Jon In Korea

Taipei

2008-05-19T13:01:00.002+09:00

Last month I took a little trip to Taipei. I had a 4 day weekend at work, so I wanted to take advantage of the little vacation time I have and go visit my friend John who lives there. He used to live in Busan and has now been in Taiwan for several months, learning Chinese at a University.

Anyway it was a 3 hour train to Seoul, 1 hour bus to the airport, and 2 1/2 hour flight, 1 hour time difference. Taiwan is more tropical than Korea. Everyday I was there it was in the high 70s to low 80s and partly cloudy. I went on a Saturday and came back Tuesday. Didn't have much time for sightseeing, unfortunately, so only a few pictures...

The green building is the 101, which is currently the world's tallest building at 508 meters. My only real sightseeing day was Monday, so I went to the tower. Unfortunately it was rainy the whole day, and visibility from the top of the tower was poor and I couldn't go to the top floor, so I just went through the first few floors. Floors 1-4 are filled with top end retailers of clothes, accessories, jewelry, etc; beautiful building.

Taipei reminded me a lot of Japan; similar grid layout of the streets, densely populated. I also found people to be more polite than in Korea. People would wait to give you right of way, in cars and on scooters and bicycles. In Korea, they just go first and don't always look, either expecting you to stop or the idea of "if I don't see you, then you're not there". Actually the driving in Korea is pretty bad; I might have mentioned about this before. Changing lanes with no signal, drifting between lanes at will. The mentality here is expect that everyone on the road is a bad driver and act accordingly.

The subway in Taipei was clean and quiet. Also less staring than in Korea, which was a nice change. It seems in some ways Japan's colonialism had more effect in Taiwan than in South Korea. I didn't get down to too many details with the locals in Taipei, but generally the older Koreans hate Japan because of the colonialist atrocities (comfort women etc) and Japan erased this period from their history books and will not apologize. One one website I read about that talks about hatred against GIs stationed in Seoul, sometimes admitting guilt about something here leads the the accuser to hurl more punishment at the accused; you were wrong and now I hit you more. Totally backwards from the western view.

Overall I found Taipei very nice and enjoyable; would love to visit again. I enquired about the English teaching there, but Korea still pays the best. Four days is only a honeymoon period though; not enough time to get a well-rounded impression.

Cherry Blossoms

2008-05-13T21:50:00.003+09:00

Well obviously this post is a month overdue, but anyway here's some pics of the cherry blossoms in Busan near my home. They are lined up all along the main thoroughfare from the center of the city to my area, which is north of the center of Busan. Also running along the subway line, which travels part of its length above the streets, is a river/drainage system below street level. I sometimes go walking or jogging along this path. You can see in one of the pics there is some construction; it seems they are narrowing the river but I haven't found out why. One unfortunate part of the design is that it can smell bad on windless days, or after periods of no rain. Then when it does rain, the sewage all gets washed down. I got caught in a rainstorm once and ended up running through sewage being washed down :-(

Also I have a picture of my building. Its the tallest building around, but my view is from the fourth floor, in the dark brown part of the building. I've included a view from my window, what I get to see everyday. The blossoms are gone, replaced with full green trees. Unfortunately my windows will never be fully clean; the double window design prohibits the self-initiative to secure a clear view. Another post coming soon... I promise!

February

2008-02-22T08:45:00.002+09:00

Hey, few new things happening around here. Had to give away the cats, they were eating up the wallpapers, and everytime I came home my apartment smelled like kitty litter. Posted a local ad and found who I hope will be a good new owner :-) Started going back to the gym again, after I take tabs on how big my belly has become. I'm over 200 pounds now; which may not seem like a lot, but I've generally been the skinny one in the family. Work is going well, apartment seems much better now without the cats. Been reading a few good books lately, mainly related to religion. Highly recommend "Under the Banner of Heaven" by John Krakauer and "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins. Also read a book called "Ghengis Khan and the Making of the Modern World", forgot the author because my friend is borrowing it. Basically talks about the systems he implemented in his vast kingdom, and how some of his policies are still so effective today, even more effective in some cases.

I think I wanted to talk about a few more things but I forgot :-( Sorry no new pics at this time, not sure what to take pics of...

Holidays

2008-01-02T11:22:00.000+09:00

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Birthday (to me)!! Its been a month since I posted last time, so a few things to catch up on... S Korea elected a new president on Dec 19th, and inaugurated him Jan 1st. Name is Ee Myung Park. I was talking to some of my students about him; one girl said that on election day, he was elected (by a vast majority), it was his birthday AND he had a wedding celebration?!?! Talk about an auspicious day...

You may wonder, what's Christmas like in Korea? Well for most people it was just another day off, me included. This year I was really missing home, but later after talking to a few other foreigners about it, they were feeling the same way, so I knew I wasn't alone. Basically its just a day off, with fewer businesses open. No snow here in Busan, and just starting to drop below freezing at night. Even though Christmas was on a Tuesday, I had the work the day before to 10:15, and the day after til 10:15!! Not much vacation there.

Fast forward next week for New Year's, also which Koreans don't really celebrate as much as Chinese New Year. We got the Mon and Tues off at work, but I had a few Saturday classes (overtime pay, not bad). A friend had a party at his house-like apartment, with many people showing up. It was kind of funny, most of the people there were white guys and their Korean girlfriends/wives! Sorry, no pics... The ball drop was rather tame considering, but not as bad as my first year here. I felt rather detached for most of the party because I arrived a bit late, but the rest of the night got better, had good times with friends.

Thursday is my birthday, but no holiday at work :-( Made some plans to get together at one of my friend's house on Saturday, cook up lots of food and some wine, should be a good time. And no more Saturdays!! By the way, the cats are getting big now, getting good at climbing everything too. The other day one of them managed to jump on top of my dresser, where I keep cologne and many other small things. Need to keep a close eye on them, they're outgrowing the apartment; or may need to give away one of them... They're a mood booster, but not when they get me angry with their playing ;-)

New Apartment

2007-12-04T10:50:00.000+09:00

Okay, here's some pics of my new apartment. In November I moved to this new place, which is quite far from my old place. The first great thing about it is its almost twice as big as my previous place! I thought I should get some more furniture to fill out the walls, but after living in such small cramped spaces, its kinda nice just to have space with nothing there. So I leave it as it is.

My new school is paying for the place. Originally they had hired a guy who had a wife, so he requested a larger apartment. But after a few weeks he bolted, leaving the school without a teacher and an empty apartment. When I interviewed for the job, they showed me to the apartment. This guy was basically squatting there until something else came along, from what I could tell. The place was a mess, littered with hair all over the floor, smelling like stale smoke and lots of plastic bags and pizza boxes in the storage room. Its teachers like this that give foreigners a bad reputation sometimes, doing the midnight run and such. But there are also schools who get bad reps for not paying their schools as promised (I have a few comments about this later).

So I took the job and the apartment. Thankfully the director of the new school helped me move in his van, only took one trip. The large bed was already supplied, as well as the TV. So you can see all the stuff in my space. In the kitchen, that tall white cabinet is actually the refrigerator, made to blend into the decorum. Looks really good, but overall not enough space for my pots and pans. I have a convenient shoe closet next to the door, and my own washing machine (under the gas range, which is surprisingly common in Korean design). The bathroom is still the open design, but noticeably bigger than my last place, and more light. I don't get quite as much daylight though, due to the smaller windows and the length of this place. But its okay because this place is free :-)

Also, you can notice a few kittens in one of the pictures. In October, one of my friends went hiking and came across a small plastic bag with 4 kittens in it, not able to even feed themselves. Apparently someone just took them into the mountain and dropped them off to die! So he grabbed them, took them to his place and kept them fed and potty trained them. I agreed to take two (kinda wished I only had 1 now though, they go crazy and claw everything!) There's good and bad about owning them, but I suppose its good overall :-)

Long Time...

2007-11-06T04:39:00.000+09:00

Hey all, its been a long time since I posted a blog here. I apologize for the absence for those who like to keep tabs on what I've been doing. This is just a short message to let you guys know that I'll put a bit of effort into updating this regularly. Unfortunately my day to day is rather ordinary now, I'm accustomed to the new country in which I live. Recently I moved and plan to stay another year. I'll take some pics soon. Thanks for checking in on me!

view from my window

2007-04-13T09:17:00.000+09:00

Also I thought I'd post some pics of what I see every day from my big picture window. Its not glamorous but there are some nice points. Off to the left is a mountain, and you can see all the cherry blossom trees (they bloom for 2-3 weeks) and a church on the hill. Directly across the street from is a women's hospital, the clay and grey building. In the background are tall apartment buildings and a bunch of small houses and apartments shoved in between. The real highlight for me is looking at the blue sky everyday! Haha, seems silly, but after a year in an apartment which barely received indirect daylight, its a welcome change.

Also included a pic of one of the schools I work at, elementary school. This one looks a bit different; I was told it was built when Korea was a colony of Japan, during the period from 1905-1945 if my numbers are correct. Japan also brought over the cherry blossom trees, otherwise there wouldn't be so many here. Unfortunately the warcrimes they committed are not easily forgotten here by the older generation, so many Koreans hate Japan.

Cherry Blossoms

2007-04-13T09:10:00.000+09:00

The weather here today is terribly rainy and windy, so I figured I start out the day with a post about the cherry blossom trees. For about 2 weeks they were in full bloom. I was fortunate enough last week to go for a hike and take some nice pictures of the trees, along with the surrounding area. I went hiking on a mountain I'd never been to before, and it felt like I wasn't even in Korea for a few hours. Something about it was different: perhaps the mountaintop covered with long grass,reminded me of wheat fields. And the wide trails is not a common hiking feature here.

Anyway, hope you enjoy the pics. I enjoyed taking them as well :-)

Beijing Pt 2

2007-03-26T16:52:00.000+09:00

As I talk more about my trip to Beijing, my only reference point will be Busan, since this is where I spend my days. The first noticeable difference is the scale of Beijing. Its a giant city! Literally. The scale of the buildings is enormous. Coming from Busan, where buildings are barely 1-ft from each other, most of the buildings in Beijing are a huge project, generally 20 stories or more. A lot of this may be due to the upcoming Olympics, and also because its the Capital City. Whereas in Busan you can still see remnants of the old city (shanty-like houses), Beijing has destroyed most of those areas for big apartment buildings, hotels, businesses and shopping. While the buildings are grandiose, most are unremarkable in their design.

Generally the roads are 4 lanes each side, with a partition of trees, and another lane for parking and bicycles. All the roads are very wide like this, and big sidewalks. It almost seemed luxurious after being in Busan, where sidewalks are whats left over after everything else is considered (i.e. inefficient, many obstacles). Even with the extra lanes, there are still many traffic jams. One foreigner magazine I read while there made mention of this problem, and the push to make more subway lines to alleviate the congestion. Mind you, all these projects are expected to be done in time for the Olympics next year.

People in Beijing drive like they walk. I though traffic was bad in Busan, but in Beijing they don't really stop; everyone drives really slow (Busan they drive fast as possible and shove their way through, but everyone drives the same so its okay). No one waits for the crosswalk signal, bikes are mixed in with cars (even though there is a designated lane for bikes) and you cross when you can, always making sure the driver coming at you sees you. Its much more chaotic then anything in the States, but again, they all drive the same so its usually okay. There's just so many people that's its hard to enforce any of these rules.

Another note on the cars: many of the cars look new, but they are actually factory models from 10 years back, with a few fascia modifications. There were many Volkswagen for taxis, and overall a good mixture of cars from all over the world (contrast with Korea, where 80% of the cars are Hyundai or Kia or Samsung). Overall there was a certain bleakness about this big city; many of the buildings were actually painted grey (with red accents). However, don't be persuaded by my opinion, I still enjoyed visiting there. Food is cheap and tasty, clothes are cheap (once you learn how to bargain the prices down). But its definitely a place to visit at least once, also due to its proximity to The Great Wall...

Beijing Pt 1

2007-03-19T19:29:00.000+09:00

Well, after my 8 days in Beijing, I come back to Busan feeling ready to go, refreshed and renewed. The next day I catch fever :-( and spent all day in bed (Saturday). Today (Monday) I went to get a checkup and some medication to take for one day. Price: $15. Is that cheap or what??

Luckily Beijing is only 1-hr time difference, so my friend John and I didn't suffer from jet lag. On the 2nd day I went to an aquarium nearby the hotel. I just figured I go and check it out, get it out of the way. I'm glad I went, there was lots to see in there. It was very dark, but fun. The shark exhibit was mesmerizing. Their tank was kind of big, and the sharks were no longer than 5-ft. But I could see why they instill fear into so many. They slowly pace around the tank, pale grey eyes and always baring their teeth. I stood by that tank for several minutes trying to get a good pic, but its tough when they never stop moving.

The sea turtles looked almost cartoonish in their colors, very impressive. The place reminded me of the movie 'Finding Nemo' - clown fish, whatever that blue fish was, and the sea turtles. There was also a gigantic tank where you could pass underneath, a glass tunnel so you could be right next to the fish! It was fun to be that close, and a little creepy, but difficult to take a good picture because of the glass curvature. I spent about 1-hr in the aquarium, cost about $10.

Overdue blog

2007-03-05T18:37:00.000+09:00

Yes, thanks to Jason to remind me I'm overdue to post a blog, so here it is! I was waiting for a while to get my camera back from the repair shop; got it back and posted some pics here for ya. You can see both the motorbikes I have right now. The red and black is technically my 3rd bike, cause the first one was a lemon. The charcoal Magma was my 2nd bike, which I am currently leasing to my friend for 2 months, until he leaves. At that point I'll sell one of these bikes. I enjoy the increased power and top speed of the red and black bike (Kawasaki Vulcan 500) but its a bit older and Japanese, so costs more to fix. Also, my Magma is much lighter and fuel efficient, so we'll see what kind of offers pop up.

Also, this week I'm taking my first vacation from Korea; I'm going to Beijing for 8 days! Should be a good adventure, new culture. As you know most of the non-perishables we use come from China, so I will be doing some shopping for clothes that fit me :-) Also negotiating seems to be integral to the shopping process in China, so I hope to learn more about that, and also sharpen my negotiating skills in general. If time permits maybe I'll make it to the Forbidden City and The Great Wall. And of course I'll have my camera along, so I'll try to remember to take some interesting pictures and post them when I get back!

January

2007-01-19T15:32:00.001+09:00

Happy Birthday to me! :-) And Happy Birthday to my 2 brothers this month! We all have our birthdays in January, so its kind of a special month. Wish I could be there to celebrate with you guys, even if just for a day. Another thing I wish I could be back home for is the Auto Show in Detroit.

The last few years, I made a habit of going to the Auto Show because I really enjoy seeing the new cars, and sitting in many of them, to see if I fit ;-) But us Schultzes' can't fit in all of them, we're just too big! Although I missed the Show this year and last year, I'm still able to keep an eye on what's new in the auto industry in the US; I used MSN Video to check out video clips of some of the new vehicles, see the interiors and hear about new technical advances. The new Lexus LS460 looks very interesting, as well as the Dodge Viper. Can't wait to get back to the States and see how the roadscape has changed!

In other new, I realized I needed a hobby, or something to study, to make my free time more interesting and perhaps income-augmenting. My family remembers I used to show interest in Feng Shui. I can even remember my brother Jason saying to me "Feng SHUI!" on several occasions haha! Well I decided to start studying it again; I recently purchased a CDROM of a distance learning course, from an accredited institution in the UK. If I prove my capacity I can become an accredited practitioner, i.e. consultant. So far its very interesting, and here's an example:

I was feeling tired most of the time, especially hard to get out of bed in the morning. There's this idea of Chi, or energy. There's a similar term for this in many Eastern cultures. Anyway, it hit me one night, as I was lying in bed, that I need to change my room around. Simply by moving my bed from the south wall to the east wall, I instantly felt better and had more energy! This doesn't mean everyone should have their beds on the east wall, thats just how my apartment is set up. Since then (about 5 days) I need less sleep, have more vivid dreams, and less lethargy. I also feel happier in general, and the only change was moving my bed (and dresser).

The practice of feng shui is considered to be over 5,000 yrs old, and its based on man, the environment, the elements, alignment of planets, and many more things which I've yet to learn. I know I'm far from being an expert in any sense, but this is my preliminary venture into the science. I can share more as I learn more. Or I may not say anything until I come back home :-) Nonetheless, this is an interest for me, which keeps this teaching thing from becoming too burdensome.

Also, I'm planning to take a little vacation in March, to Beijing, with my buddy John. Hope to have a functioning camera by then, and I'll take some pics of The Great Wall, The Forbidden City, and anything else worthy or mention. It'll be nice to get out of Korea for more than a few days!

Seasons Greetings

2006-12-27T01:12:00.000+09:00

First of all, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, to all my friends and family back home and abroad! Christmas isn't really the same here as in US, but I was able to take a little trip to Seoul for 3 days. On the 22nd I went up to Seoul and met a Korean friend I had chatted with a few times online. She left for Canada to study a semester on Christmas day, so this was the first and perhaps only time we will meet. Anyway she was gracious enough to show me around a bit and keep good company. I went shopping for shoes and actually found some in my size!! As I wear size 14 I have problems finding the right size (as do most of my family). But there was one place that had all 14s it seemed. I tried on about 8 pairs before I found the best ones. They still didn' fit that great (no arch support) but I bought them, Steve Maddens, for about $80. The guy said this is the only store in Korea with shoes this big, and he's probably right. Nothing in Busan at all, unless I want to wear something cheap and ugly that falls apart in a few weeks. Then across the street we found a nice sweater for $15.

Next day I ran into a Canadian friend from Busan and his wife, and we strolled about for the day; feeble attempts at shopping and then some ice skating in a huge shopping mall. I'm not very good at that, but I managed to not fall at all. My friend's wife was terrified and fell once, but she mainly hung onto the wall, pretty funny. Later we met up with more of his friends, and mutual acquaintances of mine as well; one more from Busan and one from another city. We had some dinner with a few Korean people, then went to drink some traditional Korean alcohol, and then to a foreign bar (not Koreans). I was okay except for the soju at dinner, and it really hurt my stomach the whole next day. If you ever get to drink soju, you have been forewarned! Its cheap and not well diluted.

Sunday I came back to Busan and just relaxed much of the day and night. On Christmas day I met a Korean girl (not gf, just a date, so far) and we saw the new 007. In my opinion, it was a nice change, but also a bit dragged out during the lovey-dovey part. I liked the fact that there were few cheeky lines and this guy was more aggressive; interesting to see how the next one goes, because his accent at the very end changed to sound more like the other Bonds.

All in all I didn't feel homesick, had a good time with friends, and got a few days away from Busan; but Seoul was a madhouse of people! Hope you all enjoy your holiday season, keep those happy thoughts coming :-)

Happy Thanksgiving!!; Japan

2006-11-27T01:07:00.000+09:00

Well, the holiday came and went here in Busan, not much to talk about. I did go out to eat with some friends at a place called Seamen's club. Its basically a diner type place, with Koreans working there who generally speak good English. It looks like a stuffy '50s restaurant, and the food was mediocre, but it was nice to eat turkey, and see some familiar faces.

Also I included some pics from a trip to Japan. Compared to Korea, Japan is much cleaner, and more expensive. People dress nicer and are actually smaller than Koreans. I wasn't in a big city (Fukuoka, approx. 1.5 million ppl) but it was a nice city. I actually had to go 3 times, 2 more than expected. Why so many times, and why go there? I had to go for my work visa, so I don't get deported or get caught working illegally. Anyway, I basically didn't realize all of what I had to do to make things work efficiently. First time there I missed my boat back by like 10 minutes, because a taxt dropped me off at the wrong ferry terminal (I take the boat there: 3 hrs, $90) Second time I didn't make it to the Korean consulate on time, so I had to stay the night anyway, and they make you wait a day for the visa. Couple years ago it used to be you could get it done in one day. All it is is fill out a form, have a small picture. Boring stuff. So, my second trip I couldn't find a hotel room, because there was some kind of conference in town. So I went to over 20 hotels trying to find a room, walked the streets all night and tried to take a nap on a cold concrete bench. Not the best night, but it could've been worse.

Third time was the trick! Got the paperwork done, went out to a few bars, stayed in a nice hotel (in the pics) and did everything on time. And I dont plan on going back anytime soon! But I think I'll try to plan a trip next spring to another country around here, since I'm close. And my friend John pushes me to do these things because its a good experience. So we'll see how that pans out. Enjoy the holiday shopping!!

My apartment, weather

2006-11-13T11:38:00.000+09:00

Hello, all! I finally got my apartment situated with all the furniture I need; didn't have a dresser for over 2 months, just a huge hockey bag in the corner full of clothes. So now that I got the dresser I decided to take some pictures. It's really an improvement over my first apartment here. Location is way better, lots of daylight, better insulation (no more freezing showers in the winter!) and 8th floor view. Its hard to get good pictures withe my camera because norman mode is zoomed in already, so I did the best I could. Hope you get an idea.

Also wanted to talk about the weather here. Since about September, its rained maybe 5 times total, so its been really nice for the most part. Occasionally windy, but generally sunny and always comfortable temps. Just in the last week its started to get a bit cold as winter approaches. I've enjoyed riding my bike in this weather. One weekend a friend and I took our bikes to the northern part of the city, just to go for a ride and have lunch, enjoy the weather. I can't wait until spring comes around! As for now, I'll have to get some winter gear on my bike. There are big mitt type things you can put on your handlebars to cover your hands in the cold, apparently about $20. And I was told to start wearing long-johns under my jeans. Anyway, I should be prepared by that time.

The bike is running well; a good investment. Classes are going well, too. I've learned a lot about dealing with kids during my time here, like how important it is to have a reward system in place to motivate them to do their work. Otherwise they just run around and hit each other! Its not always easy, but I no longer get as stressed about things. I think there's another blog coming soon...

New bike, N.Korea

2006-10-17T15:15:00.000+09:00

Well here are pics of my bike that I'm driving these days. Its a Daelim Magma, year 1997! Yea, its old, but this bike looks like many parts were replaced and maybe even the bike was repainted, or just garaged all the time. Anyway, it doesn't snow in Busan, so I can ride this bike all year round, depending on rain. Its a 125cc, so no worries about popping wheelies on this beast. Its adequate for city traffic, which is great, and I always cut between cars and buses, at stoplights. A real time saver. Don't have a pic of me on it, but remember, its built for Koreans, so I do look a bit large for the bike. But such a nice item to own. Yea, Joe, I'm thinking about getting a bike when I move back as well. Then we can drive around, have some high speed fun (I drive safe, mom :-)

As for that N.Korea stuff, I think I remember seeing some stuff on the news one night, but also I don't really speak Korean. So I have no idea how much people here are talking about it. And I don't have a TV now either. But life goes on as usual in this big city. No things out of the ordinary, and I really didn't ask any of my korean friends. I do know that there is opposition to an FTA bill getting signed. This could put a lot of farmers out of work, as I was hearing from one korean friend. Would really drive down the cost of rice, and force a lot of change among the agricultural sector. But I don't know enough of the details to fully speculate on that topic. Almost settled in with my full time work, one more trip to Japan coming up. Maybe I'll take some more pics there, but not too much to see in Fukuoka. Until next time!!

My new place

2006-09-25T13:58:00.000+09:00

I heard my blog wasn't working; I think, if I don't post for over a month, maybe it just stops? Anyway, I'm mostly settled into my new place. I only have outdoor pics this time, but its much better than my first place. I live on the 8th floor. Its on a busy street, but the windows keep it very quiet, which is nice. And I can see the sky! Wow, what a difference! So now I have a plant sitting on my window sill and its growing well. These things make me happy: sunlight and plants.

So I did purchase a bike, but its turned out to be a lemon, can barely get above 50km/h, or about 30mph. It started out better, but has gone downhill quickly. After taking it to a mechanic whom a friend recommended, apparently 3rd gear just doesn't work, and there is a problem with the head valve. Lesson learned, and not too expensive; I paid about $500. So these same mechanics helped me find a better bike, same model. I took it for a test drive; like night and day. The new bike is quiet and much faster, and higher top end. So probably next month I'll get that one, and swap parts from the old one, for the best of both bikes. I'll have a pic of the better bike later.

Its been a slow month workwise, filling in for a friend a few jobs. But already have teaching stuff lined up for next month, i.e. next week. Thanks family for worrying about me, I love you too! Threw in a few pics of Busan, from the north side. Yesterday a friend and I took a cable car up to the mountaintop, and a picture of Gwangan bridge. Enjoy!

Recentries

2006-08-23T18:23:00.000+09:00

No pics this time, sorry. Just want to catch you guys up on some news. My current contract ends next week, at which time I will move into my new apartment! Its much nicer than my current one, I think. Its a bit closer to the beach as well, but pretty far from where I am now. I'll show pics later. Also I will stay at my current hagwon another week to help out until the next teacher comes, and since my contract expires my pay scale will change as well (go up). I have a morning kindergarten job lined up for at least a month, starting the first week of September. My visa was extended until Sept 26, so I have some time to find another hagwon which will sponsor my visa. I will have to make a visa run, destination unknown thus far. Also looking to get a motorcycle for more convenient transport. And for fun, I entered a fantasy football league with 9 other guys here. I'm not big on football these days, but this will help me get back into it, and keep up on the Lions (even though they usually let us all down). I may also set up a Kodak acct online, where I can post a bunch of pictures, but you can't leave comments. If I do I'll leave an http address on this site. Thats all for now, more to come!

Stupid Blogger

2006-08-01T13:35:00.000+09:00

I've heard from a few people that my blog site is not showing up, so I hope this post actually is viewable. Everything is going fine for me here. I will stay another year, in Busan. Planning to move into the same building as one of my friends, so that will be nice. The rainy season, which lasted almost 2 months of June and July, has finally finished, making way for some beautiful weather. Also I had a mini vacation these past few days, so I've ben going to the beach and getting some sun. Thats one of the nice things that keeps me here in Busan - the beach. This next month its going to get hot and very humid, so its nice to have that option. Up in Seoul, it gets even hotter and more humid; I would probably be sweating the second I walked out the door. Humidity here is close to 100% on some days.

Anyway I don't have any new pics to post right now, but maybe I can get some more of the beaches, and me sitting around with my friends or something. In the meantime, keep sending emails and don't forget about me!!

Happy 4th July!!!

2006-07-06T11:42:00.000+09:00

There was no celebration here in ol' Busan, for the birth of the United States. But my friend and I got together for some pizza and beer, and me doing a recording for one of her classes! Woot!! In other news, most of my pics come from a few weeks ago, when I went back to Beomeosa with a friend, to do a thorough job hiking the mountain. It was a great day. I started out sweating like an old man until we made it to the summit, then the clouds rolled in and cooled me off. My hiking partner barely broke a sweat. I guess I'm getting back into American form (i.e. kinda fat in the midsection).

On another ridge we found some guys para-gliding. I've never seen that in person before, so it seemed so cool to me. They gave me a business card, in English, so we'll see what happens with that. On the job front, I do plan to stay here another year, but I am debating whether to stick around here in Busan or try another area. Obviously I already know Busan well, and have many friends here. I will let ya know what happens with that. In the meantime, France v. Italy!!!

World Cup Fever

2006-06-17T19:01:00.000+09:00

I know the World Cup is not really a big deal in US, but Koreans are fanatics about it! Ever since 2002, when they hosted the event, they get into a high-pitch fever about it. Randomly in class, kids will chant for Korea. The chant is "Day Han Mean Gook! clap clap! clap clap! clap!" Everyone knows it, and it didn't take me long to learn it. All the kids are wearing red shirts, supporting their team. Even businesses make their employees all wear the same shirt on certain days.

So Tuesday I went to see their first game against Togo. Korea eventually won 2-1. At the bar, at least half the people had red shirts on, including our group. They must've done the daehan mingoook cheer over 100 times during the game. At the end, the people went crazy! Our group went outside to see the streets filled with people, all in red shirts, some with red light-up horns on their heads. No cars could get past, they had to turn around. People were climbing up on telephone booths and subway entrance tunnels. Police arrived eventually, but they didn't need to do much, because Koreans are so well behaved. They just gently direct the crowds and the people know well enough. No fires, no tipping cars, no vandalism; just loud people filling the streets. Very interesting to watch; I doubt such a scene could happen back home. Any large gatherings I was witness to back in college ended in huge fires in the middle of the road, burning cars and furniture, and tear gas and riot police... Go Broncos!!!

Hapkido

2006-06-01T11:54:00.000+09:00

Well, for whatever reason, I decided to start taking Hapkido, which is a Korean martial art. Maybe because I wanted some kind of exercise for everyday, or maybe because one of my best friends does it and she loves talking about it; either way, I had a coworker help me find a place to train. Found one about a 10 minute walk from my apartment. I'll get some pics of the place and my uniform sooner or later.

I am the only foreigner at this place (no surprise there) and I think I am getting preferential treatment. The main instructor, who is a 4th degree black belt (4th dan, or sa dan in Korean) can speak a bit of English, enough to help me. But we also rely on a lot of nonverbal - him showing the moves and what makes it effective. I think he is a really good teacher, and perhaps I am also a good learner at this point. In the class there are a few 3rd degree black belts, maybe 1 or 2 1st degree, a yellow and 2 other white belts besides me. Interesting point: the newest white belt is actually one of my students from school. He is 13 I think, so he likes to just run around and play a lot.

The school accepts everyone in with open arms. As part of breaking the ice and building a strong unit, we all went out for dinner after class one evening. We had sam gyoup sal (fried pork) and soju (Korean version of Saki, very very cheap, probably poisonous). After 1 1/2 hours of eating and drinking we went to a noraebang (karaoke in Japanese, literally means singing room). At first I was not very willing to sing songs, but after watching one of my other foreign friends go all out, I realized that its the most fun when you really get into it. I can't remember all the songs I sang, but we had a great time. I had to cheers with everyone several times, so I was pretty drunk. Thankfully, this all took place within walking distance of my apartment.

I can go to the class every night, after teaching finishes. I am usually able to go 3-4 nights a week, and even have the option of going in on Saturdays, which is nice. Its good to have a hobby, otherwise life becomes pretty boring here. And I don't want to be like some foreigners here who just drink all the time. I also started going to the beach recently and playing volleyball with another group of foreigners, so I'm finding things for fun and social activity. Maybe I'll post some pics of them next time!

Children's Day/Auto Show

2006-05-09T20:43:00.000+09:00

Friday, May 5th was Cinco de Mayo, Buddha's Birthday, Children's Day, and a day off for me! Children's day is where adults buy gifts for their kids and they get the day off. In fact, most people get the day off, to spend family time. The irony is that some schools, since they had Friday off, made their students come in on Saturday :-( But not our hagwon :-) So I took this opportunity to go the Busan International Motor Show (BIMOS) at Bexco Center in Haeundae, the up and coming area of Busan; lots of money in that area.

From the pictures you can tell that the Korean auto show is much more sexy than, for instance, most western auto shows. When compared to NAIAS in Detroit, BIMOS puts much more emphasis on the women. And that made it very fun for me and my budd John. Contrary to my normal interest in new cars, I didn't sit in a single car. John and I spent our time taking pics of as many girls as we could (that were worth taking pictures of) and posing with a few as well. I took about 100 pics, but had to delete some due to unfocused images. Later that night I went to a bar that kinda celebrated Cinco de Mayo, even though there are no hispanics in Busan. Just an excuse for a cover charged, theme night, and sell tequila and Coronas (which are more expensive here than Budweiser). Saturday night saw more of the same, and Sunday night I went out with a group of friends, one of which had her sister and her husband visiting in town for a few days. So we played some drinking games and went to a singing room, which I am very good at signing, it appears, on a good night. All in all a long weekend full of interesting experiences and much alcohol. Its like being in college again, but less responsibility! (j/k kinda)

Gyeongju tashi kaja

2006-04-13T23:17:00.000+09:00

Means lets go to Gyeongju again, and I did! So much better this time around, as you can see from the pics. A few of my friends chickened out at the last minute, so it was just me and a coworker. Everyone else had the same idea, though, so we were stuck in traffic for almost an hour on the way in! But once we got into the city area it was easy going. Apparently there is another city southwest of Busan which has even more cherry blossom trees, but my coworker said that place would be way too packed with people.

Another funny thing that I forgot about, but which my coworker (Katy - she's Korean) noticed, was all the people staring at me. I've learned to turn that off for the most part, as I was paying attention to the surroundings. But once she mentioned that, I started looking at people and so many would be staring at me, and staring at her wondering what she was doing walking around with me lol! Its not that they are rude, they just do not see many foreigners, so they get a good look when they can. And I didn't see any other foreigners while I was in Gyeongju that day.

On the way out, traffic was a breeze. This was about 3 or 4pm. The inbound lane was backed up a few miles! Then again its only 2 lanes each way. OK, I'm rambling so just look at the pics :-)

Gyeonju

2006-03-29T21:31:00.000+09:00

Last weekend I went with a fellow teacher and her family to Gyeongju, the ancient capital of South Korea. Of course there are the major temple and buddhas to be seen there, but the real attraction in the spring is the cherry blossom trees. For about a month ( April) all the blossoms are in bloom, and the streets are lined with the trees full of white flowers. In fact, so is much of the lake in the area.

Unfortunately we went there too early, and there were no cherry trees in bloom. The weather was a bit chilly also, but that didn't stop my teacher and her family from showing me some of the local attractions. From what I understand, almost all Korean students take a field trip to see this ancient capital city at least once during their scholastic career, usually at a younger age. It is amazing to realize that tha dated history of this area goes back to the 8th and 9th centuries. Korea has a rich cultural heritage which I didn't really expect, because its such a small country. I checked out Wikipedia online for more information. We didn't see all the ancient landmarks, such as burial mounds and the Buddha on the mountainside, but I took a few pics of some interesting things. I may go back later with some friends to see the trees next month. If so, I'll post more pics.

Beomeosa

2006-03-16T22:13:00.000+09:00

Last weekend I went with a few friends to the North end of Busan. I live on the south end, so by bus and subway it took about 1h 30min to get there. There was me, my friend John, his girlfriend, and 3 other girls. Beomeosa (Bo mo sah) is a temple in Busan. People can do temple-stays if they want, for a nominal fee. I didn't see any monks while we were there, though.

I took a pic of a couple big statues. After I did, I felt this might have been offensive, as everyone else who walked by them placed their hands together and bowed. Oops! But I kept the pic anyway. We only hiked for about 1 1/2 hrs because it became a bit cold, and we were kinda lazy. Someday I will go back and actually hike the whole mountain, and see some nice sights, weather pending.

I had a pic of the place where I live, but I lost it. You can only see the first 2 stories, then there are another 13 floors in the same building, but separated. This is a common structure in Korean buildings, to have the first 2-5 floors for businesses or apartments, then floors 6 through whatever are just apartments. Its different but can be a benefit, like having a party shop on the first floor of your building. Teaching continues in the same fashion.

People Helping People

2006-02-24T11:36:00.000+09:00

Last Saturday I went with a group of foreigners to an orphanage. This group of Christians are from the US and Canada. They do this once a month. I agreed to do this a few months ago, but I usually was hungover or woke up too late and couldn't make it. This month I made sure I would be able to go. So we met at 1:15 at Starbucks in Nampodong (just across the bridge from where I live) and waited for 1/2hr before a van came to pick us up. Yes, Starbucks are popular in Busan also, as well as Dunkin Donuts (which is much nicer than the one was in my hometown).

So we went there and played with kids. I spent the first 30 min playing basketball. Man, I suck! I'm so out of shape for that. But the kids were pretty good, lots of passing and teamwork; they were about age 10-12. Then me and the other guy in the photo played with a group of girls for the rest of the 2 hrs we were there. We came with more people, but they all disappeared and we couldn't find them.

I gave my buddy a piece of gum, and the kids, with their raptor-like senses, were on to me instantly and wanted all my gum. So I reluctantly gave it all away, everything I had. Then one girl though it would be a good idea to put rocks in the gum pack where the gum used to be. Pretty funny, so I said in Korean "Oh, delicious?" And I gave lots of piggy-back rides, chased them around and spun them around.

As we were finishing, one guy said to me that we are probably getting back more than we give (when we do this good deed). I didn't really have a response, so I just said Yea, I think so! lol I didn't see it that way at all, I just went to play with kids. Kinda like work, but no studying English. I was the only non-Christian in the group of foreigners. But it was fun and I'll try to get some better pictures next month. It's a really nice school complex.

Korean food

2006-02-15T12:50:00.000+09:00

Ok, so you guys must wonder what I eat every day. To tell the truth I don't really keep track of what I eat, so I have to take pictures to remind myself. Usually for breakfast I have a western-style meal, like cereal or eggs and a PBnJ, orange juice, maybe a banana and a protein shake a bit later. The rest of the day it varies. For lunch I might cook up some meat and some vegetables. In one picture you can see the vegetables on a white plate. Next to that is what is known as busan odang, which is a sort of fish patty, particular to Busan because of its abundant fishing industry. It tastes great!

Last week I went to a fishery in Yeongdo with a coworker. It looked more like a warehouse than anything else. All their food was fresh, and I guess you could pick your fish if you want. I ate raw fish, its was okay, with some soju and beer. Growing up my family did not eat a lot of seafood because of allergies, so getting used to eating mollusks and squid and such was pretty weird. It still is because of the salty taste. Yes, I live on an island, but its just like the rest of the city, nothing special. I just cross a bridge to get to the rest of the city. There are two bridges and they are pretty short.

Later in the week I went to another place to eat, in Nanpodong, which is right across the bridge. Just look at the stuff! Its hard to explain what everything is. Its Korean traditional food. The big plate on the left is steamed pork, the big one on the right is kimchi. Then a bunch of side dishes, which is common to Korean meals. There are plenty of western-style restaurants as well, like Outback, Bennigans, MacDonalds, TGI Fridays, etc, but I don't really want to go to those places. There'll be plenty of time for that when I go back home.

Snow? In Busan?

2006-02-09T01:30:00.000+09:00

Yes, it finally snowed in Busan on Monday! But by 11am it was mostly melted where I live. I received a few text messages to wake up and look outside, cause I've let everyone know how much I miss it! It was a measely 1-2 inches, and turned to light drizzle later. It was ok, but I wasn't all that excited. The picture of the mountains is the island I live on, on Monday around noon. The second picture is what I see everyday when I first walk out of my building. Nothing special, but I do get to see those mountains when I walk a bit farther down the street.

I went hiking again a few weeks ago, and took a few pics. I had a friend help me get those two little girls to pose, but they seemed pretty confused about what was going on, and maybe a bit scared of the big waygook lol! Also atop the mountain there are old mine fields, pretty fun. It used to be some sort of lookout point however many years ago due to its location close to the sea. On a clear day you can see all the way to the island I live on, but usually its kinda foggy.

Also included a pic of one of my students, a typical little Korean girl. Its funny, most Korean girls ages 6-11 wear pink almost everyday, either their coat or shirt, pants, etc. And you see that piece of paper being held up? Thats a scaredy-cat teacher who didn't want to be in the picture lol. Silly girls...

The day to day

2006-01-31T22:12:00.000+09:00

Ok, only 20 day this time between posts lol! Its funny, I know that evenyone back home is interested in how my life is different from back in the States, what makes Korea different. But to me its one of those things - you get so involved in your day to day life that it becomes natural and you don't think about it. Thats why I seldom think of anything new to post. This is my life now and I take it for granted that there are other lifestlyes. I'll try to talk about a few differences now...

Everything here is cheaper than back home. Where I go to get groceries looks like any western grocery store, but its a bit different - more fresh food and much more seafood (because of Busan's location on the coast). A 2-liter bottle of water costs less than 50 cents, a bottle of soju (rice alcohol, 20%) costs less than one dollar for about a 20-oz size. Imported beer costs a bit more than back home, and there is plenty of wine. Hey, am I talking about alcohol too much?

Public transportation is cheap and clean. Bus is 90 cents and subway is 1 dollar, to take you the whole length of the city. But otherwise the city doesn't look all that clean - lots of dirty buildings (ie. no power-washing buildings), except for the nicer areas. My school is 3 minutes away walking time, the gym is 5 minutes, grocery store is 5 minutes, subway is 10 minute bus ride, bus stop is 5 minutes walk. Everything I need is close by. I'll try to get some pics of these places soon.

In my free time I make it to the gym maybe 3 times a week, sometimes I meet up with my friend John (Canadian) and maybe get a few drinks on a Thursday in Seomyon, which is 30 minutes away, bus/subway. In fact, me and John always meet on Fridays and Saturdays and hit the bars. Its fun, but sometimes it gets out of hand :-) He's my drinking buddy.

I've been dating one Korean girl for a few months, and others come and go. The lifestyle is a bit slower here. We're all pretty busy during the week and only meet up on the weekends, usually because of the distance. So if I stop seeing people on a regular basis, its not a big deal. Its a big city, but it doesn't feel like 3.8 million. Until you go shopping on the weekend. The main shopping areas are packed, especially in the winter. Everyone is out shopping, watching movies, street vendors selling food and merchandise, underground mini-shoppes packed with Koreans! Sometimes it seems like everyone is going the other way, and I can't dodge them all. No wonder people here don't say excuse me, because you're always bumping into one another. I still try to dodge people, but I'm the only one who seems to care haha!

I know, you guys want pics. I usually forget my camera at home, but I'll make a conscious effort to bring it out with me sometime on a weekend and take some pics of the sights and people. Until next time, thanks for visiting my site :-)

Lazy Me...

2006-01-12T09:58:00.000+09:00

Yea, its been a while since I posted, but not much new here. Holidays came and went without much hoopla. I got really sick the day after Christmas, eating bad food. This was the first such incident in Korea, and it was my own fault for eating leftovers that had been sitting longer than 2 days. Generally the food here in Korean is healthy, albeit weird to the western pallette. So I am skinny now. I'm kind of afraid to go back to the states and put on a belly again :-(

I was at a Korean bar on New Years Eve. When the clock struck 12, nothing happened lol! I had to look at my watch to realize it was New Years. So I started whistling and yelling, no one seemed to care, like it never happened. When I was yelling, koreans knew why, but no big deal, because they celebrate the lunar new year.

In an effort to combat this laziness, I bought a classical guitar yesterday from a friend. That should be some cheap fun, creative activity. I also ordered Pimsleur Korean, in hopes of helping my conversational skills. If it works well, I may buy more of the same after that, for Chinese, Japanese, whatever. Apparently Japanese and Korean have the same grammar structure, so its easy for Koreans to learn Japanese.

I'll try to keep up with posting for those of you who faithfully check this site. Speaking of faith, remember how I was talking about Christian Science? Well, I've done nothing with that, I'm still without religion, and thats ok.

Merry Christmas!!

2005-12-21T12:49:00.000+09:00

So Christmas is this Sunday. Funny thing is, I feel no sadness about missing it. Koreans don't really celebrate Christmas, so there are few signals that its even coming. I have made plans with some Americans and Canadians on Christmas Eve. As for Christmas, who knows what I will end up doing, maybe set up a date or something, and just relax.

I was going to send out Christmas cards, but I waited too long and I'm lazy ;P so this is my card. Thank you to everyone who visits my site, everyone who keeps in contact with email, and special thanks to my mom and dad, and Nancy and Gary for the packages sent. They are all being put to good use.

Then New Years is around the corner and so is my birthday! New Years isn't really a big deal, but I'll make sure to go out, and go out for my birthday as well. There is no shortage of people to talk to here and meet with. Koreans are so nice, and they try hard to speak English with me. And the girls are not bad either ;-)

King is Back

2005-12-14T22:30:00.000+09:00

That was the slogan for Carl Cox, world famous DJ who played in Seoul Dec 10. I made the journey with a fellow foreigner from Busan. I rode on the KTX (Korean Train Express), which took 2hrs 40min for the travel. The train reaches speeds up to 300km/h. It was nice and fast, compared to a regular train which is 4-5 hrs.

Seoul is much bigger than Busan, 13 million v. 3.7 million. While Busan has 3 metros, Seoul has 11(?) but some of the lines split, so kinda hard to count. The show was held at the Sheraton WalkerHill in Hongdae. Very posh, and the ballroom was a great place. Never too crowded, and great acoustics. Carl Cox played for 3 1/2 hrs, and I danced the whole time. I was very tired at the end of the night. For anyone familiar with his style or listened to his CDs, you know what the music was like. But his presence was strong, he was moving to the music the whole time. Most DJs use headphones to cue up the music for the next track. The great thing about Cox was that he didn't even use headphones for at least the first 10 songs! My pictures do little justice here, its the kind of thing you have to see live.

There were also a few Asian DJs and a traditional Korean drummer, with all kinds of lighting effects and fireworks. Interesting artist, though not for everyone. No one really danced to it, but it was unique. For more info, wait a few weeks and check out carlcox.com or trustthedj.com. Should be some info for anyone interested :-)

Jangsan

2005-12-05T11:44:00.000+09:00

Here are some pictures of the hike. The girl in the grey sweater/maroon coat seemed to be in very good shape, so I found myself wanting to race her and beat her. Apparently I still have a somewhat competitive side. But she got too far ahead, and I started getting sweaty and tired, so I gave up lol. But I felt so good when I was up there, challenging myself to keep going and rest later. It makes me want to go hiking every weekend. I can see why Koreans love it so much. Also there are many mountains to hike. In one picture you get a good idea of how the cityscape looks; many high-rise apartment buildings clustered together.

What it feels like...

2005-12-01T22:39:00.000+09:00

Sorry its been a while since I've posted. Last weekend I went with the same group of people I went hikinh with before, and went hiking again. This time a few more people. So for fun that Saturday night me and a few other Koraen guys dressed up like women. Wasn't my idea, but it was different and fun.

Here's a few pics. I thought the makeup was horrid, but they appeased me and said I was attractive. Plus I hadn't shaved, so that made it even better. I'll post pics from the hiking soon.

New hair

2005-11-18T19:44:00.000+09:00

I had my hair colored this week. Here are a few pics.

Belief dot net

2005-11-14T00:57:00.000+09:00

Earlier this week I visited a website called belief.net, which I stumbled onto some time ago. I had been talking to a Korean friend about God and Jesus (because I thought it would be funny, but it quickly turned serious), and I somehow ended up at this site again. Fate I guess.

One of the cool things about this site is that you can take a quiz to see what your true religious beliefs are and which religion your beliefs emulate. I'd taken the quiz before, a few times, and the results were mixed, usually I got Unitarian Universalist with a 80% accuracy rate. After my talk with my friend, the next day I was totally relaxed and after finding the site again, decided to take the quiz again.

Before when I tool the quiz my state of mind was a bit of confusion, so my answers were maybe not totally representative of what I believe. This time I was at peace, so to speak, and the results were interesting. I scored 100% accuracy for a religion... Christian Science!

Now, I'm not gonna run off and join the church, because that is not wise. Also there is no church in Korea. But it has caused me to investigate it more. And I've also been thinking that it is better to associate with a like-minded group of people, especially in a spiritual sense - to help keep things in perspective. Anyway, they have a magazine and many books and a website. The founder was Mary Baker Eddy, back in the mid 1800s, for those of you who are so inclined to look it up, and the website is spirituality.com. But I recommend to anyone to visit the site and take the quiz. Its interesting, but make sure your state of mind is pure and open, for more accuracy.

music

2005-11-05T21:22:00.000+09:00

For those of you who are familiar with my music tastes, I've been into trance and not much else for the past few years. Trance is just what it sounds like - designed to put you into a trance, that is, if you learn to enjoy the music first. I enjoy it on long road trips when there is not much to look at, as it helps the time to pass.

When I first got here I started totally bummin' that I didn't have my records, then I remembered a website, www.di.fm. I recommend everyone check it out. Its great to turn on if you spend lots of time at the computer and you want some music. As well as trance, they have a great selection of electronic music and many popular-type radio stations, like classical, hip-hop, 70s 80s and the like.

So I turned that on and would listen to it while I was doing things around the apartment or playing my computer game. Then I would become bored with it at times, so I tried other stations. One I keep coming back to is the Drum n' Bass channel (I thank my brother Joe for this influence). For a long time I didn't really care for it, but now, since I'm in a different country with very different music standards, its a nice change. Sure, I don't always like the music, but its a broadening of my musical pallette.

As an aside, I'm curious how many people actually visit this website. I know many family members do, but what about anyone else out there, besides advertisers? If you visit this site on a semi-regular basis, please post a comment to this entry, even if you only say "I visit here sometimes". And make sure to include your name, not Anonymous.

Fashion

2005-10-29T09:39:00.000+09:00

Its the weirdest thing. Since I got here, I've become very concerned with my appearance. It seems to me that Koreans dress very well. They have great style. Then I think about my wardrobe and I want to revamp it. I've already made a few purchases - some of which I'm not totally happy with. Part of it was just to buy something, then I don't really wear it. But I've always done that as long as I can remember.

Another thing I read recently from MSN.com was that within x number of years, one on three Americans will be overweight. That made me look at Koreans more. Even though some of the older people have a few extra pounds, they don't look really fat. In fact most Koreans seem a healthy weight, if not thin. Attribute that to a vegetable-rich diet and very little of the processed foods we love in the states. However some of the younger generation is getting fat.

I think back to college, and remember seeing many girls with that extra weight already accumulating around their waist. Its hard on the eyes; these girls who don't exercise at all and eat the typical American diet and don't seem to care that their rolls are falling out of their shirt, or they show it off like they're proud of it. Really, who's proud of fat rolls?

So, in keeping with this focus on health, I've started going to the gym more often. Its so easy, it takes 5 minutest to walk there. Already that little pudge I had at my belly is pretty much gone, and the diet helps the fat from accumulating. I'm working on putting on muscle that has atrophied for the past year. I want to look good in those tight shirts. Is that vain? :-)

Snail mail

2005-10-25T00:00:00.000+09:00

Well I received my first letter from the United States today. Thanks to my aunt and uncle, Nancy and Gary. They sent mail from Arkansas on Oct. 14 and it arrived here, Oct. 24. So thats how long it will take you to send me letters of love and money.

On another note I decided that I really need Korean lessons. My director told me a couple weeks ago where I could learn, which is close by, but its on the weekends Sat Sun 4pm-6pm. At first I thought that sucks, but now I realize, what else do I have to do that is more important than learning Korean? Of course, any time that I might make plans for the weekend I may miss a few classes. But as long as I make some effort, its better than just looking at my book that I bought and never use :-)

Subway

2005-10-17T00:43:00.000+09:00

This weekend i was riding the subway and I was reminded of the videos they show. There is a video monitor that shows commercials and stuff. Whats interesting is that it also shows you how to perform a new hip-hop dance move every week. They map it out slowly at first, then go to full speed. Its funny at first to see, then after a while I watch it and try to remember it so I can practice it at home. lol But I haven't tried that yet...

I also figured out how to meet more foreigners - go to bars! But certain bars. A guy I met last night told me where to go Friday night and Satuday night. Both places are kinda far away, but if I get to meet people and get their phone numbers, it'll be easier to make plans with people. Also these places are where the English-speaking Korean women end up, at least some of them. So thats a plus.

At the club last night I saw these tools walking around, dressed like hip-hop boys, in jerseys and bandanas (American). Then they got up and started rapping onstage. I was laughing. But they actually started rapping in Korean also. I was impressed with that, but only a little. I was glad when they were done, so the next DJ could come on and play her same breakbeat tracks she plays every week. Man I miss my turntables! If I can manage I'll try to get up to Seoul some weekend and check out some clubs there. In Busan there are no more than 5 choices for dance clubs. If I can manage to get my laptop DJ ready, that would open up some possibilities and some more fun for me :-)

More pics from Mt Hwawang

2005-10-11T19:58:00.000+09:00

Mt. Hwawang

2005-10-09T15:32:00.000+09:00

Hiking

2005-10-05T02:47:00.000+09:00

This weekend was another holiday in Korea, National Foundation Day. I have no idea what that means, I guess when the country was officially founded, but we got Monday off. I went hiking with a fellow teacher, her minister, her family and a few friends. Much of the time everyone around was speaking Korean, so I just tuned it out unless I heard English. That's what I do most of the time now, just ignore people.

I took many pictures, so I will post them in the next few days. That girl I met is leaving for Japan in 3 months, so we'll just be friends. No big deal. I realized I need to really learn Korean to be successful and happy with the locals. Otherwise I have little to communicate and they struggle trying to speak English.

A funny note: I talk online MSN. If you have, my email is pixpak at hotmail. So I was talking to a Chinese girl and mentioned I have allergies to dust. I asked her if she had any and she said no. I called her a lucky boob. She liked the name, so I told her to change her screen name to lucky boobs and she did. In Chinese boobs means pigs, but I am laughing my ass off! At first she wrote luck boob, but I said No, if you're writing English it has to be lucky boobs. So if u see her name do not explain it to her.

Speech Contest

2005-10-01T21:41:00.000+09:00

Friday we had a speech contest for out students, a test of their memory and speaking ability, basically. I decided I would take the opportunity to dress nicely today, so I wore a tie and nice shirt and pants. They all seemed to like it, and some students said "Very handsome!" It was funny. But I felt fine, because I'd rather be overdressed than underdressed.

So I finally got a picture of my fellow teachers. From the left, they are: Belle, Isabelle, Katy and Elle. Like the names? Its a little ridiculous, but it didn't take long for me to figure them out. Katy and Elle are pretty good at English; I can usually speak at my normal pace with Elle, and usually with Katy. I've been out drinking with all but Belle, she is a bit older and has a family. Katy spent a year in the states, so she is becoming a very good friend, and is kinda setting me up with her best friend, Jenny. So I'll keep ya posted on how that works out.

Also this is a picture of a Buddhist temple. I thought it was a swaztika but apparently its a backwards swaztika. But I took a picture anyway. I think they're secret Nazis, promoting consciousness and well-being as they brainwash you to believe that Koreans are the master race. Its all over TV, Koreans are very proud of their country, much more than Americans are of the US. Koreans have much national pride and they want to be seen as a positive country weith much to offer.

One thing I love about Korea is most places have heated floors, hence they prefer to sit on the ground for most things, especially eating. I don't care for eating on the ground, but it feels good when my place has a heated floor, because my feet and calves always get cold first. They invented heated floors back in the 1400s, or maybe earlier. Its much more efficient that the western system of a fireplace or HVAC. I watched a documentary on it. And once again, the Koreans boasted about their founding of this wonderful system. It is great, but its still humorous to watch their pride.

Offended

2005-09-29T22:18:00.000+09:00

Many of you know that it takes a lot for me to get offended, but its been happening here in Korea. During my classes, I find that when I have no clue what the kids are saying, or when I hear them call me babo (fool) I get mad very quickly! So I take away their carrots and send them out of the room.

I've come to understand that sometimes that is just how the kids talk, so I'm letting go of it a little. And I'm taking steps to learn Korean, so I don't feel so confused in class. I may be telling them to be quiet when they are trying to help someone else remember their lines. Oh well, I'll figure it out sometime.

As for all my adoring fans, write me more emails! I feel very unloved over here...

Adjusting

2005-09-25T11:23:00.000+09:00

This week, after a few days of drinking out at bars with other foreigners, I became sick somewhere along the line. Since we had Monday off for a Holiday (which is pronounced ChewSuck) I just sat around and watched a movie and stuff. By the end of the movie I felt terrible. Went to the doctor the next day and he diagnosed me with an upper respiratory tract infection. Said it was due to my adjusting to the Korean culture. Whatever truth there is to that, or to my drinking, I don't know. I thought I was just really dehydrated because my kidneys hurt and the back of my head hurt.

So I missed two more days of school laying in bed, sweating out whatever illness was there. I also got a shot in the ass and took pills with meals. As an aside, my total cost for the prescription and the doctor visit, without insurance, was less than $20! Thats affordable healthcare.

By Thursday I was ready to go back to school, and I felt much better. But while I was down, I asked myself, What the hell am I doing here? Maybe I should go back home and get a real job. Even other foreigners here mentioned how easy life is here, and some have had their relatives refer to their current job as a situation, not a career. I even thought about how I could move back to Ann Arbor and get a job there, and get busy with my electronic music.

But I'm still here. I prayed and asked for an answer, and told myself I would wait. In the meantime I went to a downtown area of Busan yesterday with a girl. It was okay, but I also found out where all the hot women are! We were under the streets, where there is much shopping, and it was about 90% women, no joke! So I have to venture out more. There's just the issue of that silly Korean language...

Things I miss

2005-09-15T23:48:00.000+09:00

I miss my car, being able to drive wherever I want, when I want. I have to rely on public transportation or friends to get me to far places. If I were to leave the city, there's always the KTX express train, but its not the same as my own car.

I miss movies. I saw Guess Who and Red Eye recently, which were okay. But I never got to see The 40-yr old Virgin. That was the one movie I was hoping to see b4 I left. Or The Four Brothers. I hope to find a place that sells pirated copies of movies, or maybe something on the internet.

I miss Jimmy John's and Subway. Living in Kzoo, I could just hop in my car and be there and back in 10 min. Believe it or not, I also miss Shawarma King.

I miss the size of houses in the states. All the homes here are apartments, they don't have houses here. Too many people. Maybe out in the country, but I'm sure they're small as hell.

I miss trees. Where I live I have a view out the window of the next building, about 10ft away. I see trees in the distance, but I have to take the bus to get close to them. I can't see shit from my apartment. The other window looks out at the stairs that lead up to my floor.

I miss the crappy bars in Michigan. At least everyone spoke English and I could get whatever I want with little confusion. And I lived close enough to Firehouse to walk home all drunk, when I didn't want to wait for anyone. Cause I hate waiting for people. And everyone here walks much slower, they slow me down. I'm not even a fast walker!

I miss having a dryer and a dishwasher. Minor inconveniences, but they are luxuries here. I miss my turntables. Even though I never played anywhere live with them I loved them, and I wish I had them here. I go to the dance club and I see those guys up there and I want to be up there, controlling the crowd. I can still dance, but I imagine how my music would sound in that place.

This is part of the experience I guess. You have to let go of so much when you move to a different country, and I'm still figuring out how many new things I have to experience and grow attached to.

Intoxicating scent

2005-09-10T01:29:00.000+09:00

Tonight I went out for dinner with two of my fellow teachers. After dinner we went to a bar for a few beers. Shortly after I arrived I caught whiff of the most intoxicating scent. I had to follow it and savor it. Then it disappeared.

So we talked some more and once again I smelled that scent. Once again I stayed with it, until it diminished. And I was disappointed. This happened a few more times, then I had to say something. One of the servers came to our table and I smelled that scent again. "It must be that server," I thought. I told my friends about that scent that I'd been smelling, and it was that waitress. They asked me if they should ask her what she was wearing and I agreed.

I went to the bathroom, and upon returning to the table I saw her. So I said "Yogiyo" which means, "Here, please" and she followed me. My friend asked what she was wearing. She said nothing, but she mentioned that there was an air freshener which sprayed every so often.

I was attracted to the air-freshener! Then my friend said that is a common smell for the restrooms. I felt embarrassed and confused. I told her that scent would be considered perfume in the States. Believe me, if you smelt it, you'd take a second whiff. So that intoxicating smell I loved was for the bathroom. Once again, what's crap in one country is gold in another.

So tell me, who out there loves the smell of urinal cakes? Holla!

Hurricanes

2005-09-06T14:30:00.000+09:00

My teaching was cancelled today due to the nearby threat of Typhoon Nabi in Japan. For the last few days the winds have been howling, and they wake me up at night,pushing against my windows. My A/C is making a terribly annoying sound. The drainage line that runs outside, the water is popping like bubbles as the air tries to blow back in. I know we're pretty safe here in Busan, Japan already has 3 dead.

However, it seems to me that Japan will not see the kind of damage that has been witnessed in the US. On CNNI today, they are asking the question, "Does this natural disaster change the way you see the US?" Some say no, some say it is proof that the US is not prepared for such events. I tend to agree with the latter. I think Japan will be ok for the most part because they are used to this weather. US doesn't really respond to catastrophe until it is too late, then they are strong. And while I agree that Bush and the people have every intention of responding to the best of their abilities, at the same time we kind of look like less of a country than we are portrayed as.

So are the gas prices ridiculous yet? Is the cost of everything going up?

Taejongdae

2005-09-04T05:22:00.000+09:00

The first weekend I was here, my director took me to a national park in Youngdo-gu. The name is TaeJongDae. Here are some pics from that trip. There is also a pic of a typical Korean street, with many neon signs which say, "Look At Me!" My director also took me to Haeundae (Hay-un-day) beach, and you can see all the umbrellas and people. Its banana-cakes!

My apartment

2005-09-01T13:57:00.000+09:00

You must be wondering by now how my place stacks up against what you know in the States. Well, here's a few pics. Since I didn't have a tape measure I used my wingspan. The room seems to be a perfect square at about 13ft per side, minus the closet and the kitchen. The bathroom/washing machine area is 13ftx2.5ft. I have my own A/C, which is nice. Most places in Korea have heated floors, and mine is no exception. However, this raises the floor a few inches, and I can easily touch the ceiling.

Like the shower? Its a spray nozzle with a line which stands at my knee. At first I was like, This is Ridiculous!, but now its okay. I have to shave in there, in that metal bowl; no mirror. And the toilet is right next to the wall, so its really fun to sit down. My knees touch the wall. And I can't wear pants in there because the toilet leaks; otherwise my pant legs would get all wet at the bottom. I keep it a little neater than the pictures suggest, but I don't have a lot of options. The bed is hard as a rock, but I sleep very well there, better than my soft futon. Thanks for taking that, Jess.

Last week I had internet installed, so I don't need to go to PC bangs anymore. A PC bang is a bunch of computers in a room with internet access and neon lights, where many gamers go. Korea, I guess, has the largest community of online gamers in the world. And on the news the other day they said that Korea also has the largest number of broadband users in the world also...? Broadband or wireless, one of those two.

My main problem is geting out and meeting people. Since everything I need is within a five minute walk of where I live, I don't need to go out for much. I just started a membership at a gym across the street. 3 months is roughly $165, and they give you clothes to wear to work out. They also have a sauna. Its not a real big place, but when I go during late morning its not really that busy either.

So what do you think? Jealous? I bet you are, my place rocks!

The Miracle of Children

2005-09-01T13:20:00.000+09:00

I came in to work today, just kind of sitting there. For whatever reason I was feeling down, and I didn't really feel like figuring out why I felt that way. So I just said a quick little prayer to God asking for him to help cheer me up a bit, so I could have a good day (cause being depressed sucks). But I didn't totally feel better right away.

Then I went into class, and thats when the miracle happened. I just went along like any normal day (I've figured out the routine after a week of teaching) but the kids just started laughing and goofing around. Instead of trying to calm them down or getting mad, it infected me. And from that point on I was in a good mood. One of my coworkers invited me to her family's house for dinner this weekend, and said she has a brother my age who likes alcohol. What's that supposed to mean??!!

By the end of the day there was a troublemaker, Gary. This kid has way too much energy for the whole class, and I was getting frustrated. But eventually we started a game which turned into homework - Bingo. 5x5, fill the squares with objects in the room. This was maybe too advanced for them, but it kept them quiet. All in all a good day.

So were my prayers answered? I believe they were. I feel that we see what we believe. And I'm only just starting to believe in the power of faith. But don't try to get me to go to church!

T-shirts for kids

2005-08-28T21:54:00.000+09:00

I was at work Friday, tutoring the Director's son, Joshua. He's 11. I happened to notice that his shirt was in English, so I said "Let me read that." The shirt read as follows:

Doggie Fafa

I hope it will tear off the testicles of your lover and bite off his penis or at least bring me your stockings between his teeth.

And there's a picture of 2 dogs sitting next to each other. I burst out laughing! I had to write that down. That night I went out to eat with a few other foreigners from the UK and a few Koreans. I told the other foreigners and they already knew about the shirt. Apparently some teachers gave each student in the class this t-shirt for finishing the class. So that day all the kids were wearing the testicles shirt! You can put whatever you want on a shirt, as long as its in English people here will buy it.

What the hell?

2005-08-28T13:02:00.000+09:00

Yessir, I have decided to start a blogsite. Mass emails suck. If you want individual attention, you know my email address.