~Shared Elevator~

an adventure ends

2009-07-29T05:19:00.000-07:00

thought I'd sum up my time here with a couplee stories, recollections on my time in Korea

Cycling with headphones? Illegal but...

Any cyclist in Seoul can tell you about the average Ajushi (older gentleman) ghetto-blasting traditional music from his bike. You can usually hear them coming from 100 metres away, or more, speakers booming from the basket on the front or the rack on the back. It seemed weird at first, but I barely take any notice anymore. Most noteworthy, two Ajushis who bike together, yelling at each other while their music blares away. I've seen them a few times, always together, yelling, and with the amps cranked to 11. One day, I got into a duel with a guy who just wouldn't quit passing me and slowing down, his trad music destroying my eardrums for a good kilometre or so until I finally hit a speed he couldn't keep up with (though he did try for a few hundred metres).

Boy scouts on wheels

I was on my way home on my bike one morning, pulled up on the footpath at a busy intersection 2 minutes from my apartment, and this old lady grabbed my handlebars. Now, when I say old, I mean she was friggin old! Certainly in her 90s! I asked her if she was ok, did she need help, but she didn’t understand. The little green walking man blinked away and she started walking across, using my bike as leverage. I held bike as we went, and halfway across, the green man turned red. The traffic tried to start moving, couldn't, but didn’t toot their horns at all. Very respectful, I found. I gave them a wave.

We got to the opposite side and the old lady pointed across the road again! She still had to cross the next road. Motorists were staring at the odd couple as we waited. I just smiled and nodded. We walked across but the green guy didn’t give us enough time again. The drivers were patient once more and when we arrived at the other side, she let go of my bike and kept going. I called out goodbye to her and she just waved as she walked away, not stopping to look back.

A x B can equal AB or C or something else!

One wintery day, an unnamed Korean supervisor rolled in to the office proudly wearing a fur coat. The foreign teachers all kinda just looked at each other, not shocked or surprised, just.. y’know.. so I thought I'd ask about it (politely):

“Is that fur?”
“Yes, it is!”
“Oh.” (nodding)
“You like it?”
“Um, yes, it looks very warm.”
“Oh yes, it’s very warm. It’s my favourite coat. Why?”
“I suppose I just don’t see many fur coats in NZ any more.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, just people in NZ thinking about the animal. Like, do Koreans think about the animals too?”
“Oh yes, the poor animal.”
“Yeah, um, what do you think about the animal?”
“I know, I feel sorry for the animal, but I love my coat.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes, it’s my favourite.”
“Oh yes, it looks very nice. But you think it’s sad about the animal?”
“Of course, yes. It’s very sad.”
“Yes, very sad for the animal, but it looks good on you.”
“Oh thank you.” (beaming with pride)

Not verbatim, but the main thing I’m trying to point out is the disconnect there. I’m not saying it’s a Korean thing either. Is that possibly where culture clash exists? Cultural disconnect which is obvious to foreigners?

WHUMP! Adulthood

Perhaps I just chose one in particular, but here’s a pretty important moment that made me grow up a little.

I was teaching some 6 and 7 year olds and, while I was helping one of the students finish her workbook, the others jumped up and had a run around the class. They then decided to do flying superman leaps off the window frame. I told them to stop, turned back to the student and book and then heard a massive WHUMP! The class went silent. I looked behind me and found the tiniest little girl in the class face down and not moving. I was on the floor, not knowing whether to lift her up or run for help, then, after a few breathless moments, she started crying. I was pretty damn relieved. I got her to her feet and took her to get some treatment, but when she came back to class, she was still pretty unhappy. We finished the class and I looked at her face.

“Ah, still very pretty,” I told her. She smiled, but it hurt so she began crying again. Left the class with a massive welt on her chin and in tears. The following week she was still in pain, but could laugh when the other kids were re-enacting her face-plant (in slow motion).

Anyway, I suppose that was pretty defining to me cos at the time, I was wondering whether I truly cared about the kids. This event basically ended that little personal debate in my head.

Bottlenecks

I was crossing the road in Gayang and, after 9 months of ignorance, it reminded me very much of the main north road out of Christchurch, through Belfast. Minus the tall buildings, add a traffic island. It made me think about how I felt when I got to Korea. First impressions of Korea were high-rises and traffic, built up towns and congested living, even in the more rural areas I’ve visited. I suppose I can recall the constricted feeling when I first got here and now realise all those feelings of claustrophobia on the subway, bus, at work, walking down the street, are a major source of stress. It’s something I haven’t really thought about before, but the stress does come out from time to time. I was sitting on the subway a month ago and had this couple stand right over me while they happily chatted away. It was odd, for some reason, how they were encroaching on my space. I thought I was used to it, but this time, I had to move, and admittedly I didn’t pretend to be happy about moving either. Perhaps it was a combination of the general closeness and their noise level, or a combination of the two of them standing at my knees on an otherwise half filled carriage, or perhaps they were just abnormally close. Freaks.

When I get back to enzed, I initially have the opposite feeling. So much space unfilled and odd personal space issues. Those and the fear of impending doom, going to a supermarche and not packing groceries fast enough for the person behind me, leading them to get upset, and then needing to get out of the parking lot before they catch up and scream something harsh like, “Where did you learn to pack a shopping bag? FOUR SQUARE?!” Mother could be so cruel.

Sun, sand, 3 months of beach season

The big beach of Busan, Haeundae, has been the source of many great moments – the Polar Bear dip in December of 2007; learning Irish hurling in front of a slightly confused general public; standing on sharp implements and hobbling off to the hospital for an evil spirits shot. One particular weekend, we befriended some young people who got us to play dodgeball. It was all quite fun until I took a beamer in the nether regions. After a few moments writhing in the sand in pain, I rugby tackled the offender. He folded into the sand in a massive heap, collapsing like a house of cards. A few minutes later, he got his breath back and taught me Shirim – Korean wrestling. That is, he taught me that he can do Shirim, not how to do it. Think a 70kg scrawny bee keeper of a person throwing me (about 84kg at the time) so hard, I don't recall whether I landed on my back or my face. Great laughs had by some.

Shitwa

Every time I go back, I have two massive bursts of energy.

One is of nostalgia, hitting the bars, screen golf, the orange place, gift-wrapping jenga pieces, cycling down the causeway, “playing” basketball all afternoon until someone got a goal, chicken, watermelon, Prison Break, GS25 soju, people. People. I miss the kids, the teachers, the Gimbab Chonguk Captain, EVERYONE! Ok, almost everyone.

And the other burst of energy is to get the hell out of there! It’s not the same, man. Damo’s is gone. The strip is quiet. There’s no pimps stopping me on the street anymore (admittedly, I do only go there during the day now, and when i lived there, pimps very rarely stopped me before 5pm).

I jest. I look back on Shihwa as one of the great times of my life. I really do. It may not be THE Korean experience, but it certainly was A Korean experience.

Things I will miss

* Kids – the kids here are incredible. They study so hard and most are so giving.
* Public transport – it’s clean, it’s safe, it’s relatively well connected.
* Dragonflies – magical to watch (just look up)
* Pink sunsets
* Food – many Korean foods captured me hook, line and sinker.
* Gatecrashing neighbours parties, ending up on the norae (karaoke) machine (I’d like to say this didn’t happen more than once, but I’d be lying)
* Noraebang (singing rooms/karaoke)
* Being offered home made food at sports events, on the bus, the subway, the park, the street, you name it
* Friends - the only reason I made it here so long is my friends, and their babies ;)
* General niceness and smiles
* Kids speaking to me in Korean and actually understanding them (yes, sometimes after 3 or 4 repeats)
* Spitting

Things I won’t miss

* Leaving kimchi on my kitchen bench overnight (did it again last night, dammit)
* Fake niceness and smiles – seriously sick of this version of bs here. I've stopped accepting fake apologies (signs of a jaded foreigner)
* Residential areas with 6-lane roads - I wonder how people can let their kids walk home with the buses and trucks hurtling along. I’ve only seen a few accidents, but just wow, the speeds...
* Hagwons – never again. Anyone considering working in an English hagwon in Korea, don't. Or, if you feel the need, don't be surprised when it sucks. I've had great experiences at both Hagwons I've worked at, but while the positives outweighed the negatives 6 months ago, the polarities have been reversed.
* Somek – soju + beer. sounds like happy, tastes like danger, tomorrows like wrecked
* Racism - this is a tough one to discuss. I'm thinking of writing a book. Seriously.
* Other people spitting
* Kids – I know. Some kids are great, some are incredibly disrespectful. I’m not saying they should respect everyone, but if there’s someone with a pram, move. If there’s people standing at a bus stop, don’t ride your bicycle at top speed on the footpath. If I catch you swearing at school (I know a few swear words now), don’t throw a hissy fit when I boot you out of class or report you to your homeroom teacher.
* Adults – Some adults are great, some are incredibly disrespectful. I’m not saying they should respect everyone, but if there’s someone with a pram, move. If there’s people standing at a bus stop, don’t ride your bicycle/motorbike at top speed on the footpath. If your friend disrespects you, don’t feel that social decorum demands you smash a beer bottle over his/her head and then stand over him/her screaming that you are older than s/he is by 7+ hours, while he/she bleeds profusely in the gutter (I think I've seen something like this 4 or 5 times, and at least once in each area I've lived).
*FHM using Freddie Flintoff for tips to get in shape – a) FHM wants me in shape?! and b) if you’re fit enough to walk to the shop to buy FHM, you’re fit enough for cricket. Not sure of the link to Korea, but I think it's still pertinent commentary.

Thanks for reading this far. The above isn't an all engrossing statement on Korea. I have a million stories about this place, the people, my adventures etc. I've just chosen a few slightly random ones that I haven't heard anyone else discuss before. Korea certainly is a trip which I endorse.

Moscow part 1

2008-06-20T05:27:00.000-07:00

day 14
MOSCOW!
arrived at 420am, waited a couple of hours at the station, then taxied to our very central, very accessible, very open hostel. soon enough, showered and changed, we were hungry as hell, so i talked for hours to Steve and Sinead (NZ and Welsh, married), while Dee was on the internet.

finally, we left the hostel, walking to RED SQUARE! Steve, the tour guide, directed us in from the north, definitely, must approach the square from the north. St Basils Cathedral is incredible, as are all the buildings. i was surprised how small the square is, but it's massive, nonetheless.

after lunch, we visited the 7th sister tower on a hill outside central Moscow and, wow, the building is incredible. it's a university, with halls of residence, and a number of lone buildings conjoined into one towering eddifice. built in the wake of the USSR's grand victory over Hitler.

a stroll down the road, and laid out before us (and a few hundred other people) was the city including, directly below, the stadium that hosted the Chelsea v Man Utd UEFA final last month. we counted off the 7 sisters, including the one behind us.

i was finding the city unphotographable. i felt like just buying post cards, cos i needed a helicopter to get a decent angle on the grand structures dotting the landscape. beautiful city, and the subway stations are incredible too. of course, how they financed the entire operation is a bit of a downer.

came back to the hostel, a beer, a chat, then collapsed into bed around midnight

leaving Siberia, morning vodka, and scrabble (of course)

2008-06-20T05:08:00.000-07:00

Day 11
woke up, slept, woke up... the warmth of the east was waning, a couple of stops and opportunities to purchase local treats, a pancake filled with what seemed to be sweet cheese and another filled with honey or a caramel sauce. Dee enjoyed them both, but i could hear mysel getting fatter.

the lady sharing our cabin (hers was a top bunk) planted herself on Dee's bunk an seemed content and, after a few hours, got on Dee's nerve (mine too). we finally got control later in the night while we made a tomato, tuna an cucumber sandwich (thanks to the green grocers on the platform at Taiga).

beat Dee at scrabble, 333 points (a record for me)

we were still awake, chatting about prostitution, when the train rolled into Novosibirsk at 2am(ish). too cold, or too tired, or lazy, to jump out for a look. blankets on my bed for the first time.

day 12
BADGER
nothing much all day. our cabin friend left a chewed piece of gum on Dee's bunk which she promptly sat on and somehow restrained herself from going apeshit. wonder what i would've done.

short stops, long waits, timezone changes, turgid scrabble, and Dee was coming to some kind of precipice and dragging me with her. finally, got to Yeketerinburg, got out for a walk with the crowds on the platform, splurged on some water, bread, chocolate and i hoped Dee was turning back...

we'd finally left Siberia (not that the scenery changed much) in the evening, and passed the Asia/Europe obelisk just before midnight to little fanfare (first time i've ever been to Europe).

day 13
in the morning, a man blocked my path at the hot water dispenser holding a bottle of vodka and two glasses. after joining him for a shot, he followed back to our cabin where Dee and i were playing scrabble. another shot down (still before lunch) and i was slightly drunk while he was wasted. he was harrassing our cabin friend, so Dee and i had to boot him out, literally dragging him down the aisle by the wrist. (should i mention i won the scrabble while still slightly drunk?)

at one of the stops, some of the hard men from the carriage split kindling for the carriage attendant. at another 2 minute stop, the vodka guy, who'd disappeared for the afternoon, hopefully sleeping, and the wood splitter held up the train while they stocked up on beer. then an argument over language, culture, importance, and we were 3 hours closer to......

on the move, a break in Siberia, then on the move again

2008-06-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

Day 6
Trees trees trees and grass. beat Dee at scrabble.

Grass grass grass plus trees. a few stops but none any longer than 15 minutes or so. lots of food on offer out there.

Beautiful sunset again. we had a pink sky for about an hour! and the trees and forests became misty as dark set in.

lots of abandoned buildings in the process of crumbling or getting close to ruins status. long since used. and the houses are small wooden boxes, like cheaper versions of log cabins. i was literally reminded of Asterix comic books. the cars though, all seem less than 10 years old. oh yeah, the wake up music at 10am nearly blew my ears off. very dance, very rave though. my thoughts went back to Chinese trains and the Kenny G on loop play....

Day 7
sleep and trees and grass and rivers. big big rivers. with ruins. either modern buildings a few decades since being abandoned, or even castle-like behemoth skeletons overlooking those rivers. Dee bought us some nice food at one of the stops and befriended a couple of railway workers sharing our carriage.

they spoke very little, or no English, so they enlisted Anya, one door from us, to help translate. she was a little shy at first, but for no reason. very capable of english conversation. she lives in Chita with her husband, and she's a railway engineer. the two men also worked for the railway, although i couldn't figure out what they did. perhaps they drove trains? no idea.

soon enough though, having knocked back a few shots of Vodka, the boys started hitting on Dee, so we retired back to our cabin which had a slight smell of BO. settled in for the "night", although the sun went down around 11pm and it was still light at midnight.

Day 7
a fairly strong version of body odour woke me up. i'm certain it wasn't me, but rather from our cabin mates in the bunks below. an older couple who hadn't left their beds for 2 days. a short stop in Ulan Ude and our ever-increasingly friendly carriage attendant pointed the way to a photo opportunity with BEARS!! (carved from wood).

around Lake Baikal (wikipedia or google, people, it's very impressive), we were treated to incredible scenery: snow capped peaks, clear, clear lake water. Dee cleaned a window, pissing off the afore mentioned friendly attendant when she saw the colour of her previously white towel. made for great pics. Dee then scored 332 in scrabble!!!

and then, we arrived in Irkutsk, and, under the boiling evening sun, drama!

ticket sellers wouldn't sell us anything so we finally went to the "service" centre, where we were sold the wrong tickets, despite our very clear instructions!!! when we tried to change them, they closed in my face, saying "tomorrow". ARRRRRRR!

afer a few minutes to an hour of phone calls, most of that time being dedicated to finding a phone, we found a fantastic hostel. very lucky.

then i almost broke the washing maching because i don't listen...

Days 8 & 9
drama at the train station became a slightly expensive lesson in frustrating Russian logic as their mistake cost us money. but we spent the day chatting to other travellers, learnt a bit about Siberia from Alena, the hostel captain, and had a walk around town.

next day, we woke up too early due to failing the timezone change on my alarm clock! yet we still missed the bus to Lake Baikal. took a faster mini-cab, which was still quite cheap, and arrived at Listvyanka, a small town by the freezing cold water!!! we had a walk along the shore, then went to a small cafe to hide from the icey wind. a man made a rice risotto thing over a coal fire outside, so we had a feed of that, followed by sunbathing as the day heated up, then a speedy ride back to Irkutsk.

we got a little lost at the bus station, then had an argument with a German mechanical engineer in the oil industry over a beer at the local pizza restaurant (no, we didn't argue oil).

Day 10
finally, a sleep in, and no electricity at the hostel. cruised through the day, met some very beautiful and friendly Finnish girls, then found a www cafe. went to the train station in time to wait stressfully for our very late (by 15 - 20 minutes) ride to Moscow.

we gave up waiting in the station and headed to a/the platform. made it to our lower bunks, saw half of China disembark, then we left Irkutsk, Dee kicked my ass at scrabble, and that was another day as the sun kind of sunk below the horizon, but the sky was still a dark shade of blue

from Samcheon Po to Vladivostok's train station!!!

2008-06-19T09:13:00.000-07:00

Day 1
walked out of my apartment, left Samcheon-po feeling a little depressed, but after seeing a Korean Air flight take off from Sacheon city (30 mins later), i was smailing with gay abandon all the way to Busan. Joined Dee on the beach, great swim, then to Kyungsang for a final night of drinks with Brian and company.

Day 2
the bus to Sokcho!
largely uneventful 6 and a bit hours ride. we ate Gamjatang (pork meat soup, yummy!) for dindins! scoped out the small city of Sokcho, and thought, woah, it's another Korean city.....

Day 3
went to the ferry terminal for our tickets, and once i got back, Dee's hotel room, or more precisely, her bags and possessions, were in complete disarray. i left her to it, hoping she'd sort herself out in time, and of course, she did. made our boat in the early afternoon, met Gary, of Australia, who is motorcycling from Vietnam to Italy via Spain!!! We also met a Spanish nun who lives in Vladivostok, plus a woman from Kazhakstan who lives in Korea, off to visit her brothers in Vlad.

the boat was relatively calm, rocking and vibrating constantly. i only felt queezy during the scrabble loss to Dee (and thereafter seeing and smelling the Korean men who were doing shots of soju in groups of 10 or more.

Day 4
woke up the next morning as we were docking at Zarabino (i defy you to find that on any map anywhere), and found it to consist of 2 sheds, a road, and a boat (ours). after a few hours waiting onboard, we finally made it through border control to an awaiting bus with an old driver with gold teeth (lots of golden smiles greeted us). the bus took us to customs and once the old dog got out of the way, we filed off the bus, into the building, through the turnstyle, outside and grabbed our bags off the bus again... i'm not joking! it was a 30 second transition.

walked to a street corner nearby to wait for a bus to Vladivostok, taxis being offered at high rates, but we were offered a ride by Mr Ham, of Sokcho, and Sergei Han, a Kazhakstani Korean, car salesmen shifting a car to Vlad from the ferry. a couple more hours waiting, goats feeding on the street corner, then the car cleard the customs turnstyle, and we were on the "road", most of it being roadWORKS (but most of it was perfectly okay).

the area south of Vladivostok is very beautiful countryside dotted with old houses, abandoned buildings, and trees, glorious trees! and a snake! at least 1.5m long! didn't expect snakes in Russia!!!

next, we stopped for dinner (it was around 5pm) and Dee and i made our first meal in Russia BORSCH! delicious. Mr Ham paid for, and after a little wait, we were transfered to Aleksanders car. Sergei refused any money for fuel (and looked insulted when we offered). then we hit the road again, seeing a MiG fighter jet land over the top of us! 30 minutes of high energy driving from Aleksander (an obvious fan of Gotham Racing), we were at our hotel, and in desperate need of some rubles!!!

Day 5
i wish i had a 4WD!! Vladivostokians used to wish that too. Beuatiful day, started late after a sleep in, changed money with the only slightly dodgey looking people sitting in deck chairs outside the bank, then bought our train tickets.

what a wait! we spoke no Russian, yet still took less time than most people ahead of us in the queue. after a high 5 with Dee in a successful tickets purchase celebration, the locals were all laughing, or at least, smiling. we'ed served as entertainment for a few minutes. Then, a walk to the beach, enjoyed the view (at which point, i shall refrain from mentioning the extremely attractive women populating the city, or more precisely, the waterfront ;) and to a monument nearby.

while waiting for Dee in the hotel lobby, maybe i should've wished for pointy toed shoes too.

we made it to the train, lots of tearful goodbyes on the platform from the locals (for other Russian people, not us), while i chatted to Lena, a lawyer/economist from Vlad, off to visit her parents a few hours away. As we left the station, the boys next door broke out a guitar for a sing, but soon enough, it was just the rocking and rolling of the train, and an unbelievable sunset.

all heads west (well, the first 12 hours were mainly north)

Let me show you

2008-05-23T05:52:00.000-07:00

I've managed to avoid the "demonstration" classes until today.

nb. a demonstration class is usually little more than a teacher teaching kids having put 500% more effort than normal into the preparation and planning, as anywhere between 10 and 50 "observers" will be present (or, in the room). and the added bonus of anywhere between 2 and 10 "practice classes" (so the kids know the subject and don't need the class by the time the demonstration comes along, but hey, it helps, so let's all move on).

mine today was not the usual. i was to teach a subject OTHER than English, using English for the Korean kids. Immersion program. okay, 500% more planning and preparation, but no chance for a practice class, and also, a different school. the kids didn't know me, or my style, or, "style".

Ms Gang, my co-teacher, and i prepped a great group of kids on the water cycle, and after an hour teaching kids words such as cycle, heat, cool, rise, fall, evaporation (they actually understood that too!), i was seriously apprehensive about moving onto the water cycle class proper. then, as the bell rang, 30 ppl shuffled into the back of the class (some were watching in through open windows) and i started, only to stop, being told the school actually started at a 2nd bell 5 mins after the first. GREAT START!

40 odd minutes of theatre sports later (props, worlds worst, party quirks, everything short of scenes from a hat), the kids all had a rough idea that the sun heats oceans, warm air rises, cools, becomes cloud, rains, or something to that effect.

i'd used a flashlight shining sunlight on my forehead (which explained my sunburn, which the kids were unfamiliar with - they thought i'd been drinking soju), a globe, which the kids could play with for hours, and a plastic bag slowly getting filled by bottles of water (and the poor boy who was holding the bag having to carry them around the room as it got heavier and heavier - mwahahaha, i love my job). only, i'd used the bare minimum of English. the kids didn't learn condense, precipitation etc, that is normal to learn, and SHOULD be in an immersion program, surely.

i had to go to a meeting afterwards, discussing the feasibility of an immersion program, which Emperor Lee Myeong Bak has already filed in the not-gonna-happen-for-some-time basket. having walked out of the toughest class i've taught since my first kindergarten class, i had to give an assessment. it went along the lines of, for the kids normally bored by the ease of school English, they seemed to love it, and for the kids who barely know their abc's, they were most likely more frustrated than they normally are. a practical class that i tried to present as a puzzle to solve. give the kids the pieces, then they can put it together...

on the whole, i enjoyed it, but i'd never get involved in an immersion program in Korea, unless they double my salary. so much work, and so difficult, and also, so pointless for many kids - attack them when they're young.

anyways, i have 5 work days to go!! Dee and i are traveling in a very short time!! wahoo! i keep looking at my backpack and wanting to fill it - to practice now or not (i usually begin packing 4 hours before i leave).

A funny tale in the end

2008-05-16T05:50:00.001-07:00

Sam – 3
Cheon – River
Po – Port

The teachers at school aren’t sure, but Samcheon Po most likely means the port of three rivers. These days, it’s little more than a name to most people here. I suppose that’s how I feel about places like Christchurch and Canterbury, Lancaster Park, and Burnham Camp Golf Club. Being here though, I try, or tried, to make sense of everything. Tried to find the method or reason or meaning behind everything. Whether it’s something physical, like the small shelters built in the mountains, or something cultural, like taking your shoes off before sitting on the floor of those shelters while eating your lunch.

In some ways, I feel like I’ve really gone beyond myself while I’ve been here. Heading off to work each day can be the dawning of a new world each moment. I see something new every day, whether it be how similar we all are as human beings, or how different. Many times, I found myself loving the exchange.

That said, being raised in 1980s Canterbury (not particularly diverse at the time), culture clashes really are a new experience every time. I must admit, when something occurs, I’m most likely to be strong willed and stick to my guns (perhaps that’s due to growing up with a 120kg behemoth for a brother :-)

I suppose, what I’m saying is, while I was seeking the meaning of everything, I wonder if I missed the point. Or the essence of what it is to come somewhere completely foreign and experience it firsthand. Or maybe I did, and I dealt with it well. Let’s put this in life’s mystery file…

Samcheon Po is a wonderful little town. And many of the people are very friendly. It’s the sort of place one walks down the street and feels very safe. I had not one issue at all in my time here. I know 8 months isn’t a long time, but it can be when your hair is dyed blond, you’ve got a goatee, wearing sharkies (these things are very foreign to Koreans outside the major cities).

I spent many a night eating chicken and having a drink with some fishermen who are great guys (I even teach some of their kids).

Mountains and the beach are all within walking distance of home. A pleasant place to be.

But isolated. Sometimes, in the middle of nowhere, even though I had a few friends, I just seemed to be separated from people whom I felt understood me. My colleagues are lovely people, but fun times at work didn’t graduate into many invites to parties or movies or coffee or walks or whatever. But that’s as much my fault. It seemed every other weekend I was off to Busan or Seoul. Perhaps the fact I was already familiar with aspects of Korea made me more flippant when I arrived and less interested in everything than the teachers at school were hoping. Mystery file again…

The students really made my days. We seem to laugh our way through 75% of the classes. I really notice how boring it is at school when English class gets cancelled. The most fun I had was hanging out in the lunch room with the kids teaching me Korean words for spoon, chair, table, fingers, head, whatever came up (most promptly forgotten).

At some point, it became more than just a job. I enjoy what I do. But the lifestyle I’ve been leading isn’t the best.

Too much downtime, too little to do. In the past 3 months, I’ve worked a grand total of sweet f*** all. I’m not complaining about that, but when you’re not working much, you need to be busy doing something else. That, most likely, was my downfall. I didn’t busy myself outside of work. In fact, if we get down to it, this update is relatively event-free because I’ve done very little lately. Or, at least, I feel like I have. Okay, I’ll try to make a list:

Work
* the tension has gone, mostly, between myself and the teachers I talk to, but those who don’t speak English (or don’t speak to me often) are a little more standoffish after the events in the past few weeks. Fair enough. After talking to a few people, it seems Koreans really do take it personally when a colleague quits. Perhaps they consider it my fault, my issues, or perhaps they feel a little powerless. Mystery...
* I’m going to miss my grade 3,4 and 5 kids. And a few 6ers. I’m not every students best friend, but I’ve tried to at least make their days a little brighter (I wasn’t a good student, so prefer to have a laugh rather than be particularly regimented)

Korea
* got away to Busan, Seoul and Shihwa to visit friends before taking off. Can’t say I saw everyone I wanted to see and said everything I wanted to say (who ever does?) but it was nice to see people. Admittedly, I dedicated a few hours to watching some rugby and wasn’t particularly sociable… (the rugby was good and my team won)

Travel
* wahoo! It’s full steam ahead! I’m hunting the best way to get to places!! I bought myself a new backpack, some tuppaware containers, and vegemite! The beginning of the essentials!!! Once I have my passport, tickets, travel visas and backpack, I think the simmering excitement is going to boil.

General life
* Observations often stream out of my head, but for this post, I think I'll leave them out of it. Mystery file, one more time :D
* I don’t really know where I’m headed. I don’t really know what’s around the corner. I don’t have many ties to anything. For a long time, that’s felt like a great way to live, and many people have told me how envious they are of that lifestyle. At some point though, I think it has all caught up with me. I may not want everything that others want (I won’t deny my desire for power, fame and money), but I suppose at some point, I stopped questioning why other people wanted things like a house, a career, a family, when I started seeing similar wants in myself.

Thanks for reading this far. Please take care, wherever and whenever you are.

Wow, this one got deep, introspective and not particularly funny. Here’s a funny story to reward those who got to the end:

I can’t find quarter cut watermelons in Korea, but when I spotted half-cut ones, I got one. Then I spent the next 2 nights gorging myself on it. Crikey they’re filling. I was inching pieces of watermelon into my mouth, just to finish the fucker, when my doorbell rang. My landlady was there to apologise for some guy smashing a window down the corridor in the middle of the night (he was drunk, loud, and kicking the crap out of a woman’s door at the time). So, to appease the general collective’s displeasure, she’d bought everyone a watermelon. Tonight, I have a watermelon to cut in to, but by crikey am I avoiding it. Okay, it was funnier with the actions and the stomach aches and “Watermelon! NOOOOOOO!!!” in my grade 4 class, but perhaps you had to be there.

Guess who's coming to Europe... an anti-headsock

2008-04-29T06:29:00.000-07:00

Well, it’s funny how these things work themselves out. A while ago, I told my co-teacher informally that I was planning to quit, but she waited that while to tell the principal and education board officer of my intent, which resulted in a very quick, negative reaction towards me. On Monday, I was asked to go for a meeting which didn’t go pleasantly. Sparing the gory details, when it was obvious that I wasn’t changing my mind, I was greeted with a few minutes of silence, then asked to move on sooner than I intended. Upshot of that meeting is that I finish in Samcheon-Po on May 31. I’m a little worried the reaction of the school and Edu board will hurt my employment opportunities in the future, but for now, I’m off to Europe and North Africa… somehow.

Dee and I are hoping to take the Trans-Siberian, although it’s proving a little difficult to organise ourselves through the bureaucratic nuances. No worries though. Getting some help from a few people (thanks guys).

I’ve got a lot to organise and no real clues as to what I’m doing once I get to “where the history comes from,” (Eddie Izzard), but any suggestions, any offers of a bed, a couch, a floor, or a beer would be greatly appreciated. Please do email, message, carrier-pigeon.

As for a farewell to Samcheon-po, I think I’ll write it another time. To be honest, I’m a little upset with the reaction I've received in the past couple of days. Best to leave it for a week or 3, methinks.

six stars*

2008-04-14T05:02:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a while. i've written a few talks/diatribes/opinion spurts on facebook, so this page has been dying the slow death. but it's time for a revival, and an update from the past few months.

* highlights

meeting up with friends in Seoul (or Shihwa) and Busan. it seems the longer i stay, the more friends come and go, but it's great to have time with everyone when we manage it.

Aditi was in Korea for a little while, working in Seoul during the cold, cold winter. i popped up to see her there, then she visited the slightly more tropical south, a good 10 degrees warmer, in Busan. highlights include visiting a temple in the north, arguing with myself in the Busan city tower while Brian and Adi looked out the window, and having a meal at Hanganli beach, overlooking the lit bridge that connects the central city to the east.

the power plant - from the roof of my apartment, i can see the biggest power plant in South Korea. i'm not sure where it services, but a friend of a colleague of my neighbour is an engineer at the plant, and, through some dumb luck, i managed a guided tour of the plant! i wasn't allowed photos inside, but must say it was interesting. they've even splurged and invested in the technology that breaks down the sulfur after burning coal! (don't ask, i was learning as i was walking along). i had a great time, walking amongst all the thingamees i can't name, but they were big and loud and sounded important! sometimes i am reduced to a 12 year old boy... :D

* work

today marked the halfway point of my contract, an important marker for a few reasons:
#1. it's nice to think i've got less than 50% to go
#2. i still have lots of holidays and sick leave to use
#3. 6 months finished means, should i choose to quit, i don't need to re-pay my employers for the flight to Korea (i wanted to put this at #1, but thought it'd make me look better somewhere down the list)
#4. well, i can't think of another. to be honest, i was content with just getting 2 down before #3 above.

the good at work is the students. generally speaking, the students are great. i have a couple of tough classes, but mostly they're lots of fun and don't require vast amounts of effort to involve in classwork. that said, i don't know ANY kids names. i teach 900+ students each week, so each name goes in one ear and out the other.

my colleagues are a nice people, but i do struggle to make friends. i have a great time talking and enjoying their company at work, but when it comes time to leave for home, they're all off. they do invite me along to a few things, but don't really involve me. i can't work out if we're all suffering from nerves, shyness, confusion etc. of course (and many of you will know) i generally involve myself anyway, but i suppose life at this school hasn't been the same as teaching with last year's group of orsum people. maybe i was luckier last year than i realised (and i realised i was lucky!). on more than one occaision, teachers have told me there's issues between the administration, principals, heads of depts. maybe i'm just not aware of a political dispute.

work does have its dull days. coming up soon, i have 3 or 4 days set for exams, school sports, and something else (possibly more exams), for which i will be asked to do nothing (i volunteer, they say no thanks), yet i must be at school. i know i'm complaining about having nothing to do at work and that many people will wish to kill me right now, but its a little tough when a dull day at work and a dull evening walking around town or watching tv does add together.

upshot is that my job is great, but i'm pretty lonely here in this little fishing village. see reason #3 for what is going through my mind.

* home

my apartment is great. i really like it. although, in February, i got a US$350 gas bill! yes, you read that correctly. i couldn't believe it, at first. so i spent a night walking around tapping walls, and i think there's no insulation. in -5 celsius winter, no wonder i spent that amount of money on heating. argh. still, my apartment was nice to live in all winter.

Samcheon-po is a lovely city. i walk in the hills a lot, and have been to the beach a few times lately, although the water and wind are too cold to let the sunshine entice me in for a swim. but there isn't much excitement happening here. i know, create your own excitement, believe me, i've tried!

i drink occaisionally with some fishermen (students parents who frequent a bar i eat at once or twice a week) and they are not fans of the power plant as it heats the water and the fish they catch are all migrating away. interesting times though, as the power company is investing heavily in the area's education and resources.

* Korea

i find many Korean people very nice and the country has its charms (and opportunities, i will not forget). i think i could come back, but i couldn't do so alone. at present though, i'm leaning heavily towards leaving soon. there's more to it than the above onset of loneliness and boredom. others with the same contract haven't received bonus's and benefits due to them upon completion, and i can see a similar situation happening with me too. there's a lot of hearsay and double-talk going on, but the reality is the education boards involved aren't paying up for a number of people (i think that number being around a dozen).

i get around the place and visit Brian in Busan often. i'll soon be heading up to Seoul to buy some overpriced vegemite and watch some rugby, oh, and to visit friends, i suppose ;)

* the immediate future

it's easier to write as a list of options.
- start moving and stop when there's no cash left
- i'm hunting TEFL courses and found a cool group that has schools around the world - i'm thinking Egypt or Thailand for a month-long course that'll help out my CV.
- find a cheap beach to swim and party at until there's no cash left
- find a new job in, say, Japan (it's on my mind)
- stay where i am and buy a house back in nz once the bubble bursts (apparently this was going to happen a year ago)
- other

call 0123456789 and cast your vote now (calls cost $99 per hour; parents, ask your children first)

* but seriously

i'm most likely leaving Korea within the next couple of months, but i'm very interested in coming back. of course, i've never been to Europe, so if something comes up there, i'd be interested in checking the place(s) out. i don't see myself going back to NZ right now, unless there's an emergency.

anyways, thanks for reading. and please do keep in touch. i think i'll probably use this more once i'm traveling, and hopefully live less vicariously through FB!

a year in review

2007-12-27T09:11:00.000-08:00

i started 2006 in tokyo with Brian, Eric and Brent, drinking sake with a few hundred thousand people and throwing coins and rings into a temple for good luck in the early hours of January 1st. in many ways, it's been a great year. not perfect, but i'm smiling.

work
i finished teaching at ECC in August and have since moved on to a public school position. ECC wasn't ideal (i hear laughter across the world) but i did learn a few valuable lessons regarding teaching english and class prep etc. i also found myself throwing my ambitions out the window every few days. they keep coming back, but sometimes i'm too busy having fun. i really enjoy what i do during the day, but after classes, it's not always fulfilling. will keep going for the moment.

home
i've swapped Shihwa for Samcheon-po. there's a joke in Korea that, if you've gone off on a tangent, you've gone to Samcheon-po. how apt is it for me to be here?! anyways, Shihwa isn't my kind of town. dirty, highly polluted, densely populated (for a boy from Christchurch suburbs) and few social options beyond drink, shop, playing golf and dodging porn fliers windswept around the place.
the 'po is very nice, has its own beach and mountains. it's small, and a little isolated, which is a drawback, but i'm hoping spring and summer will bring out the best in the place (apparently late Feb will be warming up!).

i lived with Andy and Brian (teachers from ECC) for most of my time in Shihwa, which was awesome. i didn't realise how good we had it. then Andy was replaced by a relatively scary person (also teaching at ECC) and, short story long, after 3 months, i left the apartment. i packed my bags in the middle of the night and walked out, never to return. in 3 months, i lost a lot of self confidence. his opinion was the only valid one, no compromise, and nothing i said would get thru to him, so i felt pretty helpless. when the abuse came flying, i had two options. when i chose to leave, i felt like a coward, but as regrets go, regretting not having kicked someones teeth in is a pretty good regret to have, i feel. believe me, if i wasn't concerned about placing my job security and work visa status in jeopardy, i could be regretting something very different.

luckily, i moved in with Heidi and Jeanine and we had a great time for the final few weeks of my contract. a slob like me probably wouldn't be the ideal roomy, but we seemed to laugh most nights, or watch prison break. okay, usually both.

a visit home
my contract ended and i visited NZ, mainly family in Christchurch, but i got up to Wellington for a couple of days to visit my friend Andy's resting place. i didn't really know what to say. maybe next time, i'll have a better idea.
when i got back to Chch, my grandfather, at the age of 94, passed away. the timing was a little spooky for both my aunt and me to be in the CITY let alone the country. and a lot of the family got to the funeral. a very Catholic service it was, and a send off i hope he would've enjoyed. my cousin's boy, 5 years old, full of questions, lightened the mood a lot. a pleasant day, and i was thankful to be there.
while i was in NZ, i got my fill of rugby by watching most of the world cup games which we didn't win, as per usual. so my four yearly reopened scar occurred again (as it does for all nz rugby fans). still, there were some entertaining matches to enjoy.

the 'po
the night of the funeral, i was fielding calls from schools in Korea and was offered a position in the south, which i accepted. a few weeks later and i was back in the classroom teaching. it all happened pretty fast.
i swapped classes of 10 at ECC for classes of 35 at Munseon Elementary School, which is quite difficult in some ways, and easy in others. the curriculum is kind of easy to teach and easy to learn for some kids while others don't even know their abc's. it's tough to watch some kids sit there bewildered while the new vocabulary and phrases just keep marching by.
my instinct is to stop everything to make sure all the kids understand before we move on, but that's not necessarily the best move. still struggling with that one.
but the kids are nice, and actually many seem to respect me. scary, isn't it.

Korean
my struggles in this country continue. i've been here over a year and i can't understand a friggin word. i can understand numbers, usually, but my language learning ability here is just useless. it's a bit of a downer really.

some old people here seem to think they can get away with anything. a few weeks ago, i was at the supermarket checkout, paying, and the lady next in line was ramming me in the ribs with her shopping cart. i looked at her and she just drew the cart back to ram me again. i grabbed the cart and told her 'kirarayo', meaning wait. kirayoyo(?). i would've said something a little more polite, but she kept ramming me! anyway, she pointed and yelled and of course i was the one who was stared at. i didn't really understand what was being said, but she was practically spitting her consonants on me. i muttered a few swear words that the younger people around would've understood and finished paying and left.

my shell
since returning to Korea, i've been a bit isolated, and i think i've reveled in it. few foreigners in town, few english speakers at work. over Christmas, i really struggled to be around my friends for a few days. i really wanted my alone time. i owe an apology or two to people whom i've let down.

the year in highlights
- the coins and rings and sake for new years in Tokyo
- hanging out with some cool cool people plus making a friendship or two that drove me to get...
- a new tattoo!! actually, i got two this year, but i got one for Christmas! RAH!
- teaching - i really had a great time teaching kids, playing games etc. maybe not my life's calling, but it's definitely fun for now
- coaching Korean middle schoolers in touch rugby!!! (they need a bit of practice)
- time with my family in September
- READING!!!! i only finished one book in the previous year, but i'm reading again (currently Life of Pi by Martell(?), for which the jury is still out)

not highlights
- Andy's passing
- not making it to his funeral (i'll feel guilty about that for a while)
- being placed in a difficult situation, living and working with a very difficult person - now, i like to think i can learn a thing or two about myself from such challenges, but for now, i'm still struggling. i've been a selfish, self-centered person for a while, and this experience did make me take notice of things i do to others. ugly. damned ugly.
- Shihwa - with apologies to people who like the place, i'm not a fan

future options
- i have the money to travel. i could go tomorrow if i want. and i want. but i'd like more money to do more travel than i want to do. if that makes sense.
- study - i'm quite keen to study some history, photography, geology, education, languages, the list goes on. Asian history is the one that tops the list this month
- continue teaching - yeah, that's probably what i'll do for now
- writing - i'm still writing a few short stories every now and then, and i enjoy them too. wonder if i could supplement my travel by writing a few shorties for publications. should look into it.

topics not addressed
- illnesses - i had a few, but the doctors say i'm okay
- women - i'm questioning whether women are the complicated ones or if i am (okay, probably both)
- injuries - hurt myself skipping rope, but nothing major
- health and fitness - i've let myself slide, but i'm back at the gym, need to diet
- property ownership - bought a couple of toys, things i'd save from a fire but give to a man with a gun. i'm trying to not buy things anymore. cut out the needs from the wants, the fads from the interests. actually, it's working. no great equation, but i'm happier for owning less. i do endorse it.

thanks for reading

2007-11-10T06:45:00.000-08:00

i had a lovely trip last week, organised by the education board for public school teachers. 130 teachers boarding buses to see sites around the province. we had the normal Korean experience of driving half the day, eating for 10 minutes and seeing sites for around 2 hours.

Koreans love being in cars and buses, it would seem, and assume others do too, hence why we spent 6 of the 9 hours during the day on the road. i explained to my co-teacher that NZers tend to see leisure as starting once we arrive somewhere, not when we leave home (i assume that's true for many western countries). she said she/Koreans start their leisure at the bus terminal. anyways, it was very pleasant. i met some cool people and plan to revisit a couple of places. here's some pics.

Korean bus terminals may not look too great, but i kinda like them. there's something simple about them (maybe it's a reflection of how complex the rest of the country is to me).

some important dude at Jinju Castle

Haehwa(?) temple, northern Gyeongsangnam province

it seems cereal boxes now include sports box/cup protection

obzervase ions

2007-10-26T05:38:00.000-07:00

so a few things i've discovered about myself since returning:

observation numero uno

i really get pissed off with people who don't listen or, more likely, hear what i'm saying and disregard it completely. now, my work has NOT been marred by any such situation, but one or two of my co-teachers have frustrated me.

eg. #1: would you like tea or coffee? i can make it. no, i will make it. but i have free time, please, let me . . . no i will make it, what do you want? are you sure? yes. okay, tea please. here's your coffee. thanks (gritted teeth).

eg #2: how do i get to Ansan? south Seoul station is closest to Ansan. but Seoul is further away than Ansan, i want to go there quickly. so you take a bus to Seoul. but surely i can go to another city on the way and connect from . . . well, you just go to Seoul. but i don't want to go to Seoul. but you must go to Seoul. surely i don't have to go to Seoul. south Seoul bus terminal has buses to Ansan. (pause for a few moments, subduing rage, releasing inner calm) what is the biggest bus station nearest to Samcheon... south Seoul station has buses to there. but i don't want to go to Seoul!

frustration. i know it's a two way conversation, but i think i'm being clear and people are imposing things on me. hey hey, maybe THAT is what frustrates me the most.

observation 2:

i am extremely scared of the thought of making a complete twit of myself in social settings, yet when i do it, i don't really care too much. riddle me this, batman, cos i certainly don't get it.

example, supermarket, i forgot to bring a plastic bag. i paid and had to get the checkout artist to pile up my purchases for me (i could've bought another bag, but hey, i've got a pile to utilise in my apartment). people watching me work my way thru the crowd and i didn't realise i didn't care how weird it looked until i nearly got home and saw another guy doing the same and thought he looked weird.

obervation trois:

i feel VERY uncomfortable not having my keys in my hands ready to open my home door, car door, office door, whatever, before i get to it. walking home, hands full (see above story), i couldn't get my keys ready without putting stuff down, so i just carried to the door, put stuff down, opened the door, picked stuff up again. i feel more at ease having the keys in my hand before i get home.

i know. this sounds weird. why am i mentioning it? i'm unsure, but i think i'm in a rush. in a rush to get inside. in a rush to get to my chair. in a rush to get comfortable, driving, online, sleeping, eating, you name it. hurry hurry hurry.

in other news, i went for a picnic with 5th grade classes and teachers on Wednesday. great times, and i taught the boys how to play slaps (don't worry, i didn't go to hard on them). good and bad - i tended to win, but because they all wanted to play me, my hands were crimson by the time i dunked them into troughs of ice. a positive that i didn't foresee is that the louder kids (who played slaps with me) were much easier to teach today. must mean they like me (or are scared of my speed and prowess).

Samcheon-po

2007-10-21T05:32:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a while. since i last posted, my grandfather passed away and we had a great family send off for him. tough times for my mum and aunts, but he had 94 years and, while it was sad for us, it was great to remember him.

i was also offered and accepted a teaching position at Samcheon-po, a small port city in Korea. public elementary school position which i have now been teaching in for one week. beautiful blue skies, with a beach and surrounded by mountains, i'm one of only a few foreigners in town. here's some pics from the mountain to the west of the city i climbed with Brian and Mrs Lee, a co-teacher from school.

The red and white towers in the distance are not leftover sets from the movie Contact, rather a coal-burning powerplant. quite interesting focal point of the area.

more tombs which Mrs Lee said were of no great significance, but i think they're spectacular.

from my rooftop seats, the mountain we climbed after sunset.

my apartment is great, and i'm slowly getting furnished. the staff at school struggle with their english a little, but they're all fantastic. i'm very happy to be here.

Adventure
a few weeks ago, i was adamant i would travel for some time, but upon reaching NZ, i just couldn't bring myself to do so. i was lonely, sad, a little depressed, and missing people a lot. and the thought of traveling alone conjured up memories of traveling thru China by myself for a while. it wasn't all bad, but in the end, i really didn't enjoy it. i'll never regret that travel, but the next excursion i do i intend to do so with someone else.

call me weak, or pathetic, or whatever. i have already. reflecting upon how i've lived my life, i've usually done everything for myself, and it's just not fulfilling anymore. anyways, that's my excuse.

angrytown to importanceville and back again

2007-09-19T02:47:00.000-07:00

set out on friday morning for Picton via the Kaikoura coast, took a few pics:

the Kaikour ranges from the coastal road north of the town of Kaikoura

Seddon Bridge; State Highway, single lane bridge with traffic lights. trains cross the river via the tracks above. Crazy for truckies, my brother used to drive 40 foot trailers across it. currently there's a bypass being constructed, while, in the meantime, the traffic utilising the bridge grows and grows.

The "airplane" that carried me from Picton to Wellington. for those not in the know, my mums house is in the middle of the south island and i was going to the north island. no, there is not a bridge between the two. most people take a 3 hour ferry, but for not much more, there's Sounds Air, which, if the mailman brings the engine in the morning, will carry you the same distance in 25 mins.
the flight over was hair-raising. Almost the scariest thing i've ever done. bumpy as anything all the way. totally worth it though. great views. i think i saw a whale. it didn't seem to be moving though. can whales go static? sharks can't.

meal and drinks with Meang and his friends, then chilled out for the evening.

the next morning, i headed to visit Andy who'd passed away in February. he lays in rest just north of Plimmerton. i kinda wanted some privacy but there were many many people visiting graves at the time, it was a very nice day, so i spent a little while chatting with him quietly and watched the other people.

then, Scorching Bay with Tee for lunch:

And Mount Vic and the southern coast with Emily:

Spent Saturday night with a few friends eating, chatting, playing pool and drinking.

After a scarier flight back to Blenheim, south of Picton, due to extreme winds, i got an airline bus back to pick up the car and headed home.

Above is the Kaikoura ranges from the north and below is the Kaikoura ranges from Kaikoura the town.

Just before i arrived home, my brother rang to inform me y grandfather was very unwell and my mother and aunt had rushed to his bedside.

The whole weekend was a learning curve. the weekend involved 2 crazy rides in an airline, spending more cash than i wanted to, throwing jealous tantrums at friends, visiting a dear friend who'd died young, and heard my grandfather will be gone soon too. one thing popped into my head continuously: control what is controllable, recognise what isn't, do what i can, and enjoy the ride.

my trip home: a stressed out, long-winded melodrama

2007-09-05T21:01:00.000-07:00

left Heidi to clear away my pickles packets and jumped in a taxi to Incheon Airport. once i arrived, 3 hours before my flight, i was told my flight to Narita Airport in Tokyo was delayed 3 hours (so i would miss my flight to NZ) and had to go to Gimpo Airport instead.

the bus to Gimpo, supposedly 45 minutes, arrived as the plane left the terminal, so i and a few others in the same situation were booked on the next flight. racing through the check-in, we went upstairs 30 minutes before the flight and i was stopped at the border. i was an overstayer. by one day. i told them my school bought the ticket, but they didn't care. 15 minutes later, i was nearly crying, and a piece of paper was produced for me to sign. all in Korean. i asked in several different ways if i could teach english in the future, which they said was okay, and i signed it, ran to my flight, and was told it was delayed. ARGH. then i realised it may have been delayed because of me.

the flight to Haneda Airport in Tokyo was uneventful, but i spent the final hour worrying about the bus trip to Narita Airport and checkin times there. we had help once we arrived at Haneda, our bags were all marked priority, so i was one of the first to get to customs. of course, that was where my bags were searched. the official didn't speak much english, but asked why i looked stressed. i showed him my eticket, and that i wasn't supposed to be entering Tokyo anyway, and that i might be late for my flight. he stopped searching and told me i should hurry. once outside, we were screwed around a little bit, caught a bus to a place to get a connecting bus to Narita, and stood around chatting for maybe 20 minutes. all we could do was wait. it was good to know i wasn't the only one, and i tried to de-stress, but i couldn't help looking at the time. i didn't have long at all.

once on the bus, i opened a present from Heidi, a book full of in-jokes and allusions to our work and life in Shihwa, and i couldn't stop laughing. it was perfect. and perfectly timed. almost as though she knew it was meant to be opened as my bus hurtled along an expressway from Haneda to Narita in what amounted to a hopeful last plunge for a flight that wasn't waiting. so my spirits perked up, as those around me sat in fear.

the traffic seemed to part ways for us after that. the whole experience was a breeze. i got to the check-in desk, the only one around, and then to border control and customs 5 minutes later. next thing i know, i'm waiting at the departure gate with everyone else, then on board, ready to go, and we got delayed again but who gave a shit, i was goin' home to my perfect little island nation . . . then the pilot told us it was 2 degrees in Angrytown.

i got to Christchurch after maybe the best flight ever (Air NZ impressed me a lot, second time i've flown with them after the first was kinda shit) and it was snowing, but i didn't really care. hugged mum hello and we went looking for the car. she couldn't remember where she parked it.

in and around Gyeongju

2007-09-03T09:46:00.000-07:00

somehow, i managed to make it away from Shihwa, shaking off what seemed like a 5 day hangover to visit Gyeongju on sunday night and monday morning before leaving for NZ.

this place is incredible. i most certainly want to return to see more of the history. 18 hours in the place, including sleeping time, was just not enough. gotta head back for a few days. if i come back to Korea, this is going to be a must! enjoy some pics

the mounds are Silla dynasty tombs, known as Tumuli, for kings and royalty. kinda like subtle pyramids, if you will.

saying goodbye is harder than leaving

2007-08-29T20:09:00.000-07:00

so my last day at work ended.

i didn't turn into the blubbering mess i expected to, but it was tough saying goodbye to the younger kids and a couple of other classes with kids who speak english very well. the day was filled with tests so there wasn't much chance to talk to the kids much.

and it was also a little frustrating. a few kids i don't like wouldn't be quiet during a test and i yelled so loud one of the girls nearly fell out of her seat. i apologised at the end of the test, but that didn't stop me from feeling bad about it. not the note i wanted to leave on, but that's the note that particular class ended on for us all.

i wanted to take a few pics too, but the guys were all either hunched over test papers or recovering from hunching over test papers or staring into space like zombies. not how i wanted to remember them. Alex, one of the cleverer kids in my teenagers conversation classes told me i'm a baby in a mans body. didn't try to deny it.

and it was the end of a contract fulfilled. something completed. it feels great. i was smiling like a gimp while i cleaned out my desk. there's much i regret, but i'm very happy i did this, and happy with my choice of school. i wouldn't work in this particular town again, but happy i lived here. i met some orsum people and had some interesting times. saying goodbye is harder than leaving. unsure what that means about me.

and what next? ADVENTURE!

huh?

2007-08-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

Arizona School Suspends 13-Year-Old Boy for Drawing Gun

MESA, Arizona — Officials at an Arizona school suspended a 13-year-old boy for sketching what looked like a gun, saying the action posed a threat to his classmates.

The boy's parents said the drawing was a harmless doodle and school officials overreacted.

"The school made him feel like he committed a crime. They are doing more damage than good," said the boy's mother,Paula Mosteller.

The drawing did not show blood, bullets, injuries or target any human, the parents said. And the East Valley Tribune reported that the boy said he did not intend for the picture to be a threat.

Administrators of Payne Junior High in nearby Chandler suspended the boy on Monday for five days but later reduced it to three days.

The boy's father, Ben Mosteller, said that when he went to the school to discuss his son's punishment, school officials mentioned the seriousness of the issue and talked about the 1999 massacre at Colorado's Columbine High School, where two teenagers shot and killed 12 students, a teacher and themselves. Mosteller said he was offended by the reference.

Chandler district spokesman Terry Locke said the crude sketch was "absolutely considered a threat," and that threatening words or pictures are punishable.

disgusted

2007-08-24T09:27:00.000-07:00

someone is stealing the 'N's from the classroom doors at school.

all the classes are named after countries so Japan is now Japa and England will soon be E gla d. unfortunate as those sound, I am now from a country called Ew Zealand.

Doctor Fish

2007-08-17T19:19:00.000-07:00

H, J, L, P, T and I went to Sillin in southern Seoul to visit the fish doctors. having waited for around an hour in the cafe, we were shown to this little rectangular pool with a few dozen inch-long fish swimming around in. shoes and socks off and in went our feet. the next were 15 minutes of pain and torture and fits of absolute laughter while the fish ate the dead skin from our feet. a few of us being rather ticklish, the whole experience was weird and hilarious. my feet felt great for the next couple of days.

i don't have any pics at the moment, but hoping Leyla can get a few from her phone onto the net.

afterwards, Heidi went for a swim in a river with a bunch of kids playing in the water. then the heavens opened up and the monsoon just kept on coming. seems neverending. it's rained practically every day since late June. nuts.

monsoon girls

2007-08-13T07:36:00.000-07:00

maybe
- amado: Korean for possible/maybe/not certain but somewhere between could happen and should happen.
for some reason, i've picked up a habit of saying 'maybe', even when i mean yes. are you going for a beer? think yes, say maybe. it's gonna happen, but i just say maybe. why? why?

i've heard lots of Koreans use the word maybe when they mean yes. did i do something wrong? maybe. is this going to be expensive? maybe. are we in trouble with the law? maybe. should i run? maybe. can you help? maybe not.

i'm not surprised i've picked up the habit, it's just frustrating that i was frustrated by the common use of the word 'maybe', yet still, i've started doing it myself. DOH!

dancing girls
- seems that every time someone opens a bar, restaurant, bookshop or playcentre, an archway of colourful balloons and a couple of scantily clad girls are hired. according to sources who are paying attention to the girls dance moves, apparently they're never good dancers. but who cares?

what is funny to me is the weather they're standing around in. in winter, it snowed one week, the next it was -10, and two days later, the girls were out, dancing in front of a new fried chicken place (great chicken, does home delivery, yum). now it's monsoon season and, while a few of the boys were out for a drink on the strip, a couple of young ladies were out dancing under the balloons for whatever new was opening (either a bar or an internet cafe).

so it's pouring down with rain that'd wash a newborn calf into the sewers, and the girls are toughing it out, high heels and all. must get into that internet cafe, now that i think about it. whatever sells sells, ay?

better than a rooster
- there seems to be a dragonfly nesting outside my bedroom window. every morning, around 630am, it cranks up a noise so startlingly loud, it has scared me out of bed on 2 occasions. couldn't believe the first morning, a sunday. i thought a predator had crawled thru my window.

news and olds

2007-08-05T03:39:00.000-07:00

new apartment. new roomies. new bed. rah.

moved into Jeanine and Heidi's place a little over a week ago and it's been all good. i'm living with two wonderful ladies, so i can't be a sloth-like pig for the next few weeks, which is sad, but true. good news is we all get on really well. Jeanine is fun, and modest too.

work is quite busy now that Brian and Andy have gone. Paul, from NZ, has arrived, and another new teacher will be arriving soon, so in the meantime, we're covering the classes. it's not all bad, as the kids are cool and i'm enjoying most of it. means for a long day at work though. we're in the middle of a summer intensive period, so we're at work at 9am and leaving at around 930pm.

only a few weeks left for me on my contract. i'm counting, but i'm not counting that much. to be honest, the time's flying, which is great and not so great. not completely certain what i'll do after, which is the not so great part. the great part is that i'm completing something for the first time in ages. apart from backpacking, i felt like i hadn't completed anything since university, and even there, i pissed about and underachieved. now is a little different. feel confident of myself committing to work/pets/plants/people fully.

and in news with my old room mate, i'm still pissed off with him. Paul pointed out that i was holding a grudge for a reason. on friday, the guy yelled at a workmate and when i found out about it, Paul saw a flash in my eye. like i wanted an excuse to do something. violent or verbal, i want to attack him quite a lot. won't deny it. hopefully admitting it to myself will help me get over it. can't say it has yet.

the door ain't closin'

2007-07-24T08:38:00.000-07:00

so i've been teaching english to kids in Korea for 11 months, give or take (actually, it's give, but i'll take it). here's where i'm at, where i've been, and a maybe we're i'm going.

- arrived September and started working in a private school southwest of Seoul. met a crazy group of foreigners and made friends very quickly in this town of 20 english speaking non-Koreans and the Korean english teachers at school. here's a pic from our bar street, which is populated very well most nights in summer, and a little less in winter (-10 celsius will do that to a place).

- lived with Andy (Canada/Hong Kong) and Brian (Ireland) for around 8 months. fantastic couple of guys. we had a great laugh, relaxed and had few issues, and those mainly occurred when the chicken delivery guys wouldn't answer the phone at 3am.

- had to learn to cycle on the right side of the road, going for 90 minute splurges south, but soon gave up when i realised just how lucky i am to survive. Koreans drive very fast and use all the road.

- visited many a temple and attraction, and a quiet place to chill out.

- took up screen golf. extremely frustrating, especially when i think i've hit the ball well but the screen says, 'you! off my planet'. Brian being a child prodigy also liked to visit the Royal Shihwa golf links, and we found ourselves to be a highly competitive and well-matched pair. i dominated our matches for a while, but by the time the Shihwa Invitational Players Matchplay Championship rolled around this July, Brian was on top, considerably. He took the trophy home without much fanfare, mainly cos he doesn't have any fans.

- life became a little difficult a while back due to a new teacher arriving in April, as i have blogged about here, here and here, but having moved apartment, i'm feeling much more positive about life, and myself. all of a sudden, i hated someone for the first time in 2 years. now it's not so immediate (i only have to work with him) i am not feeling the same venom anymore. i wrote to my father saying this is the first person i've wanted to hit more and more each day since i was at high school. its great to feel that dissipate now. now, i pity myself much less.

- work is interesting. the times i work are often pretty difficult, and the demands made on the teachers at our school are mixed. in many ways, it's a fun, interesting, involving and greatly motivating position. yet, for some reason, it can feel horrible. i enjoy most of my classes, and i hardly ever fulfill my contracted hours. yet i always feel like i'm at work. it could be the Korean holiday system. there's never a 2 week block together. it's always a day here, 3 days there. it's really hard to get away from work. there's always something i'm preparing in my head.

i feel i've connected with some great kids here. i care about many of them (i won't lie about caring for any of the devil's spawn intent on world destruction) and really get attached to them succeeding and having a good time. i'm okay when the tears come these days, but it's still tough when it's one of my faves who's crying (yes, i have favourites, i'm not embarrassed, even if i should be). Sylvia, a teacher at school, told me that Andy and i treat the girls like princesses. probably not wrong. they get away with all sorts with me, compared to the boys. as my time here is coming to an end, i'm quite sad at the prospect of saying goodbye (if 'quite sad' means i'm expecting to become a blubbering mess).

- what the future holds, i'm unsure. i've been offered a good job in a good area starting in September, but it's been a long time since i had a real holiday, and August is a big month at work. i'm really keen to have a holiday and get traveling. i'm looking at options, and they're all looking good. one of those times where, whatever course i take, life rocks.

- now Andy and Brian are leaving, along with Jo and Jackie (NZ), two more friends with whom i've spent the bulk of my time. i'm sad. it's all changing. it never stays the same. just like every time something ended before. there's one or two more special people leaving too.

y'know those people you reserve a place in your heart for, should they ever want it? sometimes, i wonder why they don't say they want it. then i remember, i never let them know.

leave supermanning to supermans

2007-07-20T13:42:00.000-07:00

during my 3pm class, one of my little darlings was running around having a laugh and decided to do a superman from the window ledge. with my back turned, i didn't see it, but had many a reenactment from the other rugrats. she basically landed awkwardly, slipped, and her face took the brunt of the fall.

i turned to see a crumpled 6 year old (8 years old in Korean counting) lying motionless, not a sound. it takes a lot to shut my very vocal kids up, and these guys went silent. i felt as useless as i ever have, basically. there was a long moment that she didn't respond to anything and i didn't want to move her in case something serious had happened. so, with my heart in mouth, at a loss, all of a sudden she whimpers, splutters, and begins bawling her eyes out. my first feeling was relief. a crying kid who's hurt is better than a quiet kid who's hurt, from what i can tell.

20 minutes later, she was back in class, still in obvious pain (her hand was permanently rubbing her jaw) but at least she was okay. to chill her out a little (i had no heroin), she showed me her teeth and i said they were all okay. then i told her she's still beautiful. she smiled at that, but it obviously hurt to smile cos she started crying again. by the end of class, she was okay. i wanted to hug her, but she was racing off down the corridor, and probably about to fight for a good seat on the bus.

i'm not sure what this post is about. my life revolves around these kids now. she's one of my faves and seeing her on the floor in pain was especially difficult. seeing how kids deal with stuff is pretty gutrenching. she was hurt, cried, wanted help, got it, wanted reassurance, got it, wanted to get on with life, got it herself. i'm jealous. i wish i could do that.

other highlights:
- Boryeong mud festival - photos to come
a few of us went to Boryeong on wednesday, had a great laugh. covered in mud, had a swim, got sunburnt, our bus was late, missed the connecting bus home, so last train from Cheonan, and at our transfer station, Geumjong, i had to sprint to the other platform and stick my foot in the last train's door and scream at others to run. earned a few not-friends on the train for the 30 - 45 second delay. ah yes, apparently i have no shame.

- was invited to a friends place for a few nights until i can move into my new regular digs. i've partaken of the room and hopefully they're okay with me not being around much. cheers guys, i don't really know how to thank you enough.

Dan, you're a hero!!

2007-07-14T16:33:00.000-07:00

well, some big news here lately.

a few weeks ago, a silly bet made between teachers saw broccoli necklace day an eventuality. South Africa lost a rugby match to New Zealand so H and J had to wear 'em. we laughed and laughed. well, maybe not 'we'.

this week saw the rematch, and anyone in the know will understand that NZ was expected to beat SA extremely easily. before the match, the girls weren't too keen to put a bet on, but i opened my big mouth and said NZ would win by 25 points. the bet, at first, was i'd wear green nail-polish for a week if the winning margin was any lower. we went to Scrooge bar in Itaewon as per usual, and Jeanine (SA) and i were pretty excited. come half-time, the score was 6 - 3, and all of a sudden, the bet included piercing my ear and wearing a huge green stud in it for the week too.

let's just say i was a vocal supporter of all things black (NZ's uniform colour is black) and a vocal unsupporter of the ref. he was arse. anyway, 1 minute to go, it's 26 - 6, we're at the completely WRONG end of the field, my head is in my hands, everyone at scrooge bar must be wondering why i'm so fired up, and the girls have got the green polish out! then, my lovely All Blacks come from nowhere to score through Dan Carter, maybe the most important touchdown of his career.

33 - 6. i never doubted it (even if i was crumpled on the table for 5 minutes suffering from exhaustion).

moving on, i've moved out of my apartment. being abused for the umpteenth time by the guy living there was the last straw (see the previous post). he yelled and screamed at me for 20 minutes, most of it extremely personal. for those who know me best, you won't be shocked to know i didn't utter a word back. there was no point. so, i slept on a friends couch and at 430am saturday, i wanted to brush my teeth, so i went back to the apartment and grabbed my toothbrush and everything else i could carry, which happened to be everything i own.

anyone else out there packed up their life in 90 minutes or less, including sweeping and filling a garbage bag? here is my life captured, including the bed i've been provided for the next little while, minus laptop, waist-high shelving unit, and what i was wearing.

i was feeling sorry for myself, but the support i've had from friends has been great. i've been offered a room, which i'll gratefully accommodate, and the school have been very understanding.
anyway, there's no donation hotline. i'm not starving, not freezing, and feel much better about life now. doing a midnight walk from the apartment may sound a little childish/cowardish, and not sticking up for myself against the ex-roomie may do too, but if so, that's so. suppose i'll have to deal with myself more than anyone else will.

again, woah, hey there (said in a monotonal i-wish-i-could-sound-sincere fashion)

2007-07-10T10:50:00.000-07:00

so, again, it's been ages since i blogged. there's a few reasons for the lapse(s):

1. i've been seriously considering how much to say as i don't want to turn this blog into a bitch session. generally, life is great, but in some respects, it's gone pretty septic lately. i've discontinued communicating with the new person living in our apartment. i'll try to not shit talk, however i find no reason to talk to him whatsoever. this has led to me avoiding home pre-midnight, and sometimes sleeping on a couch at the ladies apartment.

work, as well, has become difficult, as the aforementioned person has alienated everyone and they refuse to socialise with him (resulting in him ALWAYS being at home, which doesn't quite suit me). not that i blame anyone. he has abused and insulted many people (including young students) and set the rules for how he will teach, no correspondence entered into.

things i've learned from the ordeal:
most people on this planet are incredible and accepting people's differences, i hope, will be a much more natural thing for me;
sometimes i practice being angry, even when people i'm angry with aren't around - i really want to stop this;
he reminds me of myself sometimes, and my need to listen to people with conviction;
trying to communicate with everyone is a fantastic endeavour, yet, with some people, is pointless.

2. facebook = time consuming.

3. looking for new work. my contract finishes in August and i'm currently hunting down a new position. at present, i've found a cool position in Yatap, Bundang, 30 minutes south of Seoul, and am in the midst of the application stage. hopefully i'll have good news to follow some time this week.

okay, that said, what else have i been up to?

Busan party weekend - a few weekends ago, i attended Brian, Jiehae and Dee's party in a beautiful Busan beachhouse (it was an apartment, but i'm an alliteration fan). it was a great party until a scuffle between 2 guys i didn't know broke out. the scuffle turned pretty nasty and ended outside over an hour later. kinda ruined the night for a few people, but we partied on anyway. next day, monsoon rain engulfed us and, drenched, we had to hide in Dee's apartment. great times, and sat around talking Hercules Returns with Matt of Australia. we may have ruined the day for others, but we had a laugh. 'While you're standing in that bucket, you won't be needing THIS!'

painted the town red with a couple of great nights in Seoul, and generally been relaxing in the summer rain. wow, when it's hot here, it's HOT. when there's mosquitoes, i'm in trouble (my ankles are a general plague area at the moment).

had an awesome moment the other day. i was saying goodbye to one of my classes when a kid i used to teach ran up and started hitting me (playfully). i hadn't seen her in ages, so was pretty surprised and ecstatic to see her. she jumped up and gave me a big hug. her english isn't great, but her eyes and wide smile said enough. i think i'm really gonna miss her and many others when i leave. they give their love freely. i wish i could do that.

woah, hey there

2007-06-21T11:38:00.000-07:00

neglected my blogoing public for too long sorry. here's some news from the past few weeks.

- started drinking again and had a blast. i've discovered i'm a problem non-drinker. for some reason, i think i'm better than people whenever i don't drink, despite pining for a drink like a lost puppy. regardless, had a great friday night for Brian's birthday and saturday night at a brewery restaurant in Gangnam, Seoul.

- got severely addicted to facebook.

- visited the secret gardens in Seoul (unsure of actual name of the place, that's just the name Heidi used). very interesting. only allow tour groups in, if i have my facts straight, so we tailed around with a large group of english speakers getting very interesting info about the set-up of decorations, platform standards etc. photos:

- trying to think of anything interesting happening, but mostly just working and chilling out. some more stuff to talk about. might post this weekend.

2007-06-02T22:27:00.000-07:00

watched two relatively big games of sport yesterday.

Brian and i went to Scrooge bar to watch the NZ v France rugby match along with 100 other kiwis. it was kinda cool to watch, although my ABs were a little rusty.

after the game, we shot off to the world cup stadium in north west Seoul to watch the Korea v Netherlands football match. this was incredible. the stadium was the biggest i've attended. our seats, up very high, had a great view of the entire field. we were directly behind one goal. the tickets were only 2manwon ($20). the crowd was great, very vocal without being abusive or nasty.

Brian went for Korea to win, so we put a chonon ($1) on the game (we put a chonon on most things competitive, eg. how many friends link to us on facebook). pity for him, cos the Netherlands scored a penalty in the 1st half and a great goal in the 2nd, right in front of us. i couldn't cheer too loud, as the stadium had 65000 Koreans in it (capacity is 75k). great times.

leaving afterwards, the crowds piling onto the subway trains were intense. it was a matter of keeping our feet moving as our body was shunted into the trains. laughed with a Malaysian guy my nose was pressed against that we'd have a tough time if we had to get off at the next station. as the train sped and slowed, the crowd moved as one, laughing together at the situation. i also realised that, with the carriage's sweltering heat, i was one of the few sweating like a . . um . . hot person of european descent. the interchange train we caught home was decidedly emptier and we even got a seat quite quickly.

at home, we ran into some people headed into a Noraebang (karaoke room) and had a great laugh. i felt a little sober for it, but had a great time anyway.

my thoughts on my first game of football i've ever seen at a stadium. it's great. the game doesn't have the stoppages of rugby (my 1st love) and the stadium itself was very close to the action. it was a fantastic event. stoppages in rugby really do ruin it for me (the France/NZ game had many) and stadiums in NZ double as cricket fields, so you sit far away. one thing, 90 minutes was a little long for me. a couple of goals, the games over. anyway, the next big match is Korea v Uzbekistan on the 24th! the big teams keep on coming . . .

hurls, shots and mantarays - all in a Busan weekend

2007-05-21T11:10:00.000-07:00

Brian and i left our humblest of homes for the bright lights of big city Busan, visiting Dee for a couple of days. left saturday morning, arrived in the southern city via KTX at around 2pm and met Dee at Haeundae beach.

Dee brought her hurling sticks and the Irish pair began teaching me the intricacies of the blessed sport. luckily, there were only a few thousand people at the beach watching us play a sport they were completely bewildered by, so me making a complete munter of myself for a few hours wasn't hard on my self esteem or ego whatsoever. not at all.

i think i hit that one . . . (odds are that i didn't though). during the hurling, i stood on a sharp metal needle thing that stuck into my foot almost an inch. ouchee! while i waited for it to stop bleeding, Dee went on her way finding matchee matchees:

that night, we headed into a bar area via a 7km long suspension bridge and went to a few night spots. i'm not drinking for a few months, and that coupled with a head cold kept me from really getting into the groove of the night. Dee's workmate helped me get home in a taxi and i made it to bed before 230am. by 6am, Brian was asleep on the floor and Dee was screaming at him to stop snoring. at one stage, i thought she'd killed him as the snoring had, in fact, stopped.

next afternoon (there was no morning), we went to hospital for me to get a tetanus shot and all of a sudden my foot had a massive dressing on it. hadn't bled for 20 hours, yet i had the 'wound' washed out (ouchee again) and covered in a massive bandage. quite honestly, a bandaid would've sufficed.

so it was back to the beach for more hurling practice with my adoring fans and then into the aquarium where a manta-ray scared Dee half to death, whereby she shrieked and nearly took a few kids out the same way.

that night, stayed in a mosquito infected room near the KTX and caught an early train back to Seoul and then subwayed back to Shiwha for work in the afternoon. kinda asking myself why it's nearly 4am and i didn't wait until another day to write this blog. i'm knackered.

JungWang 90210

2007-05-17T11:25:00.001-07:00

so the past few days have been a little rough.

Andy moved across town and we've had a new guy move into his room, and from there, it's been quite difficult to, well, co-exist.

to make a short story long, i wouldn't normally choose to live with him. our apartment is provided by the school, so no rent to pay and our roommates are other staff. until now, Brian, Andy and i led a blessed existence of careless bliss. for some reason, we all either met eye to eye on issues, or dealt with them in the 20 seconds it took to talk, vote or throw a dart, blindfolded, at a selection of options taped to the wall.

our new friend is not so relaxed, enjoys a certain amount of his own way (that amount being 100%) and has zero tolerance for most things that come out of my mouth that differentiate from his norm.

let's put this in easier speak. i can't offer advice cos whenever i open my mouth, he shuts it. what i see, subsequently, is a dude who has no clue running through our little part of the world knocking over people like dominoes. now, before i go on, i have disregarded many people in this world, and not listened either. maybe i'm getting a healthy dose of humble pie for treating people similarly in the past. maybe it's deeper. but in the meantime, he's struggling with stuff and i'm not helping anymore.

i'm doing a little soul searching as others at work have got through to him with some advice. so maybe i'm not meeting him on common ground and he feels i'm attacking him. the advising was meant to be as a gesture of help, but maybe it doesn't seem that way to him.

i've learned a few things lately, and that is that i can accept anything i want about myself and be okay with it. attacking people verbally is not one of those things i will accept about myself. so, maybe i should delete this entire post and write about the weather.

on May 5th

2007-05-13T08:19:00.000-07:00

my computer went kaput last week so i've been without internet and blogging :( but i'm back from outer space and here's an update from last weekend.

the 4 day market was on down the main street so i took a few pics, then i met up with Lauren and went for breakfast at my favourite breakfast, sushi (apparently that's odd, even here)

these are the people at the sushi place, don't know their names but they're great to me whenever i go. the tall guy is learning the english and the boss, at the back knows my name and that's it.

met Heidi and Debbie from work and traveled up to the same palace i visited at lunar new year. still don't know the name of it

then we went to Itaewon for dinner and out to a rave/concert in western Seoul until the wee hours. great great great times.

yes, that's me smoking and yes, i nearly coughed out a lung. i look cool though

i was up hopping and dancing for 80 minutes straight (i won't win any awards, but i enjoy myself) and at one stage realised i hadn't thought about anything for the whole time. it was wonderful. i naturally have a massive smile when i don't think about anything (for those who want to know the warning signs). when i turned around to see what the others were doing, i found out i was being mocked by the group of young Koreans behind us. had a good laugh, then i went back to my hop, shake and whatever routine (patents are currently being processed). when i was chatting with Lauren later, it occurred to me that my self-esteem must've skyrocketed since i was 16 for me to be able to not give a toss about the mocking. anyway, we had a blast then caught the trains back to Shihwa at 530ish. sleep sleep sleeeeee. . .

dazed, and loving it

2007-04-28T22:45:00.000-07:00

y'know those things you want to avoid, but you do them anyway? and then you are rewarded untold? thus was my saturday.

Lauren was going to an international clinic in central Seoul and i went with her. she had a limited knowledge of the place and she wasn't sure how long she'd be waiting for an appointment. she's been very sick and her symptoms have been pointing towards cancer. i didn't want her to be alone in a hospital dealing with this stuff, so went with her.

i met her in the morning sun by school at 8am. she was sitting on one of the kiddies coin slot rides giggling away when she saw me (a month ago, she had a ride and, being over 3 foot, she had a horrible time). we got onto the subway and headed into Itaewon.

at the clinic, the doctor said Lauren's symptoms were too extensive so she needed to go to a hospital. the doctor provided a map, walking distance, to the university hospital nearby, and we went to that international clinic on the 2nd floor.

Lauren only waited a few minutes before seeing the doctor, while i sat outside worrying uselessly. until this point, i was kind of the guide and keeping busy. now, was the waiting game. i have mixed memories in hospitals. i've seen friends suffering badly, yet i've also had incredible conversations that were funny, heart-wrenching, and life affirming.

Lauren then went for some blood tests, giving me some positive information as i sat nearby. the doctor thought she was more likely suffering from a torn stomach lining (she had stomach surgery a month ago), and said some of her symptoms were less likely to be cancer. from there she had to book an exploritory procedure, and then go for an xray, so i waited outside and was beginning to feel relief and hope she was going to be cured quite easily. she isn't allowed booze or meat for 3 months.

when she came out of the xray room, she had this huge smile on her face. seeing her like that was like a big weight off my shoulders that i didn't realise i'd been carrying. she needed a few minutes to gather her thoughts while i drew a map of how to get to the hospital for her procedure later in the week.

Lauren had her phone out, talking to family, explaining what the doctor had said while i sat outside in the sun, then we walked back up the hill to the restaurants to find something healthy for lunch. we spoke to some kiwis in the pita bread sandwich restaurant for a few minutes, but we were both too emotionally drained to really have any great conversation with them.

the war memorial is walking distance from Itaewon, and we joined the thousands of others basking in the warmth outside. we bumped into some ex-Shihwa teachers and were invited to a bar nearby, so accepted and put Lauren's no-booze to the test. we both drank coke (ok, it was diet coke - don't tell anyone, cos i'm a diet coke addict). great live music had attracted lots of the people from the Chungju Palooza a few weeks ago, and a few of the musicians.

in the bar, it hit Lauren that she may have something seriously wrong with her stomach and wondered what that may mean. frankly, i hadn't thought from that perspective whatsoever. so she had a quiet moment or eight considering how it may effect her life. it was around this moment that i realised just how preoccupied she had been all morning. she didn't kow the way to the subway station when we were at the hosptial.

i took a few photos and then some cops came at around 430pm to turn the music down (yes, it was saturday afternoon).

we left a while later to find something to eat in Itaewon, both opting for no meat, listening to some bands playing outside, much louder than the bar music. in fact, one band was a thrash metal band and the lyrics were all screamed, and, oddly, their audience was aged 3 to 11 and over 35's. after dinner, Lauren saw a pedicure salon/shop/room (whatever).

i wasn't invited (thoughtfully), so i went to a bar and watched a game of rugby. incidentally, i promise all Canterbury fans i will not watch another game this season. they've lost all the games i've seen. chatted rugby for a while, then Brian, Kevin (new teacher) and Jason arrived, on their way to Leyla's farewell party. i was supposed to go, but didn't feel up to it. Lauren arrived and said i looked like i would pass out at any moment so back on the subway we went and laughed ourselves (read: myself) silly all the way home.

instead of taxiing, we walked from the station and talked some more about the day. basically, i was emotionally drained. i could've cried at any moment. i'd gone for a few weeks scared for Lauren, but not really expressing it. this day was ALL ABOUT LAUREN and i was able to forget everything else. it felt awesome.

this is the most fulfilling day i've had in Korea.

shaping world peace

2007-04-25T10:54:00.000-07:00

first class of the day, i set a record: 4 kids crying at the same time!

as the class started, i walked in to find 4 girls in tears and one boy looking VERY guilty. these kids are all around 6 or 7 years old.

sat down with them, and started accumulating stories. (all of this simplified from broken English to make it readable)

'i was sitting there then Steve moved my bag and put his bag on my chair then he sat down in my chair' - Sally.
similar stories from other girls about Steve and it was looking quite incriminating.
'i stole their seats,' Steve basically admitted, 'then Nessa put my backpack in the trash can.'
Nessa, through her tears, concurred, adding that Steve retaliated by trashing her bag as well.

okay, so the crying is because of chairs, bags and trash cans?
'yes,' was the reply from them all. at first, i thought it was a mundane thing, but on second thought, this is microcosm of the fabric of society, social disorder etc etc. these kids wanted it resolved!

'Steve, say sorry to Sally and Nessa. Nessa, say sorry to Steve. Okay, anyone else? Oh, Steve, sorry to Alice and Jane. okay? shall we start the lesson then?'

within 20 minutes, they were all laughing and having a great time together, including Steve. i should work at the UN.

that's the way the blind fish circles

2007-04-21T11:43:00.000-07:00

this week's been an emotional one. a friend of mine had a major health scare, and i had yet another argument with a fellow teacher, yet to be resolved. was quietly irritated by some other things too and generally feel like i'm reacting to lots of stuff negatively.

started with Lauren's health problems and the need for her to get checked for cancer. saturday brought good news, but the previous few days were pretty scary. i'm not the best at expressing my care (if i can't think of any words, it probably looks like i'm phasing out) and at other times i'm too worried about how things are affecting me to think about anyone else. this was not what Lauren needed and she didn't put up with it either. had a couple of rough conversations, but managed to talk it out.

mid-week at work, a teacher and i had a short argument and we haven't spoken since. i feel that she verbally attacks me whenever something needs to be resolved, instead of just talking about it, and i can't get a word out without her attacking me more. i'm being pretty stubborn, not wanting to start talking to her again, but we need to, i know.

today, a lot of English teachers from Shiwa went to Oggu Park for a picnic and barbecue. beautiful afternoon and lots of kids out playing. one of my students came over with her friends. another Kiwi told me they were annoying her and wanted me to get rid of them, and as i was talking to them, the Kiwi told these kids to piss off. they understood that well enough, so i was instantly pissed off. really got my back up. if we weren't in a public place, fair enough, but it's a park for goodness sake. they had just as much right to be there as us. someone telling a perfectly lovely kid that she doesn't know to piss off seems quite arse.

i avoided her by joining Brian and Ben with a soccer ball, which we were banned from not playing with by the park ranger, so we threw a few shots at the basketball courts. the evening came, people were hungry and it got cold, and as the barbecue was banned by rangerman (fire restrictions), the party moved back to said Kiwi's apartment, and i wasn't particularly keen to join them. woulda felt fake. some regrets, as Brian says it was awesome times, but that's the way the blind fish circles.

Lauren's been telling me i'm pretty passive aggressive. always thought i was anything but, but maybe not. definitely feel it now i've written this. wish i'd told people exactly what was on my mind at the time, although, in fairness, it may have come out as incoherent swearwords and done no-one any great service in free communication.

dusty spring

2007-04-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

i'd been going for a few hours when a pang of fear hit me. maybe i had the black lung.

at some stage, the apartment had taken on visual similarity to the garbage scene from Star Wars.
'There's something alive down here.'
'It's your imagination.'
'Something just brushed against my leg!'

we got stuck in and cleaned the place somewhat last night. it went into the wee hours and continued into the not so wee hours. Brian accumulated 12000 won in small coins (about US$13) from sweeping and cleaning his room, which is the exact price of home delivered fried chicken. so that happened at around 2am.

i moved some furniture around in my room so i now have more space. i bought a shelf rack for 16000 won, which was weird. i spent a bunch of time at Emart looking at the selection. the metal racks were too crappy and i wanted something decent, so i went for one of the wood options. i've only got a few more months left, so at first i didn't want to spend the money on something i wouldn't use in the future. somewhere between the shelving displays and the check-out counter, i bought it with intentions to use it again next year.

it felt like a turning point. i actually have 'stuff' here. there's a bike, a helmet, shelves. i bought a new basket for crayons at work too. wow, sometime last night, i got serious about having a future in this country. maybe only for another year, but that's still a year.

oh yeah, my room was really dusty and it's definitely springtime.

Moreu

2007-04-18T09:26:00.000-07:00

Chungju Palooza

2007-04-16T19:25:00.000-07:00

Saturday

a group of us went to Chungju for a musical evening. 3 hours from little ol' Shiwa, we got to Chungju which was a pretty cool city. some of the streets reminded me of the south side of Wellington city as they snaked around small hills.
before the music night started, Brian and i went for a walk, got lost, and after the subsequent taxi ride, found ourselves here.

we walked back to our hotel and found a restaurant for dinner. with no english menu, no pictures, and us having no clues, a very drunk man came over and translated. having ordered us the spiciest thing on the menu, he sat down and chatted about football, the US - Korean FTA, football, getting married (his wedding is on April 29), football . . .

his friends kept coming over to drag him back to their table, so we said goodbye about 20 times. i kinda wanted him to go away, but at the same time, he was good for a laugh and wasn't hurting anyone. he kept drinking my coke though. yeah, that was it. bastard.

at 9pm-ish we met up with everyone else and went to Chungju Palooza. maybe 80 foreigners (mainly teachers) along with a few Koreans gathered around a campfire with several musicians playing away. i found myself chilling out for the first time in months. 'twas great.

great people, great times until Adam was supposed to play. his guitar wasn't plugged in due to the cops coming to turn off the sound system, and news quickly spread that they were coming back to end the party. so we high-tailed it to a bar and found out later that indeed the cops had come back angrily and wanted to bust some foreign melon (figuratively speaking).

Sunday

Brian, Heidi and i meant to wake up early, but that's when we went to bed. managed to get to Chungju Ho (lake) the next afternoon and took a cruise to the other end and back. i was hoping to see some blossoms. there were a few but not many.

it was quite nice, although a little long for what sights there were to see. H and B taught me how to play gin-rummy(?) which i won twice in a row so we stopped playing that. i was asked a few weeks ago what i love about myself, and one thing is that i seem to have beginners luck a lot. i may not win everything, but when i'm introduced to something, i often have a tendency to pick it up quickly. 'Chance favors the prepared mind.' - Louis Pasteur (don't know who he is, just know the quote).

after the boat trip, we took a pretty bumpy bus trip back to Chungju. with H and B turning greener by the moment, i distracted them by explaining the joys of being a cricket enthusiast. Heidi responded by turning greener.

we headed to Chongju (2hrs from Chungju) that night and found ourselves in a bar area. all we could see of the city was casinos, love motels and bars. Brian quickly branded it a fake city (he's a Simpsons fan).

Monday

woke up early to a very wet day. it was raining heavily as we boarded our bus for Beopjusa Temple and by the time we arrived at the bus station, 30 mins walk from the temple, it looked like this.

it was cold and wet and, well, stink. i was pretty disappointed as i was hoping and expecting the blossoms in the paths around the temple to be in full bloom. Brian and i bought friendship bracelets (it's very difficult to find manly looking beads, i must say) then put that friendship to the test as we debated getting back on the bus or sticking around for the weather to sort itself out. H and B went for a run around the town to see if anything was worth sticking around for, but it was looking pretty glum. back at the fake city, we tried to find something else to do before heading home.

we bought tickets to Suwon (me hoping, still, to see some blossoms). it's near our home town yet none of us had been there. it was quite lovely. there's a fortress wall still surrounding the central city, so we went for a walk around that.

and that was the end of our adventure. i saw a few blooming trees but not to the extent i had hoped. on the bus back to Shiwa, i wondered where this interest in blossoms comes from. i've watched trees blossom over the years and not really care. Christchurch is a great place for such sights. i suppose it's the effect of a long, long winter and maybe realising how i took many things at home for granted. then again, maybe it's because of these pics from Otto. or these.

my own personal kaleidescope

2007-04-12T10:43:00.000-07:00

one for the ex-uni students. this game made the rounds during exams a few years ago. classic for good reason!

and Lauren thinks my hair and i look like Bobby from Bobby's World. had a look and wished I looked like this guy! rah!

currently bored while watching the updates from the cricket world cup. i need a hobby at 3am. should take up knitting.

Albert lives

2007-04-10T09:04:00.000-07:00

The view from Jo and Kat's old place (Jackie has moved further down the road). ECC is the building i work at, and next door is the building where Kat and Jo work. the ladies moved an apartment across the street as the residents of their building were a little tired of the parties. should've invited them.

I got the orsumest present EVER! Lauren got me some Lego to play with. Y'know those moments you feel your face light up? this was one. say hello to Albert. i reckon he's a robot kinda thing that looks like an animal. Lauren thinks he's a monkey.

I've given up trying to post photo albums to image hosts. whether it's my laptop or my isp, something is not working (Andy, my roomy, has trouble with isp too). Will let people know if i manage to get something online.

In world news, the blossoms are out in southern South Korea and i have a long weekend next week (teacher appreciation day, booyakasha!) so i'm heading to Kwangju or somewhere else to take some photos. and i un-mothballed my bike and have hit 17kms a day so far (i'm pretty unfit). felt a little naked without a helmet so bought one tonight.

more fictionish writing

2007-04-02T08:21:00.000-07:00

read part one first

part two

Canterbury, New Zealand, 1986

The noise constant from the waterfall belittled Jason’s sobbing, as though no tears he could muster would compete. He sat on a stool fashioned from a tree stump, staring at his father’s back, hoping to be attended to. As he choked back clusters of phlegm pooling in his throat, his breathing became heavy gasps, as though air could be the only salvation from the dread crawling through his veins.

Philip was climbing on rocks by the pooling water of the falls while Dad placed cold chicken pieces on brown bread, spread out on a small tablecloth on a wooden bench. Jason sobbed louder, thinking his father was ignoring him, but it didn’t draw Dad away from the food preparation.

He looked beyond Dad towards Philip who had found something to throw stones at, and he could no longer wait.

‘Dad,’ he whined.

‘What is it?’

‘Dad,’ he repeated.

‘What?’ Dad asked again as he half-turned, now seeing a red face swollen and in misery. ‘What’re you crying for?’

‘What if we don’t make it home tonight?’

‘Ay?’

‘What if we get stuck up here in the dark?’

‘Don’t worry about that, matey,’ Dad said, showing his watch to Jason. It was 3.30pm. ‘There’s plenty of time in the day yet.’

Philip climbed back down as the sandwiches were distributed and, once spotting Jason’s face, screwed up his own.

‘What’re you crying for?’ he said.

‘He’s okay,’ Dad said, ‘just hungry. Let’s get a move on, boys. Knock this bastard off then get back to town before the game starts!’

Mount Isabel was Dad’s test to see how much these boys could handle. They were old enough to start hiking soon and they’d need to show a bit of guts and strength climbing up a couple of small peaks first. Until this moment, he hadn’t thought they’d ever have a problem, but a shiver went up his spine. It wasn’t a shiver of fear or concern, but rather, a shiver of disgust. These boys may be weak, he thought for an instant.

He packed the backpack and pointed at the trail they were following through the forest that lined the valley, and without so much as a second to reflect on his tears, Jason bounded up the rest area’s path and began running uphill, Philip quickly in tow.

Dad followed them up the trail, the blue sky of early afternoon having turned to grey. As the trees were left behind and the stones and gravel of the summit path beckoned, he came across Philip sitting on a rock with Jason standing before him, hands on hips. Philip looked exhausted.

‘I’ll wait here,’ he said.

‘Oh no you won’t,’ Dad said. ‘C’mon, the best view is always at the top.’

‘But I’m tired.’

‘It’s not far,’ Dad said. ‘It’s just past those mounds over there.’

Philip stood dejectedly, starting to stride like an elephant plodding out of a mud pool. With each step, he could feel anger swelling up in his gut, his heart, his head, and his hands. Why he was being made to go further, he didn’t know. What was the point of this, he didn’t know and he didn’t care. Within a few steps, he vomited his thoughts out.

‘I DON’T WANT TO GO!’ he yelled angrily. “This is stupid.’

‘It’s not stupid,’ Dad said impatiently. ‘You’re doing well, just stop acting up and move.’

The summit wasn’t around the first mound of gravel, and nor was it around the second. Five minutes of climbing went by with Philip feeling his temples thump with anger, frustration and exhaustion.

‘I can’t make it,’ he said angrily to Dad, Jason being further up the hill out of earshot. Dad drew near, looking Philip in the eye.

‘Yes you fucking-well can, now move it.’

Philip was stunned. He’d never heard his father say THAT word before. He looked up as Dad’s jaw hardened and eyes burrowed deep within his soul. And he felt something snap. Mentally. Or emotionally. Or psychologically. Or simply.

He felt his own jaw lock, and his eyes stared into his father’s. His hands clenched into fists and he felt himself breath in fire. Without hesitation, he started running. The wind at the summit buffeted him as he leapt over rocks. His shoes took on stones quickly, but he ignored them as he heard Dad right behind him.

They both passed Jason in moments, rounded another mound, and saw the summit peak directly before them. Philip felt his face spreading into a huge smile as he kept running towards the metallic sign. They arrived side by side laughing together, circling the sign while they caught their breath.

Dad found himself with hands on his knees, smiling and looked up to see Philip with eyes locked on him.

‘Good one, Phil,’ he said.

Philip didn't respond, still breathing fire. He studied the sign, 'Summit, Mt Isabel'. His fists clenched, he used them with one swift motion. The metallic sign earned a new dent from the punch, and Philip stepped away, holding his fists in the air. He screamed to the clouds, an unintelligible, triumphant scream.

my new favourite cartoonist

2007-04-01T11:08:00.000-07:00

emotional egg

2007-03-27T11:10:00.000-07:00

in the spirit of honesty, and i hoped to be honest for these posts, i am completely uncomfortable with how emotional i've been lately. it hasn't been difficult to comprehend. in fact, it's been quite easy. that's been the most difficult part, that i've been aware of what's been driving these emotional reactions. i've nearly cried twice in the space of 4 days (could've been a record).

in class last week, one of my favourite students (maybe 8 years old) almost made me cry. she's resilient (trying to think of a better term, but this is close enough) and always has a smile on her face. when she is punished, eg. sent outside for talking, she understands and stops talking when she's told now. no hysterics, no tears. so last week, she comes into class with her hand covering her mouth. doesn't move it. the class gives her grief, but she laughs away with everyone. we don't know what's happening until another student sees she has a black, rotten tooth, and tells everyone, who laughs and laughs. all of a sudden, this girl is staring daggers around the room and almost goes into tears. i'd never seen her do this. she's normally so placid and easy going. i was choking back something while her eyes welled up. she didn't cry, neither did i, but i was a smidgen away. hard to explain, easy to understand.

a few nights later, i was having a drink with my friend Lauren, a teacher at another school. she and i are pretty honest with one another, sharing quite a bit of personal stuff and actually dealing with disagreements etc as they come up. anyway, we had a complete miscommunication that was great/horrible to deal with. i said we should go have some fun, which, i suspect, made her think i didn't want to talk about serious stuff anymore (this is not what i meant). i thought she said let's just stop talking about serious stuff altogether, which made me think she didn't want to be my friend anymore (this is not what she meant). and the next thing i know, i'm a near blubbering mess.

i haven't been half the friend i can be to many many people, i am aware. i don't know what held me back from so many. fear, obviously, but i don't know what of. i think, when Lauren said whatever it was she said, i thought i was scum of the earth again. maybe i felt like this friendship was going the same way as many others have - something i do not want.

next thing i know, we talk it out. neither of us meant what the other thought we meant, and we dealt with it. basically, i'm becoming aware of just how much i enjoy honesty, even that which i do not intrinsically want to tell people, nor hear from others.

after a while, Lauren tried to order a fried egg and was told she could only order it with soju. nuts as that sounds, to get an egg, she had to buy hard liquor. we managed to order some at another restaurant that doesn't serve soju, although wondered if we should've bought . . . ah, you had to be there.

Birthday Leyla

2007-03-25T00:33:00.000-07:00

had a blast last night. a group of us went into Hondae, Seoul, to party up for the birthday girl, Leyla, and managed to make a big night of it.

the night really started at the subway station where i met some Chinese ladies and spoke to them a little. through a mixture of broken Korean, Chinese and English, we talked about their hometown, Harbin (near Mongolia), and about teaching english. they were quite relaxed and we had a good ol' laugh at my expense. to be honest, i couldn't tell they were Chinese. maybe because they're from the north.

after a few interchanges on the trains, we managed to get to a sitting down Japanese Restaurant for what we thought would be a meal, but it felt like a snack. think of a sushi roll being divided up between 8 people. well, we did that numerous times and made plans to hit the street food tents outside. as we talked about eating, Andy taught me how to tie a cherry stem into a knot with my tongue. a very useful skill indeed.

next, we were in a bar called Tin Pan 2 (named after Tin Pan, directly across the road, which we patroned a little later) dancing and having a great laugh. Dee (used to work with us) is now teaching in Busan and came up for the Leyla's partay. we had a great time dispersing the previously shoulder to shoulder crowd on the dance floor as she led the way with, well, less than choreographed moves.

at around 4am, Andy, Heidi, me, and some nameless soul we'd procured, went looking for food and ended up in a batting cage (baseball batting) in which i was relatively crap, only hitting one with any power (i played cricket, badly, so that's my excuse). Andy was excellent, as was our new friend, but they were soon humbled by a Korean girl wearing a belt for a skirt and thigh high pink leather boots. she hit every ball, scored a bunch of points and walked out nodding her head in self admiration.

at 6am, a few of us went for some food then the long subway train rides home, finally getting home at around 8am. great laugh, great times.

quite frankly, i've been a little more serious than normal for a while and a night with absolutely nothing important happening was great.

english market (february)

2007-03-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

our school has a market day every few months where the kids can buy stationary, books (comics mainly), food, toys and miscellaneous tidbits. here's a few photos from the February one which i've been meaning to post (pics are a little grainy and i'm a little disappointed, so i'll be looking at my camera to figure out what is the dilly up, yo).

funny how the goods we pedalled suited ourselves: above is the lovely Jeanine running away from her stationary table. below is Debbie and Brian on miscellaneous duty. (meanwhile i was selling comic books and Andy was 'stuck' in the food room).

Haji (yellow and white top) shows us how to get through the gauntlet we must run at the end of each class. it's not all that intimidating when you realise the kids can't punch, kick, bite or scratch above your shoulder and i'm usually moving too fast for them to place any incendiary devices on my person. jokes aside, i get hit more than any other teacher.

of course, Cathy volunteered me to do a short speaking exercise with all the students on market day in the midst of this gauntlet. i was reading instructions to say 'how much?', 'how about a discount?' and getting pinched, kicked and tripped around the corridor throughout. i love the attention though!

Joey and Sandy browsing in our comic book shop. Cindy on the right bought up a storm. Cindy's a cutie pie that runs up to me in class to scratch my arms repetitively. she does so with a huge smile so i can't help but scream in pain (i'm not faking) and smile (sometimes faking this bit).

the fad in Korea is pictorial novels, lengthy comics, which we sold a bundle of. i got a couple myself, just need someone to translate cos the pics aren't enough.

the kids had heapsa fun and the day went off!

FTA

2007-03-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

New Zealand's Prime Minister, Helen Clark, visiting a friend of the enemies of the axis of evil.

NZ exporters have been seeking a free trade deal with the USA for some time. This sums up the level of mutual interest.

the eighth angry dwarf

2007-03-16T20:10:00.000-07:00

'snapshots of Korea'

our apartment is in the midst of dozens of filing cabinet buildings that make Korea look like a big domino set waiting to be knocked over. in each of these apartments is a speakerphone which is often used to offer announcements. we'll be watching tv or reading or something, and a voice will blare out around our home, uninvited. it's in Korean, so none of us understand it. we have no options for turning it down either. the way we usually find out what they're announcing is that our hot water will be non-existant for a few days or our power switched off for a few hours. incredibly irritating that we can't turn off the announcements that are basically useless to us although i suppose it's a good way of recognising that SOMETHING may happen some time soonish. then again, what about if no ones home? why don't they write a note about scheduled maintenance and put them in residents mailboxes? i'm sure there's a perfectly good reason why not.

a few weeks ago, our class schedules changed completely and classes i had been teaching since i arrived in this fair country were dismantled and reset like a lego set. the result, for the students, has been mixed, in my estimation. some kids ended up in classes that are too advanced and other kids know everything already. imagine how those kids feel. they're either bewildered or bored or both. some finish 10 mins work in 3 mins and wait for 20 mins for the others to catch up before they can all move on. luckily (for me), most of the kids are sweethearts and WANT to keep doing their work.

that said, i've struck a massive snag in one class. there's 3 kids who are little shits, to use a guidance counselling term, and with 10 others who are wonderful students, these 3 ruin my day. in the space of 6 classes (3 per week), one kid has gone outside every day for at least half the class. yesterday, my boss walked him back to class and said he promised to be good. within 5 minutes, i booted him out again (okay, i didn't actually boot him, but i did have to push him out the door). so yay, my new name is Angry Teacher. alright.

and i have no more kindergarten kids. my girls have been moved into a new class with a new teacher, which i'm kind of gutted about. it's probably a good move for them, schoolwise, as the 2 of them got all of my attention, but maybe misused it. now they have to share a teacher with more students, which will take some effort. i miss them though. ah well, as Tsung Tzu said, if you love something, set it free, and if it comes back to you, drop napalm to cover it's retreat.

second hand

2007-03-07T10:14:00.000-08:00

My friend Andy passed away almost two weeks ago. He had been diagnosed with cancer in June last year, and had gone into remission, but it came back at the beginning of this year. Andy married Melissa in the midst of his treatment. i know i write some marathons, but he found them pretty dull - he once told me to not bother writing an email to him because he'd rather hear it from me.

despite this, i've sat back trying to write a few words of inspiration or succinct feeling about our friendship, however i wrote this instead.

Andy was very funny. he made a lot of people laugh. we had a similar sense of humour (probably a major basis for our friendship) and could ostracise a third party in any conversation just by talking about the weather. we worked together for a short time and when he drove us every morning, i could've just travelled around all day chatting (the work wasn't particularly exciting). there are many funny things he said in my presence, all probably not funny without the context. here is my favourite pickup line of his:

'I may not be the best looking guy in the room, but I'm the only one talking to you.'
there was another one, but i can't recall it. i never could. he had to repeat it to me on a weekly basis and i laughed at it on a weekly basis.

a few of us were sitting in the hospital one day and he was talking about his options and, the leukemia being in his arm, he chatted about amputation. Andy said it wouldn't be so bad because he could get another one second hand (i'm giggling just thinking about that).

and then, of course, intense Andy. serious and forthright. i often felt uncomfortable with how direct and no-nonsense our conversations could get, but they grew on me to the point that i could actually join in. one evening, we drove around Wellington for a couple of hours as he talked about his relationship with Melissa (not a story for me to tell), and in the conversation, he was resolved. his love was obvious to him and he was happy.

his demands weren't consistent with this intensity though. there were times he asked for something (or simply told me to do something) but nothing overbearing. i wonder if that's a paradox...

during our conversations after his diagnosis, there seemed to be nothing we couldn't say to one another. i feel blessed to have spent that time with him and honoured to have been invited to do so.
i miss Andy. i've missed him since i left NZ. the last time we talked, we barely mentioned death. we said we'd watch the rugby world cup together in september and october. and the last time i saw him was in a hospital, so it isn't really the setting of the relationship i know.

i'm not sure if this is a sad indication of our lives or not, but it's real: our friendship was basically developed sitting on couches while watching TV, or out playing pool, or going to the movies and giving Ben Affleck shit about his acting. we sat in an AIESEC office trying to offend other people, went to parties and irritated people with our obnoxious dry wit, and, on many occaisions, looked more deeply into our souls together. i believe Andy found something in his soul he loved, and that's what kept him fighting.

every time, EVERY TIME we talked about his cancer, he was looking for what he'd do next to beat it. that's a man who loves his life, the people in his life, and himself.

i love you, Andy.

i don't know how to say goodbye, but i think it'll probably include a long, drawn out drive around the Wellington Harbour bays, followed by fish'n'chips, a game of pool and maybe a video. i would save Damo the annoyance of me talking too much shit during said vid, but that wouldn't be appropriate, would it?

then again, we always considered doing other things. if i think of anything more inspiring...

it's what we do on Sundays

2007-02-25T00:39:00.000-08:00

every now and then, i wonder what challenges are beset the generation i am a part of. i don't really feel the need to make a squillion dollars or swim Bransfield Strait, and sometimes all i feel like i'm doing is saving money so i can do something interesting with it. well, while i'm saving, i found this.

before Playstation, before Xbox, before other ones i can't think of, was Sega master system. i've had this game, Shinobi (1987), on my pc for the past few months and can't get past one part.

this part's easy

this parts easy if i have knives or double-powered sherikans

this parts easy

this parts im-f***ing-possible!

after 45 minutes, i'm at optimum strength, optimum power, optimum vocabulary, and i get to this jump. if i don't jump to the other side, i fall down the shaft. and i keep falling. every time, EVERY TIME, i fail!

my brother could do it when we were kids. he finished the game a few times, whereas i passed this part 3 times (never finished though).

so, should i keep striving? going the distance? or should i just accept that, after 2 decades, i gotta move on?

A selection of tombs and a new year's sunrise

2007-02-20T09:31:00.000-08:00

Seoulleung Tombs, near Gangnam, Seoul

A temple nearby

Sunrise over Namsan, Central Seoul - the first of the New Year

Something that i thought looked like a cool photo - i really should note what i take pictures of.

'Twas Lunar New Year . . .

2007-02-17T20:29:00.000-08:00

theres been some events this week!
Ethan's last day at work, so we had another excuse to hit a noribang (karaoke). usually friday or tuesday is all we can think of.

Brian and i took Jeanine, new teacher from South Africa, for a game of 'golf'. she did really well too, came close to beating us on one or two holes. she even chipped in the hole from a sand bunker! give her a couple of months, i reckon. anyway, i managed to shoot -1!!! easy course, but still, rah rah.

a teacher from another school fell foul of his boss, the police and Korea in general, so a few of us spent many an hour delving into Korean immigration law, contracts etc etc, and found, basically, that he didn't have a leg to stand on, unless he wanted to stand on it in another country.

after being fired, he ended up getting blackmailed into paying a large amount of money back to his boss that he, by law, didn't owe. he had to for reasons i won't disclose, but it was pretty slimy and made me consider myself very lucky to be working with the people i do. my view of my school has taken a very positive leap in the past week.

and we got a few days off for Lunar New Year, wahoo! Brian is in Thailand with his lady friend and i headed into Seoul to take more photos (posting soon) and watch my first games of rugby since moving here. WAHOO, i thought. then i watched 4 very not entertaining games. i think i was expecting too much (y'know, don't eat a kahlua and chocolate cheesecake for a few months, and it may be dissappointing when you do - actually, maybe not . . bad example, let's move on).

so i was disappointed by the rugby, got booted out of the bar at 320am-ish then headed to a jimjibang. 24 hour sauna's in Korea provide a sleeping room, and they're cheaper than a hotel room (actually, they're cheaper than a super-sized Big Mac combo). it was my first time and, as it turns out, will be my last. in the sleeping room, i had a really scary looking dude choose to sleep right beside me (and i mean right beside me). i moved over a little, but he seemed intent on spooning, so i went downstairs and watched tv until near sunrise. after a shower, i headed to the subway and went northwest to a small hill that was free to roam around. i saw the sun come up, took more photos (posting even sooner) and listened to Shamanists praying on the clifftops around me. a great start to the new year.

thanks to those who've emailed and posted comments about the book and i'll find a couple more photos soon.

pics of home

2007-02-11T04:46:00.000-08:00

with a little help from Adam, i bought myself a new camera at Yongsan, Seoul on saturday, and spent sunday learning a little bit about using it. here's a few pics from one of the clearest days we've had since i arrived (we have stars tonight!!)

the main main road

from the top of a small hill near my place, the town you see is Oido (2km away) and the causeway beyond links to an island 11km further away (yes, this is a very clear day). i cycled to the island along the causeway every day in summer and autumn.

a cross between volleyball and soccer

in the park by the hill. the pond is still thawing, mainly because its in a place that sees little sun. other ponds around the town are long since thawed. interesting fact: the river that passes through the heart of Seoul hasn't frozen this winter. the last winter it didn't freeze was 1993(?).

unpredictable

2007-02-07T10:14:00.000-08:00

unpredictable: without cause for predicable behaviour

intractable: uncontrollable; unable to be managed

contrary: not in agreement; not aligned

detached: not attached

these attributes could be the "dark side" of my personality. a workmate was looking up horoscope attributes, and when i saw mine, i took note. i think they're quite a good short roundup of my less than sociable qualities.

i don't know what other people think of me (jeez, i don't know what i think of myself), but when i saw "intractable", i thought it was kind of bad, but then i got to thinking. i really like that no one controls me. i know negative connotations come up about that, and if it's true about how i live life, it could explain why my working life hasn't been all fun (i don't mind work, but i struggle as an employee).

i think the detached thing is quite true too, sometimes good, sometimes bad. having been privy to friends suffering, i know i care. so detached doesn't mean careless. however i don't really see my life as impacting on others very much, which isn't true but i struggle to see where it does. i sometimes wish someone would ring a bell, or give me a lapel pin every time i impact their life, then i'm sure i wouldn't be so blasé about relationships. that's the thing though: i'm not blasé when caring about friendships and family. ah, i don't really know myself.

in book news, my book blog, In the fading light of Ling Xi is ready for your readership. thanks to those who have partaken of having a look. feel free to leave a comment, praise or turky-basting, as you see fit.

my book

2007-02-03T08:46:00.000-08:00

turns out my book hasn't grown wings and won't be flying to a Dymocks (or other chain store) near you. i'm not so fussed about being a dismal failure as a writer, however i am a bit gutted that people won't ever get to read it.

so, to combat this, i'm blogging it to In the fading light of Ling Xi. i'll be blogging a few chapters every week, so please, check it out.

The title, as you may surmise, is In the fading light of Ling Xi, and it's a non-fiction acccount of me backpacking through China. I'll highlight a few chapters (the ones i really want people to read) if you don't want to read everything.

comments are welcome.

random fact of the day...

2007-01-30T20:28:00.000-08:00

it's now 59 years since Gandhi was murdered.

born October 2nd, 1869, died January 30, 1948.

how to erase

2007-01-24T20:17:00.000-08:00

to make a short story long, i don't think Miss U was ever interested in anything more than friends. kinda difficult to understand, considering how frank and ernest our conversations had been before this past weekend (don't worry, i won't make a pun about me being frank and her being ernest). i thought we'd been pretty honest and talked about exactly why we were both there, although i must admit i'm a dropkick and really can't pick a subtle hint ever.

nor an obvious hint.

okay, sometimes telling me straight doesn't make it clear.

so, this past weekend was followed by a day or two of confusion, depression, anger, pretending i'm tough, then remembering how to laugh with friends again on tuesday and wednesday. and today, i'm hit with a big question:

do i hit the erasure button? select all; delete? are you sure you want to send this person to the recycle bin? yes square; no square? click . . . .

in other news, i have no news.

a busy work month is drawing to a close and i think everyones feeling the effects. the bell goes for the beginning of class and all teachers seem to drag their feet to classrooms worse than the kids. my hours will hit 130 teaching hours for the month - thats 42.5 contact hours in classrooms per week! the good news is my pay will be quite good, the bad news is my social calendar doesn't start until Feb 3rd.

if you've ever felt out of place, take a moment and think of this family out on a Sunday on the Han River, central Seoul:

January 19 (if you think the title's boring...)

2007-01-18T18:52:00.000-08:00

well, it's been a while. in the past few days a lot has happened and a lot has not happened. i've been avoiding writing and want to continue avoiding writing, so here's a quick update.

our new teacher flew home due to family stuff so we're back onto covering classes. this month is winter intensive, so i'm doing 42 classes a week. no time for Hapkido and no time for golf. it's feeling pretty arse, to put it mildly.

Miss Unerasable and i have been out a few times and i've really enjoyed it, although i'm not sure if she's that interested in me. i like that i like her, and she knows it, but i don't really know where she's coming from. as she's 90 minutes by subway from my place, i'm finding it pretty difficult getting to know her (maybe because i'm a little slow too). coupled with work doing it's utmost to destroy anything resembling a life, i'm feeling a little frustrated about it. still, i'm seeing her again this weekend :)

so, now you know why i didn't blog for a while. there's nothing much to say.

unerasable revisited & Tokyo visited

2007-01-07T00:43:00.000-08:00

so, i tried to call Ms Unerasable to ask her out last week but couldn't get ahold of her. i was invited out with a group of people and she was there, so i finally got a date. WAHOO! now i need to deal with being scared witless by her. advice from friends is 'Stop talking about when you were thinner'. thanks guys.

Brian and i went to Tokyo for new years and had a great time:

i found out i can still read some Chinese characters, as Japanese Kanji is same-same. i didn't know the meaning of many places, but i could read the signs and knew where i was (the amount of English used makes this a relatively pointless exercise, but hey, if i'm not one for pointless exercises, who is?).

we were staying in the suburbs out west with Brent who introduced us to bowing wars. one Japanese person bows, so the next person bows lower, so the first person bows lower, etc. it's engrossing, as their faces are confused and scared, humble and semi-happy. when they walk away, they look relieved. i thought it could be a hangover from the downfall of the feudal system: they're trying to be equals but their nature says there's a heirarchy to adhere to. i'd love to read about it.

New Years Eve:
we met up with Eric, a Canadian teaching in Tokyo, who i met in Guangzhou, China, last year. he took us for dinner, plied us with Sake, then we stood in line with 200,000 people for New Years wishes at a beautiful Shinto Temple. we didn't know what was going on until Brian befriended two women standing by us who explained the process. when the clock struck midnight, the gates opened and partitioned groups made their way into the Temple. at around 1220am, our group went in and threw our coins and made our wishes. then we went to Shibuya, drank Sake, ate some great food (i dunno what) and argued about where the Commonwealth games was in 2002. debate still rages despite the above info.

we made it to Sunrio Puraland, better known as Hello Kitty World! that was quite . . . something. it seemed to be a big product placement extravaganza just engrossing children with images for them to consume. scary scary. that's why i went though, i suppose.

and before we left, there was sushi and a public bowing war between Brent, Brian, Eric and myself. funfunfun.

new year in Tokyo

2007-01-01T20:13:00.000-08:00

happy new year, here's some images from my weekend in Tokyo

outside the Imperial Palace near the very central Tokyo station. the gates are opened one day a year, which happened to be the day after we left :(

Shibuya: like a Braveheart battle scene without the axes

there's a constant stream of people moving in all directions. it's incredible.

Sanrio Puraland: we were seeking a distinctly Japanese funpark and found the home of . . .

I will write about it and put a couple more pictures up later.

unerasable

2006-12-26T07:54:00.000-08:00

i could write a lot about Christmas day, but i can't really be bothered. i'd rather write that for the first time in years, i feel alive again. i don't mean merely breathing and interested. i mean i'm feeling everything i know i've been for years but denied them and disabled the feeling mechanism.

today, i feel vulnerable, excited, lonely, anxious and scared, and it feels great (mostly). i met someone at a friend's foriegn teacher's Christmas party and chatted to her for practically the whole day. from what i can tell, she's very intelligent and she dishes up her heart and passion on a plate. yup, the 2 things i hate seeing in people the most cos that's when i like them unwaveringly.

i haven't 'liked' anyone for a long time. i've liked the idea of some, and the looks of others, but this person i actually talked to for hours is . . . unerasable. that's what i've mastered for some time - erasing personalities quickly. hers isn't going away. a part of me wants it to, but it's the chicken shit part.

i haven't met anyone since moving to Korea, and it's been maybe a year since anyone else has caught my undivided attention. i know i've got good taste in women, evident if you know my ratio for actually getting dates (i don't ask out just anyone). so i can only call and find out if she want's to meet for a drink or something to eat. wish me luck, humility, confidence, divine intervention, . . . . .

so much for being a Christmas grinch, ay? i think i'll happily eat the humbug crap of the last post. the delete button is too much like erasure.

i coulda been Santa

2006-12-23T08:57:00.000-08:00

Korean Christmas seems pretty low-key, and i like it that way. i think i became a Christmas grinch when i stopped getting lots of presents at around the age of 14 or 15, or more precisely, when i started spending my own money to buy gifts.

i get caught up thinking a sell, sell, sell machine hi-jacks a month of the year instead of enjoying that month for what it could be, such as an excuse to buy the stuff i want and spending time with people i love. instead, i find myself moaning, buying stuff i DON'T want and sapping energy from parties i go to.

i enjoy seeking out presents for people, and this year was especially cool, doing so in markets of Seoul. it's when i buy something that ads say are perfect for my great-uncle Joe that i get disappointed in myself. that sense of effort and thought makes gift hunting a much more enjoyable endeavour.

i do like Christmas songs, but when i hear them everywhere i go for a month, continuously, it drives me insane. they're often associated with shopping rather than good cheer. a gratuitous display of this when i was in Dandong (China) in August, 2004. a big screen and speakers by the train station played 'Holy Night' (in English) as a backdrop to an ad for vacuum cleaners.

Koreans seem to think loop-playing Christmas songs in department stores and restaurants inspires holiday cheer. one restaurant i ate at had a collection of covers of 'Feliz Navidad (I wanna wish you a merry Christmas)', and played them back-to-back for 20 minutes! it was a favourite of mine until that very night, you may not be surprised to know.

on thursday, i was told that due to my weight, height and overall overallness, i'd be Santa at school on the friday. i spent thursday night fretting as i'm no fan of Santa crap. surely it's more magical to tell kids the toys they're recieving are due to people (parents or whoever) wanting them to play and enjoy life. using a mystical being, whom they'll never meet, to let kids know they're great and being themselves is awesome seems to reduce the importance of those they see every day.

when my Santa suit didn't arrive on friday, i was a little gutted. no Santa for the kids this year. that night, Fish (a teacher at another school) said he'd been Santa at his school and it was incredible. a little girl who didn't know him was mesmirised and wouldn't let go of his hand while she stared up at him with wide eyes and a gaping smile from ear to ear. when i heard that, i was pissed off the Santa suit HADN'T arrived and our school hadn't done anything special for the kids at Christmas!

so there you go, i really haven't got a clue what i think. i'd say it's a dualism. there's positives and negatives of offering kids a magical/mythical view of the world. having spent time with kids, i think they'd be able to apply that mesmirised condition to someone/thing real quite easily. they were mesmerised by me when i first arrived, so it doesn't take much (unless they know something i don't).

jeez, use a public toilet in a central Chinese city with a blonde mohawk on your head and you'll see grown men, women, or both, mesmerised in a similar way. maybe it's just that kids are allowed to be mesmerised and adults aren't.

mesmirised

the big thaw

2006-12-20T10:22:00.000-08:00

well, it's taken 5 days, but the snow has mostly gone. according to reports, it was a huge dump of the white plague for this region of Korea. all that's left now is icey roads and footpaths and white ice piled in gardens and gutters that has thus far circumvented winter sunlight.

in class, i have been caught in power struggles in two classes: my 8 year olds class is like the UN security council, where power shifts daily as supporters change sides depending on the politics of the day (ie. who has the best food etc). it's becoming increasingly irritating, as the kids are all sweethearts to me, but to each other, well . . . i'm not going to leave any sharp instruments within their four walls.

my kindergarten class has two girls engaged in a struggle of their own. i have no idea what it's about, but for some reason, every day i go into class, one out of the 5 girls in the class is being bullied. lately, it's been mainly one girl, R, bullying another, K. i don't know why. so, amidst the lessons i'm helping them through, they're all chipping away in Korean and, one day, R said something that made K clam up and cry. she didn't cry loud, nor did she whine. she pretended to read while tears rolled down her cheeks. she looked like the loneliest soul in the world. R, on the other hand, smiled away to herself, showing pride in her work.

before i go on, i don't like R, and i do like K. the main reason for hating R could be that she seems to disregard people, and that includes me (i hate that). now, as i sat watching tears drip from K's chin, i had to fight off the urge to dropkick R out the f***ing window as i was trying to concentrate on getting K to un-clam herself. i don't know if i perpetuated any great intervention, but she had a smile on her face after a while.

it broke my heart seeing K like that. i don't know why. i've walked past fights in NZ and not battered an eyelid, i've had friends and family bawling their eyes out to me, but it didn't hit me as hard as that. two reason's i assume are: one, i got bullied as a kid and i empathise with K quite easily; two, i've been spending time with these kids every day for a few months so my life is wrapped up in theirs. there may be more to it.

in another class, an 11 year old dropped a packet of chips on the floor (i let kids eat in class, if they do their work). she instantly asked me to pick it up, to which i said no, and she responded with a short, sharp Korean verbal. i asked what she said and two others both translated for me:

'You're fat, your face is ugly and you wear ugly pants.'

so, how do i reply to that? my first inclination was to say something biting back to her, but why would i do it?

i like the pants, she doesn't, let's move on. i don't think i'm butt ugly and don't care what her particular opinion is, so let's move on (beauty's subjective). she thinks i'm fat, and so do i.

i was pissed off about the fat call. but i'm not really pissed at her, i'm pissed at myself for being fat. i've been struggling to keep the weight off for a few years, and winter in Shiwa is maybe my biggest challenge so far. still, it's a boring subject and really, i have no excuse for eating like a pig. so, let's move on.

i didn't say anything to her, choosing instead to check students work and pretend to cry :)

blizzard

2006-12-17T10:10:00.000-08:00

went shopping in Seoul this weekend amongst a massive throng of human consumption (i was a part of it, i know). was incredible, the number of people. i've been to some shopping places and events around the traps, but every different area i went to had streams of people continuously flowing past. i had my first ever experience of being in a foot traffic flow pushing me out of a subway train. i've had pushes and shoves before, but i've never been part of a single energy surge manifested by a collective. so yeah, there were lotsa people.

on our way home, we saw some snow from the train, and when we finally arrived in Shiwa, it was a full-blown blizzard.

from our living room the next morning.

we were in Seoul shopping for a few things for our Christmas party. the boys now have a tree (hideously expensive here) with lights (hideously cheap) and a couple of posters to cover up marks on our wall. here's my fave.

don't know his name, but he looks pretty cool. judging by his expression, he's either famous or modelling aftershave, or both.

Royal Shiwa Golf Links

2006-12-13T09:04:00.000-08:00

Brian, Andy and I have been playing a few rounds at the local country club. Brian and i are both former rugrat swingers, so are hitting the ball well, while Andy's a novice. but it's been a little difficult.

golf is a very honest game, what you score is literally what you score, but at the Royal Shiwa, our score is a reflection of what the computer thinks we score. it's give and take though, as we're never hitting out of true long grass or a bunker.

the people that play at the Royal Shiwa have probably never been on a real course, or may have flown toNZ or Australia just for the privilege. funny, as it'd probably cost more to play on one of these computers in NZ than playing a real course, while it's vice versa here.

today i shot a 79 (+7), so i'm pretty happy with that. need to work on my putting. let's not mention Brian (whoops, just did). it was close until the last few holes.

in Christmas news, our boss asked the girls to have a party at their place on the friday before Chrissy, but as one of them is working on saturday, they thought they'd outsource it to subcontracters. we agreed to the terms, then realised our apartment is a disaster. we need to buy a few beautifying agents eg. black drapes, a few new mats to cover up the floor, and maybe Christmas decorations to cover the holes in walls and Brian's door. looking around our living room right now, it's basically a big white room. we need to get a couple of paintings or a sculpture - we'll inform the faculty we need to commission a new piece. wonder how much is in the coffers.

smoking men only

2006-12-08T08:36:00.000-08:00

NZ culture surely has plenty of oddly contrasting aspects that i wouldn't spot, but here's a few dualistic things i reckon are part of the culture here in Korea.

1. princesses and sexism.

basically, Korea is a very sexist society. example: female foreign teachers are told to not smoke cigarettes in public, as it will give a poor image of the school. males, however, can chimney-choke away. i know a few women who've all basically said **** off and kept smoking, however after maybe a week, all the dirty looks from Koreans drive them into dark alleys for privacy.

a teacher who left not long ago was approached by the cops, yelled at and had her lit cigarette plucked from her mouth!!!

same rules apply for public intoxication.

also, during some drinks at an apartment (all foreigners), our music was too loud, so the neighbours called the cops. the boys in blue demanded to speak to a men, even though a woman was the only one who could speak some Korean. the first thing they asked her was if she was Russian (ie. if she was a prostitute), then she had to translate for us, even though it was as easy as telling us to turn the music down.

the flip side is that girls expect to be treated like princesses. in many ways, girls get things handed to them on a plate whereas boys are expected to fend for themselves. some directives at school are that hitting boys is fine, not girls. yelling at boys is fine, not girls. help girls with classwork before the boys. all sexism still, i suppose. girls learn to rely on others and not themselves? going back to the loud music and the cops, guess who would be held responsible? NOT the women, i'm assuming.

flip again, and the prostitution ratios in Korea are extreme for an OECD country. 1 in 6 women have worked in the sex industry. that's gotta be indicative of SOMETHING!

2. community and elitism

elitism is probably in every society in the world (even Antarctic penguins are snobs), and Korean hierarchy is irritatingly predictable. if you're the eldest, you're the most respected, end of story. university grants aren't dished out on merit. instead the most money gets dished out to the longest serving professors.

bosses, whom also are elders, react terribly when they don't get the respect from foreign teachers they automatically expect (for those who know me, you won't be surprised to read that i have a tough time respecting anyone automatically).

a friend of mine was drinking with a girl (20 years old) in a bar and an older gentleman (maybe 55) interrupted and invited her to drink with him. she didn't flinch, wished my friend a good night and sat with this guy for an hour while he chatted to her. it wasn't about sex, someone explained, rather she respected the fact that an elder had requested her presence. when the guy left, she went to her own home out of respect for the older man, as his night was over, hence hers should be too (sounds dodge to me, but apparently this is quite normal).

i organise to phone my students from time to time. we have a set appointment, yet when i call, sometimes no-ones home. they tell me that Mum or Dad came home and said they were going out for dinner. a parent's seniority automatically overrides the teachers, so the kids don't even mention that they've organised a chat with me. of course, they expect me to understand that 'Dad said . . ', and why wouldn't they. Mum and Dad are boss. the kids wouldn't think to say 'i told teacher i'd be home tonight.'

despite this, it's a communal culture. NZ is very individualistic, but Koreans refer to themselves as 'we', and see themselves certainly as members of a collective. everyone seems to consider Korea as an entity of which they are a part of. so, in some ways, they're all equal, but in others, absolutely not equal at all. maybe they all adhere to the hierarchy systems due to their own impending hierarchical ladder climbing. as they get older, they gain more power (not from those older than them though).

3. violence and innocence

i see kids hit each other every day at school. i also walk past hundreds of kids a day either going to, or coming home from Taekwon Do, Hapkido or Gumdo - all places where kids learn how to hurt each other. men are conscripted into the national services and HAVE to do TKD. from a young age, a lot of Koreans learn how to fight (they learn more, i'm sure, but fighting's one of the basic things).

the flip is that, incredibly, i've seen next to no violence whatsoever from adults (apart from one slight skirmish i had with a very drunk dude who wouldn't let go of my arm, which was resolved peacefully). i've seen some very intoxicated men having very loud arguments that just wouldn't happen in NZ, mainly because someone would turn the argument into a fight. here, i've seen men argue for 15 minutes, then one of them snaps, sees the pink mist, and slaps the other guy across the face. of course, the other guy reacts by looking absolutely shocked, hurt, violated, nearly cries and his eyes ask 'Why did you hit me?'

could this be a product of their Martial Arts classes, or the military, and having learnt to NOT strike someone? is this dualism i see not at all dualism, but rather just a group of contexts i fail to grasp as-yet, hence i shouldn't have posted this in the first place?

chill baby

2006-12-01T20:29:00.000-08:00

there's 2 kids academies and 1 Tae Kwon Do school in our building, so when kids are finished (hourly), all the teachers lead the kids from the 5th and 3rd floors to ground level. there's lots of kids all bent on getting outta there asap. i tend to run downstairs when i can, which the kids love.

on Wednesday, Grace (a 7 year old student of mine) was walking downstairs holding hands with her sister, Emily, who is in the kindergarten program. at a guess, i think Emily's either 3 or 4 years old. the general practice is for the kindy kids to use the elevator (the stairs are like Chinese motorways), but Grace obviously hasn't been told to. so, in the middle of this big wave of kids rushing downstairs, i picked up Emily and carried her to the ground floor. my class was yelling at me to run, but i ignored them and walked on down talking to Emily, who seemed like a young Buddha, at one with the universe. 'Yup, this big dude's carrying me. cool. why is the sky blue? hope mum doesn't try to feed me mashed pumpkin and tell me it's carrots again.' she wasn't fazed at all. she's been called the 'chill baby' at work.

Grace, Emily and my class all went on their merry way and i went back to my desk having a damned good think, as i really enjoyed carrying Emily down the stairs. i'm guessing it was the responsiblity i'd placed on myself. so, i wondered why I'm not a father.

i often tell myself the world's full of starved resources and is overpopulated, and there's no freedom to do what i want to do while being a parent. i sometimes wonder how people can handle being a parent, as what i see of it, there's a lot of not-fun times. but they pale in comparison to what i think is the real reason: i'm the most important person to myself and don't want to change that. explains, to a certain degree, why i'm single too.

picking up Emily wasn't really an option, it was what had to be done. for 3 minutes, Emily was the most important person to me. all of a sudden, there's a capacity for me to forget my self-importance, place it onto others. yes, Jebby, i'm shocked too.

i'm not saying i'm 'cured', but maybe a little more self-aware than i was on tuesday.

some writing (fiction-ish)

2006-11-28T04:42:00.000-08:00

Singapore, 1979

Baking heat and short grass, a tall fence and a paddling pool surroundings of the front yard where the little white boys with golden blond hair played. Momma, in a deck chair under an umbrella, immersed herself in love chaos novels, and in the distance, the three heard the chorus marching up the hill, singing.

“I wanna be a SAF soldier,” they heard the choir of one hundred tenor voices produce.

“I wanna be a SAF soldier,” the boys sang back.

“I wanna be a SAF soldier,” responded the men as they drew nearer, climbing the hill towards the boys behind the fence.

“I wanna be a SAF soldier,” the boys sang again from behind the fence.

“I wanna be a SAF soldier,” the men sang as they reached the crest of the hill under baking hot sun, all laden in full army camouflage, dripping in sweat as the drill instructor pressed them on.

“I wanna be a SAF soldier,” the boys sang as the sound of men quick-stepped past the fence. The boys never saw the men, nor did the men ever see the boys.

“I wanna be a SAF soldier,” the tenor choir sang as they rounded a bend, disappearing into the distance.

“I wanna be a SAF soldier.”

Momma loaded her boys into the car.

“I wanna be a SAF soldier,” Philip, the older boy sang.

“You’ll need shorter hair than that mop you’ve got,” Momma said as she buckled him into his seat.

“I wanna be a SAF soldier,” Jason sang.

“You too,” she said, reaching for his own harness buckles. “It’s hair cut day today.”

“I wanna be a SAF soldier,” the boys sang in unison as the car left the driveway, turning down the hill towards the exit gates.

As the car descended the steep hill, another choir of young men, some looking no more than a decade older than the two babies in the back seat, ran up the hill, singing the song again, and the boys sang back. Their faces dripping wet as their heads bowed, clothes soaked as feet began to drag, the only remaining power they had was their singing. Despite screaming lungs, despite exhaustion and dehydration under the incredible power of the suns rays, their voices continued to reign supreme over the hill.

Momma guided the two boys into the barber shop, waving hello to the Chinese man with the scissors. The Asian men sitting in the waiting area reading newspapers all reached over to run their hands through each boys golden locks. The black floor was quickly swept white, the black Asian hair piled into the corner and the men all waved the boys to the head of the queue. First Philip, then Jason sat and had their blonde hair excavated, sent to the floor, and their heads, instead of mops, now looked like bristled brushes.

As Momma picked up Jason from the chair, the barber swept the floor again, the gold going into a different pile. As though the boys heads were this man’s own little Klondike or Central Otago or Kalgoorlie, people would pay a hefty price in the market for golden hair.

As Momma paid, the boys burst into song again.

“I wanna be a SAF soldier.”

The room went quiet. The men all looked at each other, then at the boys who squirmed and began to inch their way behind their mother’s legs for protection.

Then, the first man giggled, then the second, then the whole room began laughing.

“I wanna be a SAF soldier,” sang the barber.

“I wanna be a SAF soldier,” sang the other men in the room.

“I wanna be a SAF soldier,” sang the boys.

Momma arrived at the entry gate and showed her identification papers to the young man standing guard.

“Thank you, Miss,” he said. “You know, your boys singing is what gets us all up that hill every day. When we hear them singing, we keep going. It’s the one thing that keeps the men here sane.”

That night, Daddy came home and picked up Jason.

“Can you say Daddy?”

“I wanna be a SAF soldier.”

“How about Momma? Can you say Momma?”

“I wanna be a SAF soldier.”

“Can you say Jason?”

“I wanna be a SAF soldier.”

Daddy smiled, and as Momma entered the room and kissed him, he looked up to her with serious eyes.

“For the next few days, don’t use any roads other than the main road out of camp.”

“Why not?”

“A few Saffies hung themselves off power poles today and the Singaporean Army is going to leave them up.”

“Those poor, poor boys,” Momma said, shaking her head.

The next day, Momma was under the sun umbrella, escaping to another tropical paradise between paperback. The boys sat in the little pool, only a few inches deep, filling water pistols and shooting at one another. And they heard it again, as usual.

“I wanna be a SAF soldier.”

“I wanna be a SAF soldier,” the boys replied as Momma stood up.

“I wanna be a SAF soldier.”

“I wanna be a SAF soldier,” the boys sang as Momma lifted Philip to sit on the fence.

“I wanna be a SAF soldier.”

“I wanna be a SAF soldier,” the boys sang again as Momma carried Jason to the fence. She held he and his brother as they watched the young men climb the hill.

“I wanna be a SAF soldier,” the men sang as they got near the boys.

“I wanna be a SAF soldier,” the boys sang back.

“I wanna be a SAF soldier,” the men sang, smiles growing on their exhausted drawn faces as they saw the boys for the first time.

“I wanna be a SAF soldier,” the boys sang, waving as the men arrived.

“I wanna be a SAF soldier,” the men sang, waving and smiling, trying to hide their pain.

“I wanna be a SAF soldier,” Jason sang, still waving as the men got to the corner.

“I wanna be a SAF soldier,” the men sang as they disappeared from sight and sound.

“I wanna be a SAF soldier,” Jason sang again, to himself this time.

Momma lifted Jason back into the pool and he went back to filling his water pistol in readiness for his never-ending war with Philip.

“Why aren’t you singing, Philip?” Momma asked as she returned to pick him up, carrying him back to the pool.

“They’re sore, Momma,” he said.

“The men who are singing?”

“Yeah,” Philip said. “They’re sore.”

“That’s right, Philip. They’re very sore."

maps and blood types

2006-11-25T02:04:00.000-08:00

i gave some students a test to find out if they can tell me directions in English to get to some places in Shiwa, yet they didn't know at all. one girl said, to get to the subway station, first catch the bus, second, when you see the station sign, get off the bus. considering they're 15, i found their lack of knowledge of their hometown pretty odd. so, i had to get a map for them and figured i'd post it.

best representation of where i live:

the red circle is Shiwa, and the yellow arrow is pointing at the causeway i rode my bike along in summer (11km of top gear time trialing, rah).

and Shiwa:

dark grey: work
purple: two subway stations
yellow: E-mart (supermarket)
red: movie theatre
green: two driving ranges i know (there's others i can't find)
black: Hapkido class
orange square: restaurants, bars, noribangs (karaoke), and general shopping.
light blue: north west of that line is a big park that gets filled every weekend in summer with people cycling, playing sports, etc. there's a hill to climb too.

the buildings with blue rooves to the south are manufacturing plants. a lot of the people working there drink in the same places as us. the green line of trees literally seperates the industrial from the residential.

the same class of kids that didn't know how to get to the subway station asked what my blood type is, but i didn't know. they were shocked. the whole class knew theirs. different priorities? indeed, when i joined at Hapkido, Kwan Jang Nim's face told the story when I couldn't tell him my blood type. he wasn't impressed.

ignore this picture again, i'm still trying to turn it into a banner

Black Heart 4

2006-11-23T07:13:00.000-08:00

Do the things you hate to become the person you want to be.

2 days of my Hapkido classes and, as you'd expect, Kwan Jang Nim (Master) is trying to kill me. my legs are in painful rigidity yet could give way at any time. my neck and back are feeling the effects of continuous tumbling. so yeah, regretting it already. Starting this has got me thinking of healthier food, which hopefully will eventuate withe me EATING healthier food.

And, I got a haircut, an experience in itself, as my hair was quite a mop. The woman cutting hair, however, seemed ill at ease about cutting it short. I pointed to a picture of a guy with hair like I wanted, but she just wouldn't cut it that short. No matter what I told her, she'd leave it too long. I gave up and smiled, paid the fee (cheap) and walked out. I may have to go into Seoul to get an english speaker, if I stay picky. The kids at school laughed and also got angry. Their nickname for me is Mabagi, as when I pinned my hair back, I looked like a famous Korean comedian guy. Now I'm "Mabagi Teacher" but they'll think of something else soon.

To be honest, I don't want to write about the work negatives. Despite wanting to address them, history suggests other efforts have proved futile. Maybe I should just accept them and get on with life. This week has, for want of a better term, been absolutely meh (reasons undisclosed).

The job I signed up for is, quite literally, NOT the job I am charged with. I could begin complaining, but that's a waste of breath. The biggest issue I have to deal with is being angry about the situation. Staying angry isn't working. I gotta try something else.

Black Heart 3

2006-11-18T06:22:00.000-08:00

Read black heart 1 & 2 first for part 3 to make sense. kinda like a trilogy (it may have five parts though).

Solution #1
Bonnie made some phone calls and found me a Hapkido class last night! It's every weekday for an hour at 11am. She said it's for adults, so I won't be hiptossed by a 7 year old (hopefully). I haven't joined yet, but I'll be doing so on Tuesday, starting classes on Wednesday. I'm giddy as a school girl about it!

Problem #1 due to solution #1
I have to choose between cooking and doing Hapkido. For the time being, cooking comes second based on the idea that I can* cook in NZ, but maybe not do Hapkido so regularly.

Solution #2
Apples are notoriously expensive in Korea, but they're a luxury I can afford (it's not like I'm in the habit of buying diamond earings and gold-plated toilets). Banana's, however, are super cheap. I bought a big bunch, maybe 14, for US$2.10. I'm eating one as I type, and likely to be buying more as you read this. Better than chicken and chips.

Solution #3
Making plans for travel during and after my term. I'm not sure if it's healthy to make plans for spending money in a year's time, but thinking travel makes the less fun lessons easier than thinking money.

Black Heart part deux

2006-11-14T08:03:00.000-08:00

If you haven't read the Black Heart post, this may make less sense. Read that first.

I will address the living issues first because, I get the feeling that if i sort these out, the work issues won't seem too important.

overall health and fitness
basically, i'm not very healthy and my fitness is gone down the gurgler (Satanic chicken worshipper here). i got a head cold a month ago and i've still got it. my basic rule for health while i'm sick is not going to the gym until i'm over it, but it's not going away. what do i do? stay sick and get unhealthier overall?!

what i will do:
i'm just gonna go back to the gym and see how i feel. it can only make a sick boy feel worse.

the problem diet
working late cuts down my eating options, as few places are open after 10pm; I don't like much Korean food; the break time I have between classes is too short to do anything other than eat at work (sometimes i enjoy the food) or eat from the restaurants nearby (if tofu soup is on the menu at work); result is I have the perfect excuse to eat a ton of junkfood or takeaways.

what I will do:
cook a big meal at home earlier in the day and eat less at work (for this, I would need to go to Seoul once a week to buy the food I want to cook); go to the market twice a week (this shouldn't be difficult) for fruit and veges; hunt for a decent orange juice.

the outdoors and activities
snow is likely this week and it's going to be cold until march apparently. i really enjoy going for walks, climbing hills/mountains, and cycling, but due to the weather, i won't go (i hate danger on mountains). so i'm going nuts already, and that nuts looks more like couch-potato syndrome (think Homer Simpson, but lazy).

what I will do:
join a sports team or club that does something physically challenging EVERY weekend. indoor football or something would be a good outlet while I wait for the mountains to be easily climb-able (spelling?) again.

boredom
when i'm not working, i'm bored. this is probably why i'm living vicariously through the internet. this, in effect, is creating more boredom (i can only read about rugby and the Iraq war so much). there are no events on my weekly plan that aren't work related, and few that are.

what i will do:
i'd say joining a sports club and cooking at home will make me less bored (i love cooking). also, i've got five books on my dresser that i'm avoiding reading in case i don't want to put them down. I've also started writing another book - will post some stuff after these diatribes into happier and healthier living.

comments
any suggestions, don't be shy.

Black Heart 1

2006-11-13T08:56:00.000-08:00

I was substitute in a class today and the kids were supposed to be learning "pink" and "heart". So, they were all colouring in hearts with pink crayons except one little boy who coloured his black. It was an apt summation of how I, in particular, felt at the time.

I was subbing as the teacher skipped town on the weekend. She got her pay packet on friday and did a runner. All she left was a note on her bed (which I haven't read) for her roommates.

Apart from the extra work I'll have to do (3 classes a week), I don't hold any animosity towards her. Truth be told, I could tell you a few things that made her time here difficult, and they're very common. The money is pretty good teaching in Korea, but it's not an easy life adjustment to make. The food, culture and the language difficulties are only the start.

Bonnie (my supervisor) was passing out the new teaching schedule in the wake of *'s departure, and I was pretty irritated about the situation. The irritation was directed more at myself than anyone though. * didn't like some things about working/living here, so she did something about it. I don't like a few things about working/living here, but I'm just pretending that I can handle it and hoping I won't go nuts before Christmas. That spells pansy to me.

I understand a few billion people would kill for my position, but that doesn't mean what I'm not happy about isn't valid. So what if life is pretty sweet. That doesn't automatically translate to health and enjoyment.

I will tackle the issues head on instead of avoiding them as I have been. In fact, here's where the buck stops: this blog, for the time being, will only cover me addressing those areas of my work and life in Korea that I will attend to. End of story. Tomorrow, I will post a list of things to address.

Land of the long green net

2006-11-10T18:26:00.000-08:00

Up and down the country, they're everywhere. For every 10 churches there'll be a driving range, so that means there's a lot! This is our local (photo from my living room window).

Brian, Leyla and I, fitting in with the natives, are getting into a habitual pattern in time for winter. Photos by Leyla, a Kiwi who I work with. Impressive pictures, considering the shutter-speed of my camera is shocking and capturing a golf-swing is nigh-on impossible.

After a few weeks of hitting balls, they're finally going straight, regularly. On thursday I hit the target you can see in the distance (about 150 metres away). Brian owes me a jug for that but after Deidre's farewell, I'm off booze. Actually, after the day after Deidre's farewell, I'm off booze.ignore this photo. i'm trying to post a picture onto my banner. you'll know if it's working or not.

and these ones

Remember, remember . . .

2006-11-07T06:18:00.000-08:00

. . . the fifth of November,
the gunpowder treason and plot.

I know of no reason
why the gunpowder treason
should ever be forgot.

I thought this photo from Guy Fawkes night in Shiwa was pretty orsum

This one, however, is quite lame.

autumn Beopjusa

2006-11-05T07:45:00.000-08:00

At Ansan bus station (closer to home than Seoul station), I remembered I still can't pronounce Korean vowels properly. The "eo" sounds like the "o" in chop, while "o" sounds like the "oo" in book. Of course, the "u" in Cheongju sounds like the "oo" in food. Or, all of that's untrue.

I had to say it correctly, as there's a Chongju near Cheongju (confused yet?), but I bought a ticket and figured I could say Seoul properly if I ended up somewhere else. The 2 hour ride took us through a kaleidescope of low-lying Korean grey mist and smoke. We ventured through small towns and alongside rivers of slow-flowing water and additives. All I could see was the odd intermittent residential upright domino (apartment building) surrounded by low-lying manufacturing and industrial plants producing effluent being swallowed by the big grey beast trapped by the hills. After what seemed like being in a capsule shot through one of Rutherfords more cloudy experiments, the bus stopped in Cheongju, er, Chongju, er . . . , ****.

I got another bus to Sangrisan National Park and Beopjusa Temple (pronounced Popjusa) and was on the road for another 2 hours. We passed a lake betraying rocks copper-stained from the diminishing waterline. In smalltown Korea, the bus stopped for passengers then joined a traffic-jam in another small town.

Finally, Beopjusa Temple:
I don't know the protocol for photographs of outdoor giant Buddhas. I've been instructed to not photograph the indoors ones. If you KNOW this photo is against protocol, please let me know. Disclaimer: some of my friends "knowing" will be ignored.

I'm not one for "colourful tree photo" taking, but these trees were stunning from 50 metres away. Photo does no justice, as autumn at Beopjusa Temple could be awesome for nature photographers. Personally, I think the art of it would be keeping all the people out of shot (pedestrian traffic was streaming everywhere).

Back to Cheongju that night (not Chongju, not Chongju, not Chongju), luckily the Orange Place restaurants had an outlet near the bus station, and I was soon in bed watching bad bad movies. Next day, home.

Something Interesting:
Subtitles of American movies on Korean TV don't mention measurements in yards and miles at all. They translate and calculate them into metric, which saves Koreans from wondering what the hell a yard is. Wish NZ tv did the same.

Cartoons from NZ papers

2006-11-03T06:54:00.000-08:00

Well, I thought they were funny.

20% well done

2006-10-31T08:46:00.000-08:00

I taught a guy essay writing for a month. He'd lived in South Africa, so his english is very good, and he's trying to get into a foreign high school. While asking him what a pass mark is in Korea, he couldn't tell me.

In New Zealand, we need to get maybe 50 - 55% to get to do the next course, I told him, and asked about South Africa. He told me it was normally 60% in SA. Okay, so what about Korea? Well, we're always allowed to do the next course. Say what? We never fail. Say what? It doesn't matter what grades we get. Say what?

I asked a few teachers and they concurred, saying the first they'd known of failure (or fear thereof) was studying in a foriegn university. Apparently even university is the same here - fail, but get into the next course anyway!!! Is that healthy?

Let's put the grades in perspective though.

I supervised a basic level listening test (play a tape, students choose correct multi-choice answers) and decided to do it myself. I got 49 out of 50. 5 questions were dubious and one was just impossible.

If it's 4 x multichoice and there's a group of 12 students all guessing, the probability of that number getting hit is 3, right? 3 students should've guessed it correctly. In this class, not one person got it correct. I still don't know the answer, AND I MARKED IT! The teacher who'd organised the test scratched the question to make it out of 49.

Na nun babo imnida

2006-10-28T11:29:00.001-07:00

I've drunk quite a bit since moving to Shiwa, for me at least - one late night per week usually. I drank very little in NZ after leaving university, but the teacher hangouts here are all bars. It's probably also a function of finishing work at 10pm three nights a week. There's not much left to do other than drink or find an open restaurant. Otherwise, it's movies, internet and tv.

This week was Dee's final week at work so the teachers went out for some drinks before she departs. I was warned that my superviser, Bonnie, is a scary person to drink alcohol with, and like a storm warning for Southland farmers, it didn't really prepare me for it. A typical night of drinking with Koreans involves a lot of eating too. Dishes and bottles of soju kept arriving and, Bonnie having plonked herself beside me, my glass was filled constantly. I was soon into an offensive drunk routine (I won't write some of the things I said), so that was fun and disturbing. I don't really enjoy the aftermath of being offensive anymore for various reasons. Depends who I'm offending though, as I love being offensive jokes, as do others.

So we ended up in a Noribong, karaoke again, and I kicked off proceedings with Funky Town. Everyone dug it, and the next thing you know, people are on the table singing for gold! Bonnie sang some Korean pop love songs and Mr Lee, my boss, jumped up to do a few hits. From there, memory evades me, although I recall eating yet again at a sit on the floor restaurant nearby (within minutes, Brian was lying down, eyes closed). And still, Bonnie was pouring everyone soju. I crawled home before sunlight, I'm sure, unless my eyes were closed, and woke up midday-ish with a massive hangover.

Brian and I had lunch at the local fast food joint and I inched my way slowly to work for a short saturday shift. Luckily I didn't have to teach anyone under 14, so the students were all quiet as a mouse. Talking classes where all they do is avoid talking.

Here's an interesting sidenote: My class planning fell apart because students didn't talk, so what did I do? Well, I started talking. It seems I can prattle on about anything, anytime. One class was supposed to be talking about cars, and wouldn't you know it, the 2 girls in class don't have much interest in cars. Well, that makes 3 of us. But to kick off discussion, I talk about SUV's and driving along riverbeds, next thing we're (I'm) talking about fishing and hunting, then food, then cooking. Class goes great guns (well, I enjoyed it). I reckon I'd be killer at word association football cup zinadine algeria africa famine hungry chips fish swimming bikinis models cameras shooting olympics beijing china chinglish sign word association football soccer socceroos....

Let's move on. As I left work, my boss, Mr Lee said it was great to go to a Noribong with me. All entertainment, no talent. Thanks, Mr Lee, see you on monday.

Target Shiwa

2006-10-22T09:29:00.000-07:00

A few people have asked where I am in relation to Seoul, and this is the best picture I can do at the moment (can't find anything better on the net). I'm ignoring the flash reflection so you should too.

The big yellow bit is Seoul city, the pink is central Seoul, and if you look due south-west, there's a big red dot pointing somewhere that says 'You are here'. This, you may not be surprised to find out, is where I took the photo and around 20 minutes walk from my place (75mins by subway from the pink bit). Directly north of my town is Incheon city (about 60mins from the pink bit), and west of there is the island where Incheon International Airport is.

DPZ and Seoul War Memorial

2006-10-22T06:19:00.000-07:00

Okay, so if you've read a few of my posts lately, you'll probably understand that I know nothing. I went on the DMZ tour this weekend. Wahoo, I thought, looking forward to a massive insight into the north-south situation.

Jackie (english teacher from school next to mine) and I joined a tour at around 9am and went north via bus. Our bus combined with another bus to head into the DMZ and we were told by our tour guide to not take photos from the bus. After our passports were checked by a man carrying the worlds oldest infantry rifle (exaggeration hopefully obvious), we entered the DMZ. We were told the bridges and overpasses were all filled with TNT.

First stop was one of the North Korean infiltration tunnels found in the 1970's, which was great. I wasn't allowed to take photos though. After that, we watched the worlds worst propoganda for peace video - think Jerry Bruckheimer (action movie director) does the Korean war and a hopeful future resolution in 7 minutes. Not allowed to take photos.

Next was a lookout of the Joint Security Area and surrounds, which was quite cool. We stayed there for a total of five minutes (not long enough). From the hall, we could see mountains to the north and a few kilometres, two towers maybe 1km apart, one flying the South Korean flag, and the other flying the North Korean flag. No photos inside the lookout hall, but outside, we were allowed to take photos from behind a yellow line! The photo is all I could see clearly.

After that we went to a brand new train station that's situated within the DMZ and bought a ticket to Pyongyang and got a fake stamp in our passports, an opportunity not to miss as I'd been feeling like a tourist for a while. We weren't allowed to take photos of the construction area around the station parking lot though. Next stop was a small restaurant and merchandise, er, memorial gift supplies stall where there was nothing to be disallowed a photo of.

Then it was back to Seoul, where we took some good ol' Aussies, Alby, Brad and Hally, for a feed and a drink. We ditched the bus tour when it took us to a jewellrey shop and hit the subway, and when we arrived in Itaewon, who was outside the station farewelling people from a bus? Our tour guide. You had to be there.

After a late lunch, we went to the War Memorial, which was quite superb. There was a little bit of BS and selective historical accounting (that I saw), but the memorials themselves were outstanding and there was a room dedicated to the nations that went to the Korean War.

I don't think I have any real insights from the trip. I was basically a tourist along for a ride, not taking photos of trees made of plastic explosives. Considering the amount of weaponry there, it's probably more of a DPZ (P = photography) than DMZ. Let me ask a question of you, though. Why would two opposition forces have a joint security area? What's the point? Did East and West Germany do the same? Someone please post a comment or direct me to an explanation.

The northern border

2006-10-19T10:36:00.000-07:00

I thought a photo of the North Korean border may be pertinent, considering my previous post.

On the right is Dandong, China (3 million people), on the left is North Korea. The river is the border. Dandong residents swim and fish in the river, they just don't cross to the other side. Photo taken by me, August, 2005.

Half a bridge from China to North Korea that the Americans accidentally bombed in the 1950's. As it stretches only halfway across the river now, it's a tourist attraction. The new bridge that is used now (unlit, oddly enough), which you may have seen in the news lately, is next to it.

Nuke tests and famine

2006-10-18T10:24:00.000-07:00

I emailed a number of people about this last week and thought my blog could do with some gross human opinion blather.

The same day of the nuke test reports in the media, the (english) paper's front cover was plastered in North Korean bomb technicalities (hardware diagrams and photos of the test area and a proposed site diagram). Also, the world had denounced the bombings and the USA were talking tough while the UN were talking further sanctions.

Life went on relatively normally for a few days, then I was privy to a great insight into Korean psyche:

In my last class for the night, I got teens playing 'A ship came into the harbour carrying.... countries!' so they had to keep naming countries until they couldn't think of any more, then they got knocked out of the game (incidentally, South Korean kids are great with country names - they couldn't name any from the Pacific Islands, but the rest of the world got well and truly utilised). Anyway, one of the boys was struggling, so he said North Korea (Korea had already been said), and the rest of the class pointed at him and said no. He said it's a different country, and the others said that's not true. I didn't know, so I let the guys decide - Korea, both north
and south, is one country, according to my omnipotent students.

And that wasn't surprising. There doesn't seem to be much animosity directed from south koreans to the northerners. North Korea plays football/soccer against other Asian countries, and the southies at the bars are always cheering at the tv for the northies (I haven't seen a south v north game yet though). based on what I've seen, the South doesn't seem to have any interest in attacking the north, and I wonder if the north feels any differently about the south (attacking Japan may be a different story).

To say an attack from the north is immenent seems a bit rich, as they've been sabre-rattling for years (I accept I know nothing about the situation though). What I am afraid of, however, is the USA going in guns blazing. South Korea has no ability to tell the US military to get lost (who does?), and considering the way the Korean military follow the US MPs around bars in Seoul, I suspect they'd feel compelled to fight too.

Every time I'm out and about in Seoul, I run into US troops. (see my Bullet without butterfly wings post) The one GI i spoke to at length one night believed that if the US pulled out of South Korea, the north would attack instantly. I think that disregards a lot of history and present circumstances. The week I moved here, the north and south announced they were planning on going to the Beijing Olympics as one nation. Is it politicking or is it progress? Who knows?

The USA has done a lot for the Southies economically, developmentally and educationally, and the quality of life here is relatively good for most working people. It wouldn't be the same without US involvement. However, the US might be undoing a natural peace process that could have been over by now.

I'm not saying that North Korea isn't dangerous, I'm just suggesting the idea the place is run by a madman isn't necessarily true, not necessarily false either, but I'm taking news reports with a grain of salt. Kim Jong Il has absolutely no intention of attacking China (the North Korean/Chinese border is nothing more than a relatively lightly guarded river), which suggests to me the guy has some semblance of logical thinking. The greatest atrocity in North Korea is the famine that's killing kids every day, not the nuke testing (personal opinion). How many kids died of famine in Iraq between 1991 and 2003? Um, lots. Due to what? UN sanctions. To me, this suggests sanctions don't harm the power of the people doing the harm. Just ask Zimbabweans. Oh, sorry, you can't.

it's a beautiful life ah aahh oohhh

2006-10-12T20:04:00.000-07:00

so bombs are being tested, the newspapers are filled with condemnation and photos of North Korean 'might'. how does one deal with these terrifying times?

well, i joined the gym. it's a pretty trippy place: as we walk in, there's a pile of shirts and shorts for each person to wear (a gym uniform). everyone is wearing the same thing. i don't mind- saves me doing laundry. the music is basically suitable for 80's aeorobics classes, which is totally out of sync with what people are doing. men do weights and women walk slowly on the treadmills. there's no-one going full-jazzercise, if you know what i mean.

before i pass judgement, it's not like the women NEED to do any more. 40 year old women with the bodies of 20 year olds.

so yeah, if the bombs start flying and the USA decides to invade North Korea, I may be stuck, but at least i'll be humming along to some cool songs - a la it's a beautiful life, ah aahh oohhh. either that or i'll be at work. it's not like anything has changed here. in fact, the normality of life after the nuke tests is the interesting part.

Chu-seok week

2006-10-10T08:38:00.000-07:00

It was Korean thanksgiving last week, so we worked monday and had the rest of the week off. So, monday and tuesday nights became the english teachers' poker nights at the local bar. The bar owner, Damo, liquored us up then cleaned us out both nights.

On the wednesday, Brian and I met Brent Wilson (Hawkes Bay/Waikato fella)in Itaewon, central Seoul, and checked out the Seoul Tower, watching the city from on high as the day turned to night. Red snake eyes moved slowly across and aside big black vines, or at least the cars followed the rivers.

the following day, Brent and I visited a couple of temples and checked out Daedunum market in central Seoul. On friday, Chu-seok proper, we climbed a hill, and had a wonderful view of the city's pollution in the south, and to the west, more green hills and parks. The housing complexes all look the same. It seems there was one contract to one designer and construction company. It seems that the nations fascination with dominoes crossed into their dwelling choice.

One night, we chatted to a couple of British lads at our hostel and learned a few things about, well, hmmm.... it'd be the dodgiest conversation I've ever had. Using the words 'to put it one way' is just impossible. I won't tell you what Teddy Bear's foot and the Alaskan Pipeline mean.

And in other news, I bought a bike and found an 11km cycling-only track along a causeway 4km from home. it's a great ride, especially with the smog-walls I can only see 2km in any direction. think a road that leads into a grey wall that rests over the water in all directions.

the longest game of Last Card EVER!

2006-10-01T07:25:00.000-07:00

only i could go out to buy a bicycle and end up with a cake instead.

i couldn't find a bike i wanted, and was off to Jackie and Jo's place (two Kiwis who teach at the school next to ours), so grabbed a birthday cake for them both (thought it'd be a nice surprise, as it wasn't anyones birthday).

that night we played a good ol' kiwi fave: last card. the first couple of games were okay, pretty normal, but the third went for maybe an hour. at one stage, J&J&I all had a fairly even share of the deck in all three sets of hands with 1 card on the table. it had to be the single weirdest game of last card ever (do tell if you've experienced similar games). as the game went on, the level of intensity intensified (thank you, Mex) and the abuse around the table was diabolical (apparently if i look at cards that someone shows me, i'm 'a f***ing cheat!'). the others who were drinking in the next room came in to watch as the atmosphere was electric. i'll spare you the details that led to the final glory, victory, triumph of the human spirit etc, and tell you i won. J&J were both pretty bitter about it too, but all credit to them. last card really was the winner on the day (and so was i).

i bought a bike the next day. out for my first ride and nearly took out a kid who ran in front of me. it seems Koreans don't cycle or walk in straight lines, even when they can see something coming, so i'll have to watch out for that.

a dinner break at 730pm

2006-09-29T11:42:00.000-07:00

As the food at work was just too seafoody for me, I ventured out into the night to get something from near by. I was walking to the local ‘Orange’ place (a restaurant we don’t know the name of, but the sign is orange) when a middle aged man stopped me in my tracks.

‘You come with me!’ he said sternly, grabbing my arm.

‘No,’ I said, wriggling out of his grip.

‘You come with ME!’ he repeated, grabbing my arm tightly again.

‘I’m busy,’ I said, shaking him loose again. ‘Goodnight.’

‘You…,’ he said angrily, taking a handful of my shirt tightly. His eyes were bulging and his free hand pointed towards my nose. His grip was like an iron vice and he looked like a volcano building to erupt.

‘No, I’m going for dinner,’ I said to him, unable to get his hands off me. ‘You go away.’

‘You come with me!’ he said over and over, to which I shook my head and searched for an easy way to get him to let go. Finally he willingly set me free.

As I stepped backwards away from him, a little old lady, maybe 90 years old who works as a street vendor, stepped in. She said something in Korean and he stood fast, not moving. I turned and walked into the Orange place. He didn’t follow and had disappeared when I walked out.

I don’t think I like the unexpected. Before I order a meal, there’s something inherent in me that wants to recognise something that will be on the plate. It’s like I can handle a surprise if it’s wrapped up in something I know I like.

Movies are the same: I enjoy an original movie, but I’m forever watching for what I know in them. Maybe it’s comforting or just unchallenging. Like Mcdonalds food (apologies to those who are challenged repeatedly by the presence of Mcdonalds).

So why am I in Asia eating dohsat bibimbop in a restaurant I can’t name being protected by 90 year old female street vendors? Raging against my own machine or do I just not really know my machine at all? I suspect it's a fair amount of both.

2006-09-26T11:03:00.000-07:00

Consider, for a moment, a Noribong. It’s a small private karaoke room that groups hire out for an hour or five and belt out a few songs after a night on the booze.

Consider, for a moment, the local illegal operations manager. He’s been learning English for a few years and knows where all the foreign teachers drink. So he turns up at the bar for some conversation late in the night, pays the tab then invites everyone, including Yours Truly, upstairs to a noribong.

Consider, again for a moment, the feeling Yours Truly had while belting out Sweet Caroline on the karaoke machine while the local gangster joined in playing tambourine (which he does well). Swinging his hips and arms around to the music, it’s difficult for Yours Truly to comprehend that this amiable gentleman with a wonderful smile is not to be trifled with.

And consider, finally, that the gangster pays for it all with a handshake. Yours Truly has been feeling relatively weird about it all. It’s scary when he turns up hours after the bar-tab has started and he pays the whole thing regardless.

It’s happened a few times now to Yours Truly, and YT expects it’ll continue to happen constantly while YT lives in a small area of a small town.

parts are drifting

2006-09-19T11:57:00.000-07:00

“Goodbye, Leto,” she said. “Your words are like a hurricane, and your promises the eye of the storm.”

The phone went dead and as his sense of rejection welled up in his chest, Leto remembered his promises. Those promises he’d given to her that he could complete easily, the ones he wanted to accomplish, and the ones he knew he’d never fulfil. And he couldn’t remember a promise he’d given willingly. Each and every word had been spoken to get out of a situation that she’d confronted him about.

Leto rested, recalling each of the confrontations. They all had one resonating theme: his rejection of her. She'd feel it, he’d deny it, she’d need reassurance, he’d make a promise, and the result was he would reject her with another broken promise.

The pain in his chest subsided as his rejection finally came full circle. Responsibility was powerful. He was in control.

Bullet without butterfly wings

2006-09-17T09:29:00.000-07:00

So Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan are sitting at a bar table with two USAs.

"I'm in the US military intelligence unit," one of the USA's says for the fourth time in 20 minutes. "Do you guys know what intelligence is?"

Twenty hours earlier, 2 times NZ, 1 Canada and 2 times Ireland were in Ichaewon, central Seoul - THE bar district full of drunk US soldiers and brothels. The place was quiet, as the military police were scanning each bar for jarhead haircuts, searching for those out past curfew. They were all either gone or keeping a low profile. Both of NZ and one Ireland got back to their cheap hotel on the aptly named Hooker Hill and slept a little before catching the bullet train south to Pusan. Canada and the other Ireland checked out the other bars until the sun came up.

Being a mixture of hungover and still drunk, the group whinge, snap and argue on the way to the train, arriving painfully close to late (for this tightass NZer). By lunchtime, they're on the streets of Korea's beach city. To-ing, fro-ing and arguing later, all but Canada get themselves cheap rooms in a "love motel".

A trip up a hill to a beautiful working temple in the northern part of the city and hangovers are finally forgotten.

They all head into the city for dinner and then hit the bars and split up. The girls, NZ1 and Ireland1 hit the dance bars while the boys, Canada, NZ2 and Ireland2 head for a few beers.

"Hey, white guys," someone on the street yells. It's USA1 & 2, military personel taking a weekend off. After intro's, USA2 invites the boys to a bar and soon enough, there's eight bottles of beer on the table, quickly joined by whisky, tequila and fruit (peaches and beer are the oddest nice combo ever!).

"So, what do you guys think of Americans?" USA1 asks and NZ2 thinks for a moment. Dish out his opinions and maybe get his head kicked in by the trained killer, or go easy. Well, it turns out USA1 is a really nice guy and listens, so NZ2 figures he'll be straight up and say what he thinks about Iraq, Afghanistan, gun control, religion and terrorism.

USA1 doesn't disagree much. In fact, he asks a lot of questions, no judging or anything. He even agrees with a few things the others at the table think of America and Americans. Thing is, he'll be a perfectly nice guy then come out with a comment like:
"I'm in this world to stop countries being powered by Islam!" and "I'm in it to spread democracy!" and "The USA is able to HELP everyone else in the world, so why should we let them stop us?"

Canada and NZ2 synchronise their eye rolling. US1's a really nice guy, clean-cut American GI, 22 years old, married with a 2 year old son (whose photograph was passed around the bar). He's a child of the propoganda thoug. He agreed with opposing viewpoints but couldn't give up his own, which all sounded very familiar from US tv. He's adament Iraq was involved in Sept. 11, 2001 attacks (he's military intel, so could know more than most), and the war is essential.
"Roadbumps are inevitable in a conflict."

NZ2 says goodbye and Korea doesn't want him to go. There's an arm around him and hugging, but he manages to get out the door and into a taxi. NZ2 get's dropped off at the subway station near his hotel at around 430AM and as the car drives away, he looks up at the buildings and doesn't recognise a single one. He's at the wrong station. It's now that he notices it's been raining all night and not about to stop. So, he walks for a few km's, luckily following the correct subway line, to his hotel room.

Both Irealands and NZs go to a jimjilbang, a segregated spa facility, the next day. Ireland2 and NZ2 leave all their clothes in lockers and walk naked into a large room filled with spa-pools, saunas and massage tables all in use by the hundreds of patrons. All men and boys are naked. Age ranges from young to old and the entire place is incredibly weird, at first. After a shower (everyone must wash before bathing) the boys hit the pools and saunas and after a while, it's just a bunch of naked men chilling out at a spa facility. NZ2 and Ireland2 both enjoy it, mostly. NZ2 is looking for the mens room and a staff member can't speak English so "guides" him there, with arm around him and holding his arm affectionately. That's Korean men for you: hands on with each other. NZ2 is normally okay with it but, well, he's naked and that's a weird, weird... um... is situation the correct word?

The four leave the jimjilbang and head to the beach at Haeundai, arriving at the same time as a typhoon. Battling wind, driving rain and collapsing umbrellas which soon became missiles tumbling into oncoming traffic, they get to an Indian restaurant. Needless to say, swimming today wasn't needed. The boys take turns standing in the driving rain flagging taxis, Ireland2 being successful, although both are drenched.

And they meet Canada at the train station to catch the bullet train home. Canada had stayed overnight with Korea, the man who hadn't let NZ2 go without a struggle, and had been sleeping off the alcohol he'd consumed since friday night.

It's a weekend over. Now NZ2 needs a weekend to recurperate from it.

Labelling the young

2006-09-13T06:37:00.000-07:00

April
May
Jenny

The list of three names was printed on a whiteboard and Fidel hoped she would like one of them. Maybe what he thought of the names wouldn’t matter and she wouldn’t attach any stigma to them.

Moments before, a man had left the girl in Fidel’s care, her wide open eyes staring up into his. He’d been left the forms to name her. This duty fell on his shoulders like a brick, weighing him down for moments. Aware that this moment would come, he never thought he’d face this decision alone. The only other person who could choose was the girl.

Fidel stepped back, wondering if his options were okay. In unison, the children behind him read the names:
“April; May; Jenny.”

Fidel turned to her and said “Which name would you like?”

“May,” she said.

“Okay, your name is May. Everyone say ‘Hello May’.”

“Hello May,” the other children said as May sat at a desk. She took her English lesson book from her bag as Fidel addressed the class as a whole.

“Today," Fidel said to the young Korean kids, "we are talking about the letter ‘B’.”

Seoul on a budget

2006-09-10T18:37:00.000-07:00

AAAAARRRGH! Picture a journey within the realms of site and sound... you're not going anywhere near the demilitarised zone. You're in central Seoul - a 75 minute trip from Shiwa. You've spent all your cash. You go to an ATM and it spits your credit card back at you. You try another ATM, and the same thing happens. Then another. Do-do-do-do, do-do-do-do. You're in a foriegn city with the equivalent of US11 cents, no phone, no phone numbers of the people you know, you don't know the language and you're US$1.50 away from home.

How embarrassed will you be when you ask the first foreign-looking person to buy you a ticket home? Have you ever asked someone for help knowing full-well you'll never be able to repay them, EVER?!

Gerwin steps through a gate, you tell him your plight, and he doesn't hesitate to help. 90 minutes later you're walking through Shiwa again, relieved that, at least, you'll be home soon. And THAT is when you think - why am I here? Why can't my card just work normally? I wanna go home! I wanna go home!

Why didn't you think the negative stuff while in the subway station? Maybe you were dealing with the situation and once safely in Shiwa, you didn't have a situation. That's when you had time to think and get dramatic. You love writing in the third person.

Photo's of Seoul from a tower on a hill in the central city, statues taken from a park on the hill.
You can now make comments - sorry to those who tried before.

2006-09-07T18:37:00.000-07:00

Leaving NZ, Mount Fuji's body double, Mount Taranaki popped it's head above the clouds to watch me leave.

My new home, Shiwa, last stop south on the Seoul subway line (so it's like Huntly, Paekakakariki or Dunsandal - not Seoul at all). My apartment block is in the middle somewhere, a 15 minute walk from the hill I took the photo from. The school is a 2 minute walk from home.

Arriving in Korea

2006-09-07T07:36:00.000-07:00

Mist below merged with amber city lights, creating what looked like crevasses of lava opening up to spill orange-hot magma flowing and trickling into valleys and plains nearby. The hillsides and coastline were seemingly lit up with fire. This was the sight of pre-sunrise Korea while flying north, up the country towards Incheon international airport. Superman's photos, however, looked more like orange cream-filling being spilt from a cracked chocolate biscuit. Mmmm, chocklick bickies...

Upcoming flight, nerves setting in!

2006-08-31T08:02:00.000-07:00

I leave for Korea on Saturday. Arrive Sunday morning their time. Start work Monday. And I admit I have no idea what I’m doing nor what it’ll be like. No idea WHATSOEVER!

What I think I’ll miss about NZ

Family & friends
Rugby & cricket
Milk & bread
Wholly Bagels (in particular, the chicken salad on wholemeal)
Fish ’n’ chips with tomato sauce
Taking a quiet stroll in public
Sitting in a park reading
Blue skies and drinking tap water
Birds singing in the morning
Pulp Sport (tv show)
The crowd goes wild (tv show)
Carly Kirkwood (news presenter)
Kiwi music – eg. Fat Freddy’s drop - I love kiwi bands and music these days

What I think I won’t miss about NZ

All the media rugby coverage
All the media P coverage
All the media NZ politics coverage
NZ Media – straight up, when there’s issues to cover, NZ media is great, but conjecture, doubletalk and scaremongering gets pretty boring (and that’s just the weather reports)
NZ Police running around with tazers – I wouldn’t plan to get hit with one, but that won’t stop the cops
The Haka – I understand people love them, and I love them when they’re done in certain situations, but hey, it’s on this list cos I think I won’t miss them
Dan Carter Jockey underwear ads – I understand people love them, and I love them when they’re done in certain situations etc

Anything you think I’ve missed?

Learning how to post photos

2006-08-23T05:27:00.000-07:00

Winter sunset north of Cape Palliser (near Wellington, New Zealand). The box suggests the area name is Whangaimoana. Photo by Heiko Hass (i'd love to claim it for myself)

news of movement

2006-08-21T09:01:00.000-07:00

So, the news goes that i've just accepted a job in South Korea teaching english. i've got to get all my stuff in order, and i'll be off soon. Beginning work in early september. so that's the big news of the moment.
i've never been to Korea before, and haven't worked outside New Zealand, so this will be a learning curve. i'm expecting much of this blog to be about S.Korea and teaching, but wait, that's not all...

Sick in Wellington

2006-08-12T01:31:00.000-07:00

So, the first entry in this blog is that I've been bedridden for 4 days. I caught a flu from my flatmate and basically couldn't move for the aches in my body. The Doc said I'm not dying, so that's the good news. I feel like I'm getting over it and the body's coming right. Hopefully, after a decent sleep, I'll be up and about tomorrow. Wow, 1 blog and I'm boring even myself.

This'll be more interesting in a few weeks, if my plans get sorted