Old Year's Day

This is it, the last day of the year 2008.

Somehow it seems more important to me this year, though perhaps that is because today is also the last day of classes before I begin my 11-day vacation period (a rather lengthy period of time in the world of private academy teaching, though it is, of course, hard to confuse me with those lazy public school wankers who get a month or two off).

So, goodbye 2008.

Goodbye to George Bush, to a false sense of economic prosperity followed by a nightmarish crash, to a long year filled with memories.

Moving back to South Korea. Starting a new job. Meeting new people. Learning where to buy tomatoes and to keep extra money in my bag in case I take a taxi to work and forget my wallet (Ouch! Painful memory--the taxi driver was NOT happy with my meager handful of coins.)

That's what today, Old Year's Day, is about--memories. Good or bad, important or not, they happened and, in some sense, they are more valued on this day.

Goodbye 2008 . . .

What I Really Think

I think the Earth will effectively die within the next 100 years.

Oh, I don't mean life will cease to exist, but rather that people will be choking on fumes, dying of communicable diseases, or just exertiminating each other--probably in the cause of religion-- and animals will be a minority. No doomsday, but a dreary, sad, untenable world.

This I believe.

Humans have no inclination to change the downward spiral of the world we live in.

Even if we did, we could not get enough of us together to make a difference.

So, selfish me, I think . . .

What am I doing teaching kids in Korea the English language?

Shouldn't I be out saving the rainforest or something? Or, failing that noble endeavor, cavorting with semi-clad women in some tropical paradise?

Just a bit of "soul searching" . . .

Point for Me

A few weeks ago I noted that Vladimir Putin--current prime minister of Russia and former president, just biding his time until he can get the constitution changed with respect to term limits so that he can resume the presidency--was a leader who used energy as a power tool.

This week he announced the formation of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) and said, basically, no more cheap gas.

While his move is not wholly unexpected or radical, it does give an indication of Russia's play for (renewed) global power.

He will get re-"elected" and he will venture into energy battles in the future.

Kimbap--Convenience Store Version

Kimbap (gimbap) is a very common, cheap food in Korea. It typically consists of cooked, cooled rice wrapped around some type of "filler": veggies, meat, etc. You can get it in a rolled form from a restaurant or also in a triangular-shaped form from a convenience store.

The store version usually costs about $.70 and is cleverly packaged to keep the rice and filler moist yet, at the same time, the outer seaweed wrap dry. So, if unwrapped correctly, you have a nice salty, green outside and a soft, chewy inside.

The pics show a package of tuna kimbap (tuna mayonaisse).

It's good and is quick, cheap, and on the healthy side of "fast" food.

Merry Christmas from Korea

Yelling Memories

The other day I went for a walk in the morning to get some food to take to work. As I was returning, I saw that a motorcycle police officer had pulled over a taxi. The cop was standing facing the driver's window, which was down, and the taxi driver--a man, almost all are--was yelling at him. Yelling! As in I was a few hundred feet away and could hear him clearly. Unfortunately my language skills are so limited that I could not understand what was being said, but it was clear that the taxi driver was venting.

I was shocked. Shocked that a police officer would allow a driver to yell like that. And that a motorist would do so in the first place.

I thought about it more as I walked.

Surely this never happens in America. I was raised and conditioned by society to believe that police officers are to be treated with respect, and I think I have some core belief that they are the ones who stand between us and lawlessness, anarchy.

Then I started wondering, maybe it does happen. Maybe I am so out of touch with things in America, having lived in Korea for several years, that I really don't know.

That is a dangerous path, one I have found myself on a few times, and I always hasten to get off of it. Why? I think it can create a longing for "home" that can destroy my serenity. (And here I think I am talking about expat's--expatriates--in general.)

On the one hand I know for a fact that I lack current knowledge about some facets of life in the U.S. Some of those things, like the current popular tv shows, I don't give a damn about (my tv in my apt. has been broken for about four months, and I haven't even asked my boss to have it replaced). Others, like politics, I do care about, and try to stay updated through the net, but still feel something is missing--that aura of social awareness, the sense that you know how others feel.

I asked some of my students about the yelling scene, but, for the most part, they are so young that they can't give me a good answer.

Rather than a cheesey journalistic ending ("As I moved further from the scene of the ensuing confrontation, I reminded myself that I was happy not to be stuck in the backseat of the taxi, sitting idly by while my driver . . ."), I think I will say, honestly, that there are things here to be pondered further.

Advanced Japanese Toilets

I taught in Japan before coming to South Korea, and so was interested to recently read a news article about modern Japanese "super toilets" that may, variably, have heated seats, jet streams, music, different flushing modes, etc. The reading brought back memories.

One of the classes I taught was in a corporate building. The class was for company workers, and I was expected to dress well. However, the weather was hot and humid, so I would wear summer clothes to the building and then go into a bathroom and change into slacks, a long-sleeved collared shirt, and tie.

Now, the regular men's bathroom was nice enough, but one day it was busy so I ducked into the handicapped-accessible one. Wow. Quite well done. After I changed I sat down on the toilet to do my thing and noticed, straight off, that the seat was very well-cushioned. Then I saw, next to my right thigh, at my right fingertips, a whole series of electronic buttons. I realized that I was on a fancy toilet, but, for the life of me, couldn't figure out how to flush the damn thing.

Finally, I noticed a pull rope hanging down from the same right side. Oh! In my experience, normal toilet flushing involves either a button, a lever, or a rope, so, of course, having little other option, I pulled the thing.

A few seconds later, while I was zipping up, there came a frantic pounding on the door, with some exclamations in Japanese. I opened the door, unsure what to expect. Two older Japanese men were there, excited, intent, serious. They asked me some questions in Japanese, and I, catching their drift, assured them I was ok.

Turns out that, thrown off course by the advanced toilet, I had pulled the "I've fallen and can't get up!" emergency alarm.

Embarrassment.

That's a lesson I only had to learn once.

Korean Road Signs

My favorite Korean road signs.

Ok. They are unusual. As in not typical. But I laughed when I saw them, made the driver of the car back up, just to be sure if I had truly seen what I thought I saw. Yep.

Slow that tank down, buddy. You are going too fast!

Oh, btw, make sure you don't drive off a cliff. That might be hazardous to your health.

Seoraksan National Park

I haven't been to Seoraksan National Park in a while; it is one of the beautiful natural places in South Korea, and is a popular site for all to visit. Located in Gangwon province, towards the northeast coast, Seorak can be very crowded at times. It was hot and hazy that day, but enjoyable all the same.

Seoul Fish Market

I travel to Seoul, about four hours by bus from where I live, once a month or so to visit friends and to do some shopping for western goods.

A few months ago we visited the central fish market on a Sunday morning and enjoyed gazing at the variety of sea life available for purchase and consumption (some of it on location).

The assortment of fish is quite large, but many other sea creatures are also available: squid, octopi, scallops, shrimp/prawns, clams, rays, snails, slugs, and other assorted things either too foreign or too ugly to name.

Morning Walks

In the mornings I like to walk on a path which was designed just for that purpose. It begins (or ends) just a short distance from my apartment, and borders the ocean for a mile or so. Though I can't see the open ocean from where I live, there are oyster boats working these shallow waters and the air is quite refreshing. I stroll past fishermen--seldom a fisherwoman in sight; women, like the one just noticeable in the picture, tend to be collecting mussels and other bits from the water's rocky edge--and those taking a break from life, content for a while, like me, to be near the peaceful sea.

This is the pretty edge of my neighborhood. The other side is more mundane, and I shall save it for another time.

On the Merits of Flexibility

Today was one of those rather strange teaching days that happen every so often and that lead me to believe that the foremost skill/characteristic of a teacher is the ability/necessity to be flexible.

I have a new first class on Wednesdays and Fridays that consists of three high school seniors. They are currently the oldest students I teach. However, only one of them showed up today, so I chose to not cover the text lesson and rather to talk about food and his future. I had him try dried cranberries, cinnamon Altoids, spearmint Altoids, and then gave him a bite-sized package of kimchi chocolate (from a Seoul tourist shop) to take with him. He was game for it all, and liked the first three. He told me he has a p-t job at a small pizza place and likes pizza, while the rest of his family doesn't. So he's a bit of an oddball I think.

He, like every Korean male, must serve two years with the military, so he will do a year at uni in a nearby city, take a break to complete his service, and then resume his studies in statistics.

Then, next class. My young elementary beginners (though I've had them for eight months now). One boy came in crying, apparently claiming the girl had hit him on the school van. Two other students showed up late. One girl was noticeably sick, as in she had a cold that had stolen away her usual peppiness and changed her facial appearance. And some of the five had not done their homework. So I had to sort all of that out, dealing with emotions, lethargy, class rules, etc., all at a low level of English. And to top it all of on Wednesdays I have them for a double class, or an hour and a half, which is, of course, a long time for little kids (1st/2nd graders) to study a foreign language (and this is after they have gone to their public school . . . maybe I should note here that I teach at an after-school academy, or hagwon, and my teaching hours run from 2-9pm).

Ok. Got through that and they were much cherrier by the end, thankfully. It helps that on Wednesdays I give them a snack to break up the long period and to work on manners. Plus they get to play "the card game".

Then a 40 mintue break during which I ate my usual kimbap (cheap take-out consisting of cold cooked rice rolled around veggies, ham, egg, etc., all wrapped in seaweed) and edited two short essays for my boss' students.

Then another elementary class, 3rd/4th graders, five more boys and girls who, after months of behavior modification (I sound like a scientist but that is it in a nutshell) have finally settled down and I can relax a bit and focus on teaching.

Then, the new thing, an hour and 4o minute break. I don't really like it, but tonight I used the time wisely and took a bus to E-mart (supermarket/dept. store) to buy contacts, eco-detergent, etc. and then some street-market tomatoes. I bought a bag of tomatoes from the same stall last night but forgot them at school and the manager, thinking they were a gift from a parent/student, took them home. Sigh. They are not cheap but it was my fault and no big deal.

Last class--sixth graders. At this stage of school life in Korea their childhood is over and they study a lot and play no games. They have to prepare for middle school next year (begins in March).

This class is strange, though, for about three months ago it consisted of five boys. But now it has seven girls and two boys, and the metamorphasis has been interesting. The girls were nice, silly, chatty when I took over the class tonight (they had already been studying at the academy for a few hours). They wanted to know if I like some Korean pop stars, if I knew who Mariah Carey was, etc. Had to really exercise patience to calm them down and try to focus on some grammar, which of course they find boring (tell me about it). Different levels of English in that class make it rough to achieve a balance.

They wanted to play "the card game" (more about it later) but I had to say "No, sorry, but you have to study" . . . then I remembered that next week is Christmas week, and what an excuse that is to let them have one free class. They deserve it. Probably 9-10 hours a day of studying at this point, and then homework and bed. And people think Asian kids are inherently smart.

Winter Blues

This morning I didn't want to shower as that entails standing barefoot on the tiled floor while I shave and then getting the water to the right temperature. I love my wall-to-wall tiled bathroom (makes cleaning a breeze), but it is getting colder and colder. Of course, I could wear my shower slippers, but just don't like the feel. So I have started pouring hot water over the little patch of tile where I stand while shaving. Simple but effective.

Meanwhile, I enjoy happy thoughts of summer: beaches and sand and warmth.

A friend and I had a discusion about this, that anticipation is a good thing. Looking forward to a positive change--whether it be warmth, good food, a new job, etc.--can be healthy in many ways.

Whiteboard Story

Sometimes a teacher, by necessity a flexible person, has to adapt to the existing circumstances, and so I found myself last week with only half a class (the others, all middle school students, were absent for exams).

So I decided to try something new, a card/whiteboard story game (mention the word "game" and you get everyone's attention; let's not forget that I teach after students have been through a full day of public school).

Each of the four students were given (or chose) two vocabulary cards and then they, as a group, had to create a story using all of the vocabulary words. To save time, I wrote the story on the whiteboard.

(Teachers: caution: I had a problem with Korean being spoken during the story-planning stage.)

The students (6th-8th grades) loved the activity. Here is what they came up with:

Russian Scamming

Just recently a Russian businessman claimed to have trademarked--meaning he supposedly now owns the copyright--the winky eyed emoticon. And he wants to charge companies for using it.

Blueey!

In the BBC news article, I loved the following quote: "You're not likely to find any retards in Russia who'll pay [the alleged company] for the use of emoticons".

The really disturbing fact is that the Russian federal patent agency supposedly gave this man the copyright. This while Russia is trying to re-emerge from its USSR days, with Putin at the helm.

Or not at the helm. He had to step down from official leadership, but is apparently planning to return to power after manipulating the Russian parliment. Mark my words--he is a scary SOB who will, and has, used energy supplies as a weapon and seeks to re-assert Soviet influence.

I'm not bear-scary and Russia is hardly the bastion of communism these days, but he is one to watch out for.

Pencil Cases

Many young Korean students are rather enthusiastic about pencil cases. Especially girls. I have a few who are obsessed. They own 10-15 pencil cases, bring 2-3 to class, swap them out, dither over them . . . sometimes the silliness of it becomes rather annoying. Perhaps the worst is when one of the hard plastic cases falls off a student's desk to the floor, causing one's eardrums to shatter, one's heart to go on vacation, and one teacher's patience to be sorely tested. Try two in a row . . . it happens more often than expected/wanted. Let's just say I have earned a lot of good karma.

The First One

This first blog is dedicated to Charlie, a friend back in the States, who, overworked as he is, only checks his email every month or so. Bad move. He then finds about 23 emails from me, or at least he used to. Now--consolidated, hip, with-the-program--I can avoid stimulating Charlie's subsurface emotions and still achieve my goal of simply sharing things I find interesting . . . so here we go . . .