Merry Christmas!!

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

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

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...

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

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

Belief dot net

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

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

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

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

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

Mt. Hwawang

Hiking

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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