Holidays

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!!!

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!!!