accept Unicode. When trying display a non-Roman based alphabet the words show up as squares or as gibberish instead of the correct letters or characters. What this means is I will not be able to read any of the song names of my Asian music; which is almost all of it.
If you are curious what your computer can read and what it can't click on any of the following links to see if there is Asian script or a bunch of small boxes:
Test Korean
Test Japanese
Test Chinese Simplified

If Unicode is not supported then it also means I will have a really hard time getting a Zune repaired anywhere in Asia, meanwhile there are a number of Apple Authorized Resellers in multiple Asian countries. The warranty reason alone is worth me keeping the iPod and the Unicode reason really hammers it home.

End result: I am really happy with what I bought and don't feel any regret~^____^ v

Back In the US

2007-12-26T01:09:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve - Finished packing bags and my room. Left Nonsan around 1pm, arrive Yongsan Station around 4, Myeondong at 7, met friend at 8, dinner 8:30, Namsan Tower, arrived at apartment at 1 am.

Christmas Day - Woke up 7:30, shower and breakfast, airport bus to Incheon, reorganized suitcases, grabbed a dounut and drank my water bottle dry before they could confiscate it and later refilled it (3x during the trip), left Korea 12 noon, arrived in Japan, Immigration and Customs with only one shoulder bag: "Um, is that all you have?" asked Customs, left the airport, exchanged currency, strolled around some more, bought a few items, airplane left 45 minutes late, arrived in LAX, Immigrations and Customs, freshened up in bathroom, met Grandpa for lunch 11:30 am, rode home, fell asleep around 5:30 pm, woke up 1 am.

I came back knowing I will return to Korea in two weeks. That combined with sitting around Nonsan for 3 days with nothing to do, has allowed me to mentially prepare myself for the return. Returning from Yonsei I went through heavy reverse culture shock. This time around I feel more prepared and, do I say I feel very American right now?

The Other Side of the Coin

2007-12-21T19:56:00.000-08:00

I mentioned some of the good things about being foreign but I left out some of the bad things of being foreign. Life can be very hard for foreigners in any country, that is pretty standard fair. A lack of communication, racism, getting charged more for things; these can all be very common things.

I really haven't had much of a problem with racism. In East-Asian countries (read not Southeast Asian countries - I don't know about those) it is a good thing to be white. The Korean people are usually very kind and I have found very willing to help in a number of circumstances. As I have found out it is not as good to be brown or black in this country.

Getting charged more for items, yeah it happens on occasion. Truth is you can normally tell when it is going on and if you are careful it won't happen much. Truth is this, as are all the other items, happens to foreigners in all countries.

Lack of communication is the biggest problem for myself. Between cultural assumptions and me not hearing everything, I get skipped on a fair amount of information. Korean being a language I can speak some of, I can do all of the necessary things; I can buy soap, I can get a taxi, I can buy train tickets a week ahead of time, etc. But having a real conversation with real thoughts, can be awfully hard to come by. As I recently had, I needed to have a conversation with an individual about a very important issue and spent around an hour only to find myself unsuccessful. I had to call a friend who intervened on my behalf and was able to get everything taken care of and translated back to me in about 10 minutes. Situations like that make you feel helpless and very needy.

Salvation Army

2007-12-18T17:59:00.000-08:00

I was getting ready to ride the subway and I heard a familiar ringing sound off to the side. I had forgotten that this is the time of the year for the bell ringers to come out and generally gather in the subways, as per better temperatures.

Don't have cash on you? Not a problem~ use your subway card or debit card.

Don't have a debit card but have an audio book? Not a problem~you can drop off your book as well.

When Dad had visited we saw a group gathering around a stage. I've never know the group to have a band or two. Turns out the Salvation Army has a pretty strong presence in this country since 1908 when they first arrived.

Doing some quick searching I found some old pictures showing those familiar buckets being passed around and being used in the city. Everything from food kitchens in the city to those for kids at a school. Found a school in a remote area and then with some newer uniforms and sending the kids marching off to school. Mobile Clinic~ Making and repairing clothes~ And a cute little picture to finish it off.

Foreigners

2007-12-16T06:05:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it can really be benifitual to be a foreigner in Asia. This is not always true as there is the occasion where it is a negative thing (ask me about drunks on trains :) I still stumble with the language but despite that people don't expect me to understand the language or the culture. I've been taught by several people outside of this country that, for an example, if you get pulled over simply speak in English and speak it really fast. For the officer it will not be worth the trouble and you can usually get away with it.

Now I haven't been pulled over seeing how I haven't driven here yet, but I have had other examples.

The school started a campaign that on Wednesday everyone needs to clean their plate; no food trash allowed. Well my first Wednesday that this program started, no one told me about what I need to do. So despite them telling me no and rejecting my tray, I didn't understand what was going on and they took it anyway.

Another time I went back for seconds so I could have a midnight snack. It looked like they were telling me I shouldn't or wasn't allowed to, or something along those lines. But I honestly didn't understand and after a moments pause they gave me seconds ^^

Sometimes when kids get punished they have kitchen duty which includes serving food. One of the sophomore students (aka not in my class) was serving and I wanted more food. It took a minute for him to understand (with me talking in Korean) that I wanted more food. He had a look on his face like he wanted to tell me something; like he should give me a reason not to give me more food. But he discovered it was easier to give me more food than it was to try and explain in English. I got the food I wanted :)

ㅋㅋㅋ *Happy~*

Translation Styles

2007-12-15T06:17:00.000-08:00

I have noticed there are two main ways to translate things; the first being literal 'word for word' translations and the other being 'sentence for sentence.'

The first one is the worse of the two. Languages are not all the same, that is why they can be such a pain going from one to the other.
Korean and English have completely different sentence structures. Example:
Korean: 내일 난 학교에 갈게요.
English: Tomorrow I school to the will go.
I have seen a number of subtitled movies and a few time it is in this method. This is also what happens when you translate subtitles using a translation program. Despite it looking odd this can actually be really benefitual if I am trying to learn the language; I can see how it flows and how it thinks.

The other method is 'sentence for sentence' or 'thought for thought.' The structure may have to change, the words used may have to be changed, but the thoughts get across; which is the point of translating.
Korean: 내일 학교 가요.
English (word for word): Tomorrow school go.
English (thought for thought) Tomorrow I will go to school.

If someone does not know another language needs more or less (or different words) then they might change the structure, but the words will be misleading.
-Korean in a group society, so words like "my" "I" "me" are not really used. So in many sentences the subject is dropped; in English you cannot do this.
-English needs the tenses to be correct, Korean is more lax. In English you must use verbs in the future tense even though you have already stated it will be in the future ("tomorrow," "next week"). But in Korean, if you have already told the person "next week..." you don't need to conjugate the verb to the future tense; they already know it is in the future.

Another example of how literal translations can be misleading is what responce will a person have when they do not understand. In Korean, if you do not understand what someone is saying and you want them to repeat it, you simply say "yes?" This can really be a problem when, to English speakers, it sounds like the person agreed with me (by stating "yes") when really they were trying to tell me they didn't hear me.

"Okay" has really bugged me until I understood how Koreans use this word. In English it can be used as a form of confirmation or if things are good they are 'okay.' Examples:
"Are you okay?" "Is the food okay?" "My head feels okay now."

In Korean "okay" is used also as "yes." Example:
Rick: So you saw a movie last weekend?
Student: Okay!
This really confused me as students used "okay" = "yes."

I may not be in a Korean Language class or studying vocab as hard as I should be, but I am learning alot about how the language works~

Snow~

2007-12-06T04:48:00.000-08:00

The second snow of the season didn't last as long as the first. The first stayed the night and the second had too small of flakes to last.

The temperature is perfect for snow as ice on the field can now support the weight of students or myself. Also the stairs are starting to get iced over. We'll see who gets hurt first...

Christmas Season

2007-12-05T19:33:00.000-08:00

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Korea. The Myeondong area in Seoul is looking quite nice. I was told it looks a bit like New York; I will leave that to the people who have been to the city, as I have not. Even the trees look pretty right now. This is what it looked like at the end of my study abroad. One of my last memories is with Kevin with the city decked out.

Next we found a cool displace outside of a mall; it was Christmas around the world. You could see Japan, China, Korea, France (the soldier looks eastern European to me), The United States, and even The North Pole.

Just a few weeks until Christmas~

As Simple as Toast

2007-11-26T22:39:00.000-08:00

I was asked by someone recently "what is the difference between toast and sandwiches?"

Well in the West you usually get toast with butter and strawberry or blueberry jam; simple.

But I noticed about five months ago I walked by a place called Isaac Toast which sells slushes, ice cream, bagels, a few sandwiches, and 31 kinds of toast. Well, what can you get on toast? I asked this to my class and they replied: butter, strawberry jam, blueberry jam, kiwi, sweet potato, ham, bacon, turkey, chicken, several kinds of cheese, beef or steak, lettuce, cabbage, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, sweet cream (difference than butter), kimchee, pickles, onions, tomatoes, various sauces that are unique to Isaac Toast, eggs (and Koreans love eggs might I add), chocolate, or french fries.

Not to mention you could also get salt, pepper, various kinds of oils, green peppers, green onions, korean chili peppers, mango, carrots, strawberry, pineapple, banana, or apples on your toast.

No wonder they were having a hard time discerning toast from sandwiches.

Thanks to Carissa as well who introduced me to Indonesian style toast which has several layers of condensed milk and Dutch chocolate sprinkles. Oh my~

School Festival II

2007-11-25T22:42:00.000-08:00

One of the funnest things of the festival was the outside fair. My biggest complaint is they wanted to sell us food to eat right after finishing lunch....

But anyways there were muffins, cheese balls, candy canes, and what is that? Tortilla chips?

French toast, chocolate cookies, yogurt, and cherry Coke (Coke mixed with Kool Aid and actually pretty good for a few sips). Not to mention the cookies with names and words written on them. I must admit it was a great marketing idea to put "I love Han Teacher" on a cookie or "MiYoung and GyeongShin" on a heart shaped cookie.

The tortilla chips and the Churros can be purchased from Costco. The toaster oven cooking method + frying pan proved to be an interesting combo.

There was also boiled fish as well as chicken on a stick with optional cheese (really good). Turn the corner and you see various small candies, dumplings (pan fried or steamed) and bread with honey inside. The 'dalkona' was really good as well. You take sugar and melt it over an open flame, mix in coffee or green tea if you like, and then pour it out and make it into shapes if you wish.

Walk around a little more and you can get your face painted or you could toss water balloons. Or how about the classic hammering nails into wood?

Surprisingly there was a boxing ring. Several of the teachers got into the ring and as you can see really got into it.

And do you remember that arcade game where you got the rubber mallet and had to hit the things that popped up? Hehehehehe And don't worry, the kids were fine.

On the last night of the festival there was the Dress Party. Now there is nothing like the Prom in Korean culture, so this was huge for the students. They kept telling me this has to be one of the first dress parties at a high school in Korea, ever.

Not really feeling it, I decided to pass until I found out that all of the teachers were dressing in student uniforms. Oh alright, I'm in. This was the first time I have ever worn a student uniform and I found it comfortable. And as you can see not all of the students dressed up really formal. In this end this was the highlight of the festival. I had a lot of fun that night.