The Life of a Waygookin

Cambodia

2009-08-06T20:49:00.006+09:00

Whats up guys, I just got back from Cambodia last weekend and thought Id tell you all about the trip. I went with my coworker, Kyle, and my good friend from CofC, Charles and we traveled north to south, stopping in Siem Reap, Sihanoukville, and Phnom Penh. Ill start from the beginning.

Siem Reap: We spent the first two days of the trip in Siem Reap with the goal of seeing Ankor Wat, a complex of massive temples constructed in the 12th century. Im sure most of you have seen some of these temples in photos and they are even more amazing in person, practically overwhelming to witness. The surrounding area is home to dozens of temples, the most famous being Angkor Wat and Angkor Tom, and we spent an entire day there and only saw 5 that were recommended by our guide/guest house. Most people spend 3 days there but after suffering from the heat and accompanying sunburns, we were content with our shorter visit.

We spent the first half of the next day on a ATV tour of the countryside, stopping at an orphanage and roadside village. The orphanage was pretty decent considering the poverty that engulfs the country, but there were very few kids since most of them had gone into the city that day to take classes. Nevertheless, it was interesting to see their open air classrooms and all they had built with money gained strictly from donations. Since there were very few kids, we only spent about 30 minutes there but left a bag full of pencils, tooth brushes, crayons, beach balls and some other odds and ends that I read was a good donation. The rest of the ride was filled with endless rice paddies, quiet roadside villages and modest homes, all with children that would run into the street and wave when they heard the motors of out ATVs.

Open air classroom at the orphanage

Some kids that ran out to meet us

We spent the last half of the day wondering around Siem Reap, which isnt really that big, looking around the markets and checking out the river. Later that evening, we caught a night bus that took us on a 10 hr trip to our next stop, Sihanoukville.

Sihanoukville: Sihanoukville is the poster beach town of Cambodia with two main beaches that stretch out from either side of a rocky cape (not sure if thats the right word, but it was a rocky point that reached pretty far out into the sea). The city's economy relies primarily on tourism so there is English everywhere and tons of guest houses/hostels and bars/restaurants on the beach. We stayed at a place that was a 5 min walk from the beach and spent most of our time lounging under an umbrella in front of a place called Khan's Shack. Although the water wasnt crystal blue, Sihanoukville is probably my favorite part of the trip, maybe because after 4 years of going to school by the beach, I really missed it. We didnt do anything for 3 days besides sit on the beach enjoy drinks made with fresh fruit, something none of us regret. The only downside was that we couldnt go 5 minutes without being interrupted by a beggar or someone trying to sell us something. I finally agreed to a foot massage for $3 and Kyle ended up buying some bracelets. We took an early bus on the 4th morning that dropped us off in Phnom Pehn that afternoon.

Phnom Penh: Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia and is pretty unimpressive if you have ever been to a big city, especially poorer one. Our main purpose there was to see the Killing Fields and S-21, reminders of when Pol Pot and the Khymer Rogue controlled the country. Here, we stayed at a guest house called No Problem that is on the shore of what remains of a huge lake and was recommended to us by a friend in Korea. Apparently, the lake used to be quite big but Korean developers have come in and literally bought most of it and were pumping sand into it so they could build on it. Ridiculous, I know. However, we did have a great patio that overlooked what was left of it. Our room, on the other hand, were pretty horrible; I wont go into detail but all of us though it best to sleep above the covers. Once we got checked in, we spent the rest of the afternoon at a government run shooting range where we got to shoot automatic weapons, a feat unheard of in USA unless you are in the Army. Kyle and I chose to shoot the AK 47 and Charles shot a US made M 16. It was some of the fastest money I have ever spent, but well worth it since it is such a rare opportunity.

View from the patio

We spent our last full day visiting the Killing Fields and S-21. S-21 was a school converted into a prison and staging ground for people that were eventually sent to be executed in the Killing Fields. The reasons for being imprisoned were vast and random, anything from being too intellectual, speaking multiple languages or even wearing glasses could have gotten you condemned to death. Over 15,000 people, including women and children, were executed at the Killing Fields and only in this past year has a trial began to bring those responsible to justice. Unfortunately, the mastermind, Pol Pot, has since died, but the man that ran S-21 is currently standing trial (or so I believe). Both of these places were horrible and it was a very solemn experience to visit them both.

S-21

Killing Fields

Mass graves at the Killing Fields

So far, they have recovered 2/3 of the bodies of the people suspected to have been killed here, these are some of their skulls

A week after we arrived, we took a red eye flight back to Korea, arriving around 6am and although we all slept on the flight, we spent most of the morning/afternoon catching up on more of it. As a whole, the trip was unbelievable and I couldnt have asked for a better time or better people to spend it with.

A few things to mention: Kymer (Cambodia) food is delicious, it puts Korean food to shame and we never had a bad meal. Almost every Cambodian we encountered, from the guest houses to shops on the street, spoke at least a little English. Also, everyone was extremely nice, either because of their nature or because they know how much money tourists bring to their country. Cambodia is extremely cheap, the most we paid for a room was $15 and the we never paid more than $4 for a meal. We hired Tuk Tuk drivers for $10-15 a day depending on where we were going and they all spoke excellent English and were full of suggestions on what to do and where to eat. Traffic is ridiculous everywhere, we heard there are laws that are supposed to govern how people drive, but no one obeys them. People drive on either side, motorcycles and scooters and abundant and darting between cars and through red lights, making my previous post on Korean traffic and drivers seem almost appealing.

Tuk-Tuk, the main form of transportation

This woman has her baby on her lap and another child that is sitting in front of the driver, and they were weaving through traffic

Ok, I guess that about sums it up, Ill be home in a little under 2 weeks, cant wait to see everyone.

Bungee jumping, rafting, Mud Fest and Charles

2009-07-24T18:57:00.003+09:00

Ok, Im going to give a brief update of things before I head to Cambodia next week.

I went rafting and bungee jumping with Amanda 3 weekends ago. The rafting was ok, not a lot of water so it wasnt very swift, but the weather was beautiful and the little water that was there was refreshing. We went through a tour group called Adventure Korea that specializes in showing Korea to foreigners. If youre ever in the area, I would definitely recommend going on any of their adventures, everything was well organized and we met a few cool people. After rafting, they had a lunch set up for us and we all relaxed before heading to the bungee jump site. Jumping was optional but I had planned on doing it since I had read about it on the website. After about an hour of waiting, I was strapped into an ankle harness and jumped from a platform located 50 meters above a river. Jumping was an awesome rush and a lot different than I remembered, probably because I was 12 the last time. If you are interested, I think a video and pictures are up on my Facebook page.

The next weekend I went with a group of coworkers, Amanda, and some Korean friends to a beach town about 2hrs south of Seoul. This town hosts a "Mud Festival" every year that has become very popular with the foreign community and is supposed to be a must do if you live here. Honestly, I expected more, it was pretty much just an excuse to party with a ton of people on the beach. There was a lot of mud (supposedly rich in minerals and trucked in from nearby) for people to jump and play in as well as paint their bodies with. It rained on Saturday afternoon so that kind of killed the mood, but it was a nice excuse to get out of the city and go to the beach. Sadly, there are no pictures of this since everyone was hesitant to bring their cameras out into the mud.

Last weekend, my good friend, Charles, arrived in Seoul. I have known him since freshman year at CofC and am really glad he decided to make the 14hr flight here. I spent the week splitting time between work and showing him around Seoul. We are leaving tomorrow with my coworker, Kyle, to go to Cambodia for my summer vacation and my bit of traveling l before I come home.

Finally, Im sure you are all happy to hear that my plane ticket has been bought and I will be home August 19th, get ready.

Mt. Seoraksan

2009-06-23T22:52:00.004+09:00

A couple of weekends ago, I went with some friends to the east coast of Korea to climb a mountain. Not just any mountain, but one of the biggest mountains in Korea. Named Mt. Seoraksan, this behemoth is just over 1700 meters tall (5500 ft) and took us 9 hrs to go 10km up and 5km down. Ridiculous, I know. I can honestly say we didnt know what we were getting ourselves into when we planned this trip and were a little too arrogant (or uninformed) starting out. The problem with Mt. Seoraksan is that it is deceptive; it starts with about 2km of winding, paved trail and you are surrounded by families. Even when the pavement disappears, the path is still gradual and nonthreatening. It wasnt until we had a little over 5km to the top that we realized this was going to be harder than it looked. At that point, the path seemed to head straight up with no sign of relief. The last 5km were a hellish combination of steep man made stairs and unevenly placed stone ones. Some of us wanted to turn around, but we persevered and made it to the top where it seemed we had risen above the clouds and the weather was completely different that what we had left below us.

The hike itself was beautiful and I dont regret doing it for a minute. We spent a lot of time hiking along a river that had cut away at the rock, leaving us with amazing views of rock walls to either side of us. We had lunch by one of the water falls that feeds the river and I even braved the frigid water to go swimming because it was crystal clear.

We took a shorter way down that was also riddled with so many awkward stairs that it crippled the remaining parts of our legs that hadnt given out on the way up. This shorter way dumped us out at the other end of the park, about as far away as we could have gotten, but everyone was so exhausted that we were glad to pay the cab fare back to where we were staying. Needless to say, everyone was worn out for the next few days and my legs hurt for the next week, but I had a blast and its always nice to get out of Seoul.

Compared to the hikes I have done in the city, this one was infinitely more difficult, but less intimidating since we never had to use ropes to keep us from falling to our deaths. Would I do it again? Probably not. But would I recommend it for people to do? Absolutely.

Im still alive!

2009-06-04T21:44:00.002+09:00

For those of you out there questioning my lack of updates, heres your answer: its been a really busy but also pretty routine few weeks. Ive got "Open House" coming up at the end of June which is just an excuse for the parents to watch me teach their kids. Its pretty much a scripted performance, but the trick is to convince the parents otherwise so it appears that I typically do that much work and prep and their kids are always that smart and attentive. So, Ive been spending a lot of time working late on flashcards, posters, role play scripts, etc and a lot of class time reviewing it without specifically saying why, just in case the kids get the idea to tell mommy they have been practicing daily for their 'unscripted' open house.

I did have a great time last weekend celebrating two birthdays and enjoying the weather. I spent Saturday afternoon at the horse track with my friend, Phil, who simply wanted to bet on the ponies to celebrate his birth. I came out about $10 down and he about $5 up so no real harm done. I was disappointed with the last race, I had $5 on an American stallion named "Storm Feet" who started strong but then faded on the home stretch. However, after observing some of the locals on the way out, many of whom appeared to be crying or without enough money to take the subway home, I consider myself lucky to not have my life riding on these animals.

I spent Saturday night with more friends and coworkers for our friend Pam's birthday. We met at a local park as she simply wanted to have a picnic and enjoy time with friends. We had a great time drinking, eating, dancing and riding tandem bikes.

Sunday was spent wakeboarding on the river, lounging in the sun and eating cheaply at the Costco food court. All in all a really fun weekend and Im happy I had some great people to spend it with and enjoy some time away from work.

Hope all is well in the USA, look forward to hearing from and seeing you all soon (just about 9 weeks!)

Planes, Trains and Automobiles Pt. 3 (finally)

2009-05-08T23:08:00.003+09:00

Ok, lets talk cars. There are only 4 words you need to know when driving (or riding) in a car here: There are no rules. Like the bus drivers, people using cars are only concerned about themselves. They drive where the want, they park where they want and they go when the want. Pay attention to the conclusion of this series, this is how not to drive.

All my comments come from being a passenger in a taxi or some one's personal vehicle, but Im pretty sure I wouldnt want to drive here. Lets start with moving forward, which means everyone else move out of the way. Cars drive everywhere here, on the sidewalk, over the curb and even through red lights. Best of all, no one cares because everyone does it. The rule of thumb is that if no one else is coming, you can go. This means blatant disregard for green, yellow and red lights, which I dont mind if Im in a hurry. It also results in a lot of honking. To increase their chances of success, they also stop pretty much in the intersection, so they either have to go to avoid being hit by turning traffic or are able to proceed at the first available moment. Ive seen a few close calls, mostly involving motorcycles and cars, but no wrecks (amazingly).

Again, like the buses, cars refuse to yield to emergency vehicles and cut them off often which is surprisingly tolerated. For some reason, all cops/fire fighters/ EMS people leave their lights on 24/7, I guess to be seen, but it can only add to the confusion when trying to determine whether there is an actual emergency. If, for some reason, a car does decide to yield, it typically pulls onto the side, but never actually comes to a stop. Instead, it proceeds to drive on the shoulder or sidewalk, honking at pedestrians to move the entire time. Ive personally witnessed a car tailgate a bicycler, on the sidewalk, because the biker refused to move for the car.

Finally, whenever the car reaches its destination, they park in the closest available spot. Often, this is not a parking spot and can be anything from the side of the road to a roadside patio. This only leads to more confusion when they leave since they have to navigate through the people so they can reenter the highway at some point.

Oh, one more thing: U-turns are more popular than rice here, its not uncommon to have a taxi pull a U-turn by crossing over two lanes into oncoming traffic just because he realized he was going the wrong way. Mind you, these are the good drivers, the bad ones try to get more money out of doing things the legal way and driving a bit further.

Good luck if you ever come here and hope to drive.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles Pt. 2

2009-04-28T17:55:00.005+09:00

Ok, Im going to cover public transportation in the second installment of this series. Included are buses and subway trains; up first: the subway.

Having never really ridden an established and extensive subway system before this summer in NYC, I have to say they are really beneficial when done right. Atlanta's is not done well, as evidenced by the fact that no one really takes it unless they are going downtown, to the airport or trying to find somewhere to sleep. New York's and Seoul's are far better, encompassing the entire city with entrances every few blocks. I have give the edge to Seoul's system though, but only because the platforms dont smell like urine and the stations are extremely well maintained.

I probably take the subway here at least once a week and have never had a bad experience, save for the random times I show up as the doors are closing or inability to get a seat as seen here:

The subways run pretty regularly, and even if you miss a train, there is always one a few minutes behind with it's position shown on an electronic board. Every stop is announced in both Korean and English and the map of stops is written in both, ensuring that you have to be asleep or a moron to miss yours.

The only downfall to the subway is that the trains dont run all night, they stop around 11 or 12, but since taxis are so cheap (I will elaborate in pt. 3), getting home is never too expensive.

Ok, now for the buses. There is a wonderful piece of technology that links the subway system and bus system together, its called a T-Money card and is about the size of a piece of gum. This card either goes in your wallet or attaches to your phone via a cord and is rechargeable at every subway station. While you can use cash, Id say more than 90% of Koreans use their T-Money card to pay for subways and buses. In addition to convenience, one of the best incentives to use it is that it gives you free transfers. For example, whenever I take the subway home, I also have to take a 5 min bus ride, but that bus ride is free since I use my T-Money card. I can also use this card to pay for some taxis and in select convenience stores.

Like the subway, every bus stop is announced in English and Korean and you simply push a button to signal to the driver that you want off. While much of Seoul looks similar, one of the best things about the bus is the view. This, paired with the recent implementation of a HOV lane just for buses makes this mode of transportation more appealing than being stuck underground.

There are two major flaws in the bus system though, the first is that while the stops are announced in English, the maps at the stops are only in Korea. This means that unless you know which bus to take or know Korean, its going to be pretty hard to figure out which bus goes where.

The second is the driver's sense of entitlement. According to their posted licenses, many of these drivers have been in the game for many years and have the ego to go with it. What does an egotistical bus driver do? Anything he wants. Since Ive been here, Ive almost been hit when crossing the street at the appropriate time, been cut off numerous times while in a taxi and witnessed buses refuse to yield to emergency vehicles. Its goes both ways though, because I obviously enjoy the driver making haste while Im aboard, but some of their actions surprise me at best.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles Pt. 1

2009-04-20T22:29:00.004+09:00

This is intended to be the first installment of a 3 part series aimed at describing traveling within Korea. First up: planes.

While I have only had one experience on a Korean run airline, I have to say that everything I have heard supports my experience. Some of you may remember when I went to Tokyo at the end of January; for that trip, I flew Asiana Airlines. Prior to them, I have flown primarily domestic run carriers (with the exception of Lufthansa this summer and maybe a Caribbean one when I was younger), but Asiana blew everyone out of the water. I cant imagine anyone enjoying flying domestic airlines (with the exception of first of business class), but stop reading now if you do because they are in the minor leagues compared to Asiana.

First, and perhaps most importantly, they were overstaffed (some of you may be asking yourselves what this means since US carriers dont understand either). Not only were there about 20 desk agents checking people in, there were also 10 gate agents when it was time to board. Things went smoother than smooth, in addition to the desk lady honoring my request for an exit row, the gate agent offered me a paper after my ticket was scanned.

It gets better: once on board, I noticed the flight attendants didnt look leathery and on their death bed (apologies to anyone with who's mom is/was a flight attendant, I wasnt talking about them, unless their face looks like a handbag painted like a clown). In fact, Asiana's flight attendants reminded me of the glory days of the profession (see Catch Me If You Can for insight) when it was hip to be a jet setting flight attendant. Gorgeous and courteous, they catered to the passengers like they cared and in four languages. I was constantly offered beverages and snacks which leads me to my next point of praise: the food and drinks.

Not only was the alcohol free, it was quality booze. Im talking both foreign and domestic beers as well as brand name spirits, all of which had unlimited refills. I dont know whats wrong with our domestic carriers (actually I do, their industry is in economic turmoil and is desperate need of cutting costs), but drinks on the house go a long way. Not even on my flight to Korea on United, which lasted about 13 hrs, were their any complimentary drinks. Also, the food was delicious. Im talking food that filled me up and that I could actually recognize without consulting the menu. And no, I didnt have to pay extra for it. Both entrees were fish, but the side items ranged from salad to noodles and was always accompanied by bread, dessert and rice (it is Asia after all). Take a look at this picture and tell me you wouldnt eat this.

Thats what I thought.

I guess the thing I was most impressed with was the lack of a language barrier. I was expecting them to be proficient in Korean and Japanese, but I was pleasantly surprised by their extensive knowledge of English. From checking in to disembarking, not once did a staff member have to consult another to translate anything I said. Pretty impressive if you ask me.

Alright, that concludes part one, I will be flying Korean Air on my trip to Cambodia in July, so hopefully they live up to my newly raised standards.

The Rivalry of Rivalries

2009-04-03T23:12:00.004+09:00

Some may say its Duke vs UNC, others UGA vs Florida or Auburn vs Alabama, but on Wednesday night, I saw a game that trumps all the others and is seen by few. Im talking about a game that is a literal escape for one team, an excuse for them to leave their scripted lives and see how the rest of the world lives. No, Im not talking about Canada, Im talking about a soccer game between South and North Korea. On Wednesday night, 8 coworkers and myself traveled to World Cup Stadium (home of the 2002 World Cup) to see two countries, who are still technically at war, battle it out on the soccer field.

This was one of the coolest and most exciting sporting events Ive been to, not only was it an exciting game, but words cant describe what it was like seeing citizens of the North outside of their country. The South scored the only goal with about 5 minutes left, here are some pictures and a video of the stadium post goal.

Update time!

2009-03-25T22:54:00.003+09:00

Ok, I owe yall an update. I plan on uploading a whole slew of pictures from the last few weeks that include a few events such as a friends birthday, my new class, a going away party, St Patricks Day and who knows what else. So, as soon as I can find the cord to connect my camera to the computer, I will put those up (EDIT: I just found the cord so the photos are UP).

Things are good at school, the beauty of having a new class that has never had a teacher before is that they are so impressionable! I am quickly molding my 7 year olds into mini-Quincys, complete with my mannerisms and accent (on a side note, my accent was mocked my some drunk girl last week, she was wearing flannel so Im assuming she was from Canada). My class is progressing nicely, since this is their first time learning English, their progress is very obvious and rewarding since almost every word they can speak they learned from me. Teaching is not without its challenges though, last week I had one of my best kids poop his pants. Im serious. Ironically, the week before, there was a note in the staff room not to restrict the kids from using the bathroom, since it was the first time they had to ask to go for the many of them. I know what you are thinking, and the way I wrote it should have created an obvious assumption, but I WAS NOT KEEPING MY KIDS FROM USING THE BATHROOM. I guess it just snuck up on this kid.

Things have been good outside of work, also. I currently have about 4 1/2 months left in Korea and I am already counting down the days, so let this be a warning to all you readers, you will be sick of me talking about it. But, its really your fault since Im counting down the time until I get to see all of you again. I am pretty sure these remaining months will go fast, I really only have to make it until the end of July and then I get my summer break for a week and then my contract ends around the middle of August. Speaking of my summer break, I just booked a plane ticket to Cambodia today, so I will be spending that week seeing the sights (Angkor Wat), shooting automatic weapons (here) and avoiding the sex tourists. On top of that, one of my best friends from school, Charles, is supposed to join me and my coworker, Kyle, on this adventure. So, with that to look forward to and the weather getting warmer by the day here, it should be a pretty fast couple of months.

One last thing before I go: I was recently approached at a bar by a guy I had met before. He told me him and his boss liked my style, look, etc and wanted to make me a model in Korea. I dont think Im model material, but having white skin goes a long way here. Their company deals mostly with the Korean home shopping network and they asked if I had any tall, good looking friends that would also be interested so I successfully recruited a guy I work with from my school and a girl from Charleston I met here. They needed one more girl so they took me out to the foreign area on St Patricks day, bought my drinks and pointed out girls they thought had a body shape appealing to Koreans. My job was to go talk to them since their English was inadequate and see if they would be interested. They ended up settling on a tall Canadian girl who teaches at a university. Anyway, last weekend we went and met their company photographer (who they claimed was famous in Korea, he did have a nice studio) and he took our pictures and told the Koreans that me and Kyle were very good and the girls were "a little good." They are very critical of girls over here. We are supposed to go back this weekend to get the equivalent of head shots done so when companies call the photographer looking for models, he will have something to offer them. Who knows if anything will come of this, but it has been an interesting and funny story so far.

Godspeed everyone, enjoy the pictures.

Video Upload Bonanza!

2009-03-13T23:27:00.002+09:00

I just uploaded 12 new videos to YouTube, heres a preview to wet your palate, click on the link to see the rest.

Sorry, the audio is inconsistent on some.

THE BOYS ARE BACK!!

2009-03-09T23:36:00.003+09:00

Some of you may know this, many may not, but Phish was my first love before Sound Tribe. However, they took a hiatus after the summer of 2004, leaving a void in my heart that was filled by STS9. Thankfully, the boys are back and kicked off their spring and summer tour with 3 nights at The Hampton Coliseum in Virginia this weekend. While many of my friends and even some of my family attended this momentous occasion, I had to follow via the internet, but even that brought on goosebumps.

For those that care, Trey, Mike, Page and Jon played for a over 12 hours this weekend that included more than 80 of their songs. They left on kind of a low note in their musical careers in 2004, but after listening to the recordings of these shows, its exciting to see that they are very much back and on top of their game.

If you are interested in any of the recordings, they are free and can be found at LivePhish.com.

Thanks for humoring me by reading this.

Out with the old, in with the new!

2009-03-03T23:04:00.004+09:00

First, let me thank my friends and family who responded to my last post, I appreciate the kind words and encouragement. I will certainly try my best to keep you updated on my adventures and stories in this ass backwards country.

Second, I just uploaded over 150 new pictures, so check them out.

Finally, the new school year begins in March here (having no summer break is cruel if you ask me) so I got a new class on Monday, called K Lion.

They are a group of ten 7 year olds who have never been to an English school before. Obviously, I have my hands full. I inherited my previous class in their second year, so they knew a decent amount, but these kids insist on speaking Korean and are dumbfounded that I dont know what they are saying. I guess its the same for them because all I speak is English and am amazed that they dont know the phrase 'sit down.' They also do things like point to their crotches when they need to go to the bathroom or just leave the room when I turn my back. Today was the first day so Im sure things will get easier and hopefully I will have the whole bunch soluting me when April rolls around.

On a side note, the best kid from my old class, who was a model student and never gave me any problems peed himself in front of his new teacher today.

Be easy yall.

A Letter to Myself

2009-03-01T13:35:00.001+09:00

Compliments of my friend Kate and her blog WorldWideKate, this is a letter written by a guy named Calvin Reid who is currently living in Thailand:

When you get old, remember how when you were 20, one of the best decisions you ever made was to live in paradise. You lived in Disneyland. You stopped wearing shoes. You stopped brushing the flies off your feet. You smoked weed on a mountain and under palm trees overlooking a beautiful beach. The soundtrack of your life was decided on by the bars that you visited. You met everyone. You never turned down an invitation. If you didn’t know something, you found out. You wrote daily phrases on your arm. Your plans were written in the sand so they could be washed away every morning. You knew the phase of the moon every day. You used to go to bed when the sun came up and wake up at 2 in the afternoon. You knew all the restaurants, bartenders and locals. You were a role. A local. It was your job to show everyone what paradise looks like. You made decisions with a coin. Your biggest problem in day to day life was sand. You never regretted anything. You trained puppies on the beach. You were always wondering what the next adventure would be. There was always a new story. Everywhere you needed to go was a walk down the beach. You would take 7-11 picnics of cup noddles and ice cream to people watch. You would order something on a menu if you didn’t know what it was. You were living the definition of bliss. Every second of everyday you were doing exactly what you wanted to. There were no rules. No limits. No regrets. No one to answer to except yourself. Regardless of time, you greeted everyone with “Good Morning”. You laughed about everything. Your backyard was a beach rave that only ended when the sun came up, and sometimes, not even then. You had an incomprehensible amount of freedom. And you could do anything you wanted to. If you wanted to lie in the sand and listen to reggae, no one could stop you. If you wanted to just listen to frogs in the jungle, there’s a place for it. If you wanted to photograph the sunset from a swing hanging from a palm tree, you did it. There were no street signs or addresses. Just places with names like ‘Fairyland’ (who plays the most chill music on the beach) or Cactus or Drop In (the main beach bars) or Chicken Corner (the Israeli place open 24 hours, right in the centre of it all.) You had ‘Fake-date Fridays’ and ‘Stupid Sundays’. You never stopped smiling and plans were never made beyond tomorrow. You met the most amazing people in the most unusual circumstances. Your palm trees had electrical sockets in them and the ones on the beach were lamp posts. You had no one to ask permission from or commitments to keep. Goodbyes with new friends were cause for a crazy last night, and a solemn last day, but you always had the memories. Banana shakes were a staple in your daily diet and there was fluorescent neon paint of every article of clothing you owned. You met a lot of people older than you and every single one said one of two things: “I wish I’d done something like that when I was your age.” or “I did something like that when I was your age and it was the best decision I ever made.” Not once have you heard of anyone who did something like this, and regretted it. Everyday you said “We are the luckiest kids in the world.” And you were. It was difficult for you to understand how people could go through their entire lives and not experience some of the things you were experienceing on a daily basis. You didn’t have memories. You were memories. You were hitting levels that you didn’t even know could exist and no one could bring you down, ever. You were untouchable in your youth. Never, ever, ever forget that.

Halfway home

2009-02-24T19:25:00.006+09:00

Well my 6 month mark came and went last week and I have to say it doesnt feel that much different. It does feel like I have been here a long time but oddly that I dont have a lot of time left. I think this may be because one of my best friends here, Karen, the girl that I corresponded with before coming, is in the middle of her last week. She will be traveling throughout China before heading home to Canada and I constantly find myself thinking what it would be like if it was me leaving after a year. You all know that there have been times where I was ready to pack up and leave Korea, but watching a close friend actually do it puts a different perspective on it; even after 6 short months here, I know that I would miss Korea a lot.

Anyway, enough reflecting, heres whats new. First, allow me to apologize (again) for neglecting this blog. Although I have to say that the majority (not all) of my family and friends have really failed in terms of keeping in touch, its a two way street so I put some of the blame on you. PLEASE, POST COMMENTS, SEND EMAILS, TELL ME WHAT THINGS YOU LIKE OR WHAT TO READ ABOUT, THINGS YOU DONT LIKE, ETC... but most importantly, let me know you are still interested. There are times when I think I have a great idea to post about, but dont because it takes a lot of time and effort to write and edit this thing and I dont feel its appreciated most of the time. I know I have said this before, and let me stress again that some of you are very good about keeping in touch and I know everyone has a busy schedule, but its my feeling that if I can make time, you should be able to also. So try harder, all of you.

Second, the weather is finally getting warmer, we are nearing the end of winter and I am proud to have survived it. Some friends and I are going to try and take one more ski trip this weekend before Spring gets here, I hope the snow is still real.

Third, I get a new batch of students beginning March 1st. Korea does school a little differently in that the 1st new semester begins in March, including college. So, while I am disappointed that Koreans dont get to experience a summer break before school 'starts', I am excited that I will be getting new kindergarten students soon. In addition, I get to name more than half of my new students since most of them will be attending English school for their first time. My proposed list consisted of names from both family and friends, but it will honestly depend on what the parents are willing to accept. Stay posted to see if a Korean child was lucky enough to be named after you.

And finally, Happy Birthday to my Dad!

As always, be safe, Ill leave you will some pictures to compare my first day in Korea with a more recent one:

Photo Update!

2009-02-11T20:40:00.005+09:00

This post will be brief, but I just wanted to tell you that I uploaded almost 100 new photos that include the Super Bowl and DJ Sasha. Also, I updated the Only in Korea page with a Tokyo Edition, click here to view them, heres a preview:

Konichiwa

2009-02-03T18:51:00.006+09:00

While I got back to Seoul a week ago, Im just now updating my blog, my apologies. The trip was a blast, other than some punk swiping my credit and debit cards while I was at a bar, quickly racking up $2800 in fraudulent charges, and then replacing them so I had no idea that it happened. Consequently, the next day, when I needed money, none of my cards worked and I had no idea why. Other than that, the weather was great and I really enjoyed the city of Tokyo.

Highlights included:
-The Canadian brother and sister I met on the plane there that ended up loaning me money when I couldnt figure out why my cards werent working, thanks again Anne and Teddy.

-My capsule hostel which was pretty much like sleeping in a large cubby built into the wall

-The 'goodwill' tour I took with a 60 year old Japanese man. The way it worked was that he took me to all the places I wanted to go, and all I had to pay for was his subway tickets and meals. Pretty good deal actually.

-Shibuya Crosswalk - know as one of the busiest crosswalks in the world, this crossing has 5 pedestrian paths that fill up fast as soon as the cars stop, I was lucky enough to see it at rush hour, check out the video:

-Asiana Airlines - let me tell you, Asian airlines hook it up, not only was there free booze, but the meals were big and delicious and they were actually over staffed! Made me hate US domestic carriers even more. Also, I got to fly in my first 747 and they honored my request for an exit row.

-The Japanese people - I could not have been more pleased with all the Japanese people I met, everyone (except the bastard that used my CC) was extremely nice and EVERYONE we spoke to knew at least a little English. On a side note, I picked up a little Japanese while I was there so I am now quad-lingual (English, Spanish, Korean and Japanese for those keeping score at home).

More pictures are available here or in the TOKYO ALBUM if you click the usual link to the right.

In other news, I managed to go all day Monday without using the internet, just so I could see the Super Bowl on a taped delay without knowing the score. I watched it at a foreign bar that was packed and has an awesome time. While technically I was neutral, I rooted against the Cardinals because they beat my Falcons, so I ended up cheering on the winning team.

I guess thats it, send emails, post comments, just let me know you are alive because February 18th marks my 6th month mark here in Korea and I miss hearing from you all.

Take it easy, Quincy.

Tokyo Bound

2009-01-23T23:53:00.003+09:00

Some of you may know, others may not, but Im taking a brief vacation in Tokyo beginning tomorrow morning. Ill be spending 4 days there over my Lunar New Year break and will be back in Seoul come Tuesday evening. Stay tuned for stories and pictures.

Enjoy your weekend and be safe.

The Life of a Korean TV Star

2009-01-21T23:38:00.003+09:00

For those of yall with satellite TV, check your programming guide for a station called KBS, its the public broadcasting network of Korea and yours truly will be gracing their show called English 911 in a matter of weeks. If you dont have satellite or cant located KBS, call your cable provider and demand that they offer the show via pay-per-view or something because I put on a performance to rival Scorsese.

Heres the story: I work with a girl who's Korean boyfriend is a pretty successful commodities trader and was selected to be the topic of an episode of English 911, an educational program that deals with English in business settings. The producers wanted to film him speaking English in a relaxed setting so they asked him to bring some foreign friends to a bar so they could film him interacting with some native speakers. Naturally, he thought of me, whether it was before or after his girlfriend is debatable, but regardless we all met last night to begin shooting (as its called in the business). So we spent about 30-45 minutes filming in this bar, just trying to act natural, after which we are told they will probably edit the footage down to 1 or 2 usable minutes. Not exactly the fast track to an Emmy, but at least I got my foot in the door.

Oh, and for the guys, the host of the show was a former Miss Korea, but I didnt find that out until her and the producers left - so I missed my chance at a date with a model, but at least I will get my 2 minutes of fame.

Hopefully I will be able to get a copy of the show to upload, but until then, just look for me in People or something.

Also, I uploaded more pictures, if youre not bored of them yet, click the link to the right as usual.

What is there to drink?

2009-01-14T21:13:00.005+09:00

Ok, even though none of you have asked, Im sure there must be a few of you that are wondering what there is to drink over here. To be honest, theres not much difference except for one local specialty, but heres a run down of what Im drinking in Korea.

Up first is Korea's specialty: Soju. Some people call this the devil's nectar and it is dangerous for two reasons: first, it is extremely strong; second, it is only one dollar a bottle. This makes it both appealing and deadly but it is a must try when visiting or living in Korea. It tastes like a mix of cheap vodka and gasoline, but be forewarned, it may taste delicious, but Soju makes you do stupid stuff, like fall down your stairs.

Next, drinks in a bucket. There is a bar called Monkey Beach in Seoul that prides itself on pouring a 10 shot drink in a children's sand bucket for the low price of twelve dollars. On top of that, they also have nightly competitions to win more alcohol, including beating their mascot in rock-paper-scissors and shooting baskets for bottles of liquor. I have only been their twice, but both times a member of our group has won one of the bottles which is exciting at the time, but stupid in retrospect since you have been drinking buckets of liquor all night. Still, its a great bar and Ive had a blast both times Ive been there.

Now, for the randoms. First up is a can filled with a mixture of vodka and lemon called KGB. Ive only had one sip of this drink since Ive been here but that was plenty (too sweet), even though I work with some people that love them.
Next is a vodka from a place Im certain none of you have visited: Kazakhstan. Before this vodka, the only thing I knew from Kazakhstan was Holly's sister, but I have to say they do make a tasty beverage. I got to try this thanks to a Korean friend, but I have no idea where he found it since I havent seen it in any of the liquor stores here, but if you happen to come across it, I suggest you try it.

Finally, my bread and butter: beer. Korea brews 3 beers in mass quantity: Cass, Hite and OB. Im partial to Cass, but all three are served in sizes ranging from single cans to kegs. However, the stores sell one size unknown to all of you in the states: the 1.6 liter (thats just over 54oz to those not in the know). This is the biggest quantity sold for personal consumption and comes in bottles about as tall as your shoe.

And, thankfully, there is always the King of Beers, Budweiser. This is sold at most bars for the same price as Cass and Hite and you rest assured that I buy American when given the choice (yes, I know Anheuser Busch is owned by InBev now, but its still American to me).

Heres to having fun and drinking responsibly.

And the winner is: My sister, Meredith!

2009-01-08T18:11:00.004+09:00

It wasnt exactly a photo finish, but after 3 days of waiting, I finally received a text message. Thank you, Meredith, for waking me at some unknown hour of the night to a message that read "Hi did it work???" Yes, it worked, now you can enjoy your 15 minutes of fame, which may be much shorter since the majority of people reading this probably already know you. Thanks sis, I love and miss you.

Also, 2nd place goes to my friend Kate Stice. You all may remember Kate from when I introduced her and her blog, "World Wide Kate" a few months ago. Anyway, Kate swears that she texted me, and I believe her, but I fear it was either sent when I didnt have any money on my phone or perhaps she doesnt have international texting capabilities because I never got it. But thanks Kate, I believe you tried and if it had gone through, you would have been the first.

I am certain the number posted below is correct since two people have successfully contacted me on it, so dont hesitate to try even though the contest is over.

Also, I added almost 200 new pictures the other day, click the link to the right as usual.

So here it is, finally: My phone number

2009-01-03T20:33:00.004+09:00

Its taken 5 months of intense research and trial and error, but I have finally figured out the correct sequence of numbers so you can call me from the states. Before I tell you what they are, let me issue a challenge: the first person to call or text me will become as famous as my blog can make them. Thats right, you will be mentioned and have a photo posted (assuming I have one) on my blog, The Life of a Waygookin.

So here is it, dial or text these numbers:

011 82 10 7214 0829

And thanks to Heather Randell and Adam Kopley, who helped me determine and test these numbers.

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-26T17:26:00.004+09:00

Hi guys, I just wanted to tell everyone Happy Holidays from Korea. The picture above is of me on Christmas Eve Day at my school. Being one of two male teachers has its advantages, one of them is being asked to play Santa for the first time in my life. Aside from the suit being really hot, it was a lot of fun handing out presents to the kids (their parents had sent in one present per kid to be handed out by Santa) and having them believe I was actually Santa. It was both rewarding and very nostalgic since I hadnt been around people that believed in Santa since I was a kid.

Christmas here was really different, although it is a national holiday, they dont celebrate it the way we do. I only saw two stores that were closed and there were tons of people out and about, not at all like USA. As for the teachers, we all went to a Canadian couples place and ate, drank, told Christmas stories and watched Christmas movies for the afternoon. It was nice and relaxing and the amount of food I consumed felt pretty familiar. I wish I could say I took it easy today, but I spent most of the day setting up my stuff in my third apartment in 5 months. After telling me that I didnt have to move into the new school, it turns out I was lied to so I spent my Christmas Eve moving all my things and today setting them up. The apartment is nice, brand new, but without a lofted bedroom so its a little smaller.

Yes, moving was a pain, but I am going skiing for the weekend so I have that to look forward to. I hope you all had a great Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa and have an enjoyable New Year.

Take care.

The Mormons Ran Away!

2008-12-18T20:20:00.004+09:00

These are the empty desks of Jason and Danielle, a young, married couple from Utah who only taught for 2 months. Sometime in the night or early hours of December 16, the two of them packed up all of their belongings, presumably in a nap sack, and hit the road, coming just 10 months shy of fulfilling their contract with Kids College. For people teaching English abroad, this is known as "running," because the people literally flee the country from their employer, an act not unheard of, but certainly not common. To combat this, most schools pay on the 15th of every month for the previous months work, thereby forcing you to give up the first two weeks pay from the current month if you wish to run. This deters most people, but not Jason and Danielle, they had recently fought the school over part of their contract and thought they were entitled to more money. They won the fight, but were told they would be replaced come February as a consequence of challenging the school.

To be honest, no one really shed any tears when we found out, they had been weird people and less than adequate teachers (in my professional opinion) since they arrived. Jason was an arrogant fellow who thought his Masters in Computer Science made him more competent than our managers to interpret contracts. Danielle was simply a victim a circumstance, she made the mistake of marrying Jason and has been paying for it ever since. Alone, she was a sweet girl who was my desk neighbor for a few weeks, but when the two of them were together, they were either all over each other or allowing Jason to speak for both of them. Please dont get me wrong, they were nice enough, just some of their habits rubbed people the wrong way. So yes, they ran away, but no one is really sweating it.

Funny Pictures

2008-12-17T08:53:00.003+09:00

As promised, I just uploaded about 20 new, funny pictures, heres a preview:

Click the link to the right to view the rest.

How to know you're making an impact

2008-12-10T20:18:00.002+09:00

Many of you may be wondering if Im really helping my kids and making a positive impact in their lives, this video should alleviate your concerns. It stars two of my former students that I do not miss teaching but do enjoy tormenting.

So it (finally) happend...

2008-12-08T19:36:00.002+09:00

Whats up guys and girls, this post is about some things that have happened to me recently, both expected and unexpected.

-I finally uploaded some new photos, more than 600 actually, and like always, you can click on the link to the right to view them. I am also going to post some more funny pictures today or tomorrow and that link is on the right, too.

-I finally met someone from Atlanta. I may have mentioned to some of you that I met a kid from Marietta a few months back, and even though I spent my childhood there, Marietta is not the Atlanta I pride myself on being from. However, last weekend, I met a guy that grew up in Virginia Highlands and has been in Korea 7 years. While he didnt remember where Vinings was, he did go to North Atlanta HS which is right by the church that I rarely attended. Nice guy, he came here right after college too, but unlike me, he has no intention of returning and hasnt been back to Atlanta in a few years. Still, it was nice to meet someone from my hometown.

-I (not finally) had to break up a french kiss between two of my male students. Again, some of you may remember my post on being sexually harassed in the workplace. Since then, it has been pretty manageable around here, but today I turned around only to see Hee-gun and Jay kissing with their tongues. Not much more to say really, I yelled at them to stop, to which they laughed, and then I told them it was gross and there was no kissing in my classroom.

-I finally cost my employer money. Ill start from the beginning: I started teaching a new class in November (I posted a photo) that had 12 kids in it, 5 more than any other class I had. Because I was not used to that many 9 year olds, they walked all over me and I spent half of my time trying to get them to be quiet or discipline them. Consequently, we didnt get a lot accomplished the first few weeks and the parents complained and questioned by teaching ability. Now I know what you are thinking - given my incalculable experience and unwavering love for children, where do their parents get off questioning my methods? I am confident their children would follow me into North Korea if I wanted them to, but apparently that doesnt matter, they actually want them to learn some English. The majority of complaints were actually just a result of a difference in teaching style between me and their old teacher. Their old teacher made them write down everything she taught from verbs to practice sentences, but none of my other classes took notes so I assumed that they didnt either. Now, it turns out Koreans like to torture their kids because in addition to the notes, they also complained that I wasnt giving them enough homework. All of these complaints were relayed to me through very confrontational meetings with my boss that made my day very stressful, so I did the only logical thing to get back at the parents, I made their children's' lives even worse. Now, they dont do anything fun, we take notes all class and I give them double the homework I give my other classes. Still, the parents complained about a book that I wasnt given and therefore didnt teach from, but most said they understood the confusion since it was my first month with that class. However, some parents didnt understand and withdrew their kids, decreasing my class size from 12 to 8 and costing my boss about $2000 in tuition. Some teachers would feel guilty about this (I am not the only one losing students) but it makes my job easier so Im just going to accept it and assume their kids couldnt handle my radically advanced teaching methods.

-I finally fell down the stairs to my loft. Yes I had been drinking and yes it hurt, but I still climb those 18 inch wide stairs every night without fear.

Take care everyone, Id love to hear from yall.

English is hard, mmmkay?

2008-12-01T20:29:00.002+09:00

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving, mine was great except that drinking tequila doesnt enhance your teaching skills the next day. Live and learn I guess.

This is from an email I received from my coworker, Robyn, entitled "English is hard!" Funny (and interesting) stuff.

Reasons why the English language is so hard to learn:

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18) After a number of injections my jaw got number.
19) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
21) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France . Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.
Quicksand works slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. And why is it that writers write, but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?
If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese?
Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend. If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it? Is it an odd, or an end?
If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?
You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out, and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

P.S. - Why doesn't 'Buick' rhyme with 'quick'?

즐거운 추수 감사절*

2008-11-27T19:57:00.001+09:00

*Happy Thanksgiving

Escape from Seoul

2008-11-22T12:25:00.004+09:00

I got out of Seoul for my first time last weekend. While I love the city, I had been anxious to experience some of Korea's country side so I jumped at the offer by one of my Korean friends, Banff, to travel to the east coast of the country for two days. The east coast is famous for their beaches, and since it is winter, we got an awesome deal on a 2 bedroom, beach front condo, called a pension. Heres how the trip went:

Banff (actual name Sunphil but he studied in Banff, Canada), myself, my friends Sahar and Phil, and the girl I have been dating, Jenna, left Seoul at 2am Friday night so we could arrive at the coast in time to see the sun rise. The drive was easy enough, almost no traffic or police, but since Korea is one of the most technologically advanced countries on Earth, they have installed speed detection cameras, that actually work, about every 5 miles. So, we'd be going along at a comfortable cruising speed, but then have to abruptly put on the brakes so Banff would avoid getting a speeding ticket in the mail. These cameras have eliminated the need for a lot of police on the expressways, but not the desire to maintain the illusion that they are there. To do this, they literally take the blue and red lights from the top of the cop car, bolt them to a pole, and turn them on. So, in addition to slowing for the cameras, we also had to pop the brakes every time we came around a corner and saw flashing lights, only to pass them and realize there was no car attached.

The drive took a little less than 4 hours and we arrived at a Buddhist temple to watch the sun rise over the ocean. The only problem was that is was cloudy that day, so we only got to see the day get lighter, but no sun. The temple we were at was beautiful though, definitely worth not sleeping for. There were also free noodles to be had if we stayed around until lunch time but we were too cold to stick around.

On the way to the pension, we decided to stop at this place called Unification Park where you could tour a decommissioned ship from the Korean Navy and a captured North Korean submarine. Ive never been one to advocate stopping at roadside attractions, but this was definitely worth the 2 dollars we paid to get in. The ship was huge and almost all of it was open to exploration; there was also a lot of interesting history about the naval conflicts between the North and South. On the other hand, the North's sub was cramped to say the least, we all had to wear hard hats because it was not possible to fully stand up. Either the North are all midgets or the people who served on the sub were being punished because there was barely room for two people to walk side by side.

After that, we made it to our pension, which was great except it was 'ondol' style meaning there werent any beds. There were pads though, and it is common for Koreans to sleep on the floor because their heating system is designed to rise from the floor and fill the room. So, it would have been tolerable, except the heat stopped working a few hours after we got there. It actually wasnt that bad since we had a lot of blankets, but obviously would have been nice to have heat. Once there, we just relaxed, walked on the beach, grilled out, and jumped in the ocean. When I found out we would be on the beach, I vowed to get in the water one time. I originally thought Id be the only one, but it turned out I wouldnt be the only bad ass on the trip. In the end, it was me, Banff, Phil, and Sahar that froze for those few seconds of glory in the water.

The highlight of the trip had to be Saturday night, where Banff put on a display to rival any Valentine's day decorations in the history of the holiday. No, it wasnt Valentine's day, but heres what happened (Let me first say that all Koreans are extremely over the top when it comes to showing affection towards friends, what would seem strange to us is normal for them, as you will see): After dinner, Banff left to use the phone, but was gone for close to an hour. When Sahar went to look for him, Jenna said not to interrupt, he was on an important call. Ok, we thought, we were drinking beer so we let it slip to the back of our minds once again. A little later, Jenna gets a text and says lets go find Banff, so we walk outside and Banff has set up about 100 candles on the beach in a heart design. In the middle of the heart was a stuffed bear and two plastic hearts, each about the size a fist; the hearts had the words "From Banff" and "I love you (in Korean)" printed on them. I didnt know what to say, but if I was a single girl, I certainly would have fallen in love with Banff that night. He proceeded to say how much he appreciated us coming and even though hadnt known any of us that long, he was really glad we were all friends. It was really nice, but definitely over the top considering the circumstances. Still, the highlight of the weekend for me.

We left the next day and made it back to Seoul in time for a well deserved nap before my language exchange. Thats right, Im learning Korean and on track to be the first trilingual person you know, more on this to come.

One more thing before I end this - Korean rest stops are incredible. Aside from being stared at like you are the only white person they will see this year, they were really enjoyable and had everything from gas to a food court to batting cages.

New, New, New

2008-11-11T18:48:00.006+09:00

As promised, here is a tour of the new school. The audio goes out for some reason, but the tour goes like this: building, reception, my classroom (library), other classroom, gym, offices, teachers room, another classroom, apartment floor, and patio. I think. FYI, the woman you see at the 1 minute mark is my boss and director of the school, Mrs. Lee. Also, my desk is the last one I focus on, at the head of the row.

Along with the new school, I have also received a new class, its E level meaning it meets from 2:30-4:30 every MWF and the kids are about 7 years old. Before this, my biggest class was 7 kids, this one is 12 and they have walked all over me so far.

Also, I have uploaded more than 200 new pictures on my Photobucket page and also some new funny pictures on my Only in Korea page. Links to both are on the right, but heres a preview of the funny ones:
*Note, to get to the new funny pictures, you have to scroll through the old ones for some reason, so dont get discouraged if you recognize the first group.

Ok, Im back

2008-11-08T16:18:00.004+09:00

My apologies to everyone for not posting in a while, broken internet paired with a complete lack of motivation forced me to neglect my die hard readers. But Im back now, so lets all try to get on with our lives without holding a grudge.

Things are good in Seoul, winter is fast approaching and I am anticipating the coldest weather I have ever had to live through. Growing up in the South had its advantages like being able to wear flip flops year round and having school canceled at the the threat of temperatures dipping below 32F. However, I am completely unprepared for a serious winter because of it and am not receiving the sympathy I think I deserve. After me, the closest any other teacher has come to living in the South is Chicago, so everyone else is a little less concerned than me and make a point of laughing at my linen pants, Rainbows, and single layer fleece. EDIT: It has been brought to my attention that one of my co-teachers lived in Phoenix for some years and is equally unprepared for the winter. My apologies Robyn, I am confident that we will survive this. The Canadians are even optimistic, preaching that it cant be worse than Canada and that they can survive anything because, of course, they are Canadian. I tell them that personally, I dont recognize Canada as a real country, only a hat that is Americas first line of defense against the North Pole, so shut up.

We have now spent a week in our new school. It is an awesome, completely new building with everything modern and shiny. I, however, must have drawn the short stick and have been downgraded significantly in terms of my classroom. Many of you are probably thinking that it cant be worse than my previous pink room, but trust me, teaching in a classroom that is also the library sucks. Aside from being smaller than my last two rooms, there is no shelf space because of all the books, which consequently prevents any wall space for the things I thought were pretty essential to teaching, like the date and weather posters. My white board has also been cut in half and I am now forced to write on a portable board that is prone to rolling and thereby messing up my calligraphy style writing that I spent so much time learning. Also, since it is the library, other staff and students have the nerve to treat it as such and do not hesitate to enter at any time to look for the latest copy of "Aurthur's Adventures."

Other than my room, the school is really nice. The rest of the classrooms are awesome and the teachers room is huge with a lot of big windows. The first two floors are for the school, but the top floor has about 6 apartments for the teachers. They arent finished yet, but when they are, there will be enough room for 11 teachers which presents a problem because since there are only 15 of us total, the majority of us are going to have to move. While I wouldnt volunteer to move, I wouldnt mind if I had to because like the school, the apartments are really nice with big windows and a a big deck for everyone to enjoy the subzero temperatures. There are also parts of me that dont want to live where I work, but am a little bit excited about going back to the dorms. So, only time will tell, I think we will find out who is making the move towards the end of the month.

Our staff is also finally set for the next few months. Since I got here, I have seen about 8 people leave and 8 new people arrive, but with the departure of two teachers today, there will be no more new teachers until March. For those who are interested, the current total is 6 Americans, 9 Canadians. But do not fear, I have enough red, white and blue propaganda for all of Korea, and guess what, these colors dont run.

Ok, so thats about it for now, expect new pictures and a tour of the new school in the next few days, along with a post about what its like to work in school that puts performance second.

Stay classy, yall.

The Many Faces of Liz

2008-10-27T20:18:00.009+09:00

Everybody, this is Liz. If you have looked at any of my pictures, you may recognize her. She is one of my K kids and is also the daughter of my school's accountant. She also may be the slowest girl in the class or possibly the history of Kids College; thankfully, her mom knows that and supposedly apologized to her last teacher for her daughter being so dumb. Ive wanted to write about Liz for some time, but I wanted to make sure that I had pictures that accurately showed her emotions. Also, I am comfortable writing about Liz because it is not a secret that she is slow, along with her Mom, the majority of the teachers I work with know that when she hears "Liz, Liz, LIZ!," she often has to be reminded that they are talking to her. I have a desk right by her mom and at least twice a week, she walks right by us in the morning while we both say "Hello Liz, Good morning Liz, LIZ!" I dont think she has noticed yet, and after a month of us doing it, she still continues to walk right by us and into the classroom.

In the classroom, Liz has three faces: laughter, confusion, and hate. Although this is her second year "speaking English," she could easily fool an observing stranger into believing she doesnt even know where she is. She is notorious for staring into space, not following along in the book and being surprised by her name. On top of that, she is often angry at the most childish things (go figure, right?) I think Kids are mean by nature, all my kids know how to push each others buttons, but they also realize that no one really means it. Not Liz. Whenever a kid even looks at her wrong, she unleashes her patented face of hate. Everyone at Kids College knows what it looks like and now you do, too.

To accompany her face of hate, she also has a famous line that goes something like "I dont like everybody, I only like Mom, Dad, Grandmother...." and the list goes on as she rattles off every name she knows outside of class. She also becomes furious during gym sometimes - my kids are in love with freeze tag, it is their favorite game in the world but only about half of them enjoy being "it." Liz is one of them, but unfortunately, she is not the fastest kid in the class and throws a fit when she realizes she wont be able to tag anyone.

As for confusion, as I mentioned earlier, she is often confused by things as simple as her own name, whether someone is talking to her or not, and what a word is that we have not only been studying for a month, but she has also heard the 5 students say before her. I often feel as if I am not her main teacher, her main teacher is my smartest student, Jake, who I call on often to describe to her, in Korean, what it means to "cut" the picture out.

However, despite all the frustration she causes, she is also adorable. She will laugh at anything she can understand, most commonly the words butt and underwear, which, coincidentally, are the words she uses to answer most questions. She has a fixation with keeping her hands or fingers in her mouth, though she does not suck them, they just rest there, keeping her teeth company. More than once, she has sneezed right in the face of another student, which cracks me up because even after my repeated attempts to teach them to cover their mouths, they have not caught on and still wonder why they (and me) are always sick. Most importantly though, she is eager to please when she knows an answer or how to do something (maybe once a week), so that is the last face I will show you. This is the rare and elusive face of Liz when she knows what she is doing and is from our last field trip when she sang the song "Far and Wide," something she was obviously very excited to do.

Here's some humor for the weekend

2008-10-24T20:57:00.002+09:00

The following is a video of my K class dancing to one of their monthly songs, entitled "My Little Pony." Enjoy.

New Pictures - Only in Korea

2008-10-21T20:30:00.003+09:00

Ok, Ive added about 150 more pictures to my photo page. New pictures include ones from another hike on Gwanaksan Mountain, a new field trip and others; click on the "Quincy's Pictures" link on the right to view them.

In addition, since my pictures are numbering near 1,000 now, Ive started a new blog to highlight the funniest ones. The blog is titled "Only in Korea" and Ive posted the link on the right. So far, there are about 30 pictures up right now, here's a preview of what to expect, (please keep in mind these pictures are a result of significant cultural differences, translation difficulties, and my crude sense humor, so please dont be offended):

Quite an advertising scheme.

This shirt says "Forever a Lover, Catch me if you can" and is being worn by one of my 9 year old students.

I suspect this is one of the most popular restaurants in Seoul.

Technology is awesome

2008-10-19T20:49:00.005+09:00

Ok, so a few people have asked questions on how I keep in touch with everybody, keep up with TV shows and basically stay connected with the west. Ill start by praising my parents for my 22nd birthday present: a new computer. My computer is my lifeline to everything, without it I would be miserable and you all would not be reading this right now. I probably spend at least 2 hours a day on my computer sending emails, watching TV, talking on the phone and even sending text messages. So, the rest of this post is going to fill all of you in on the less obvious websites I use regularly to stay connected.

First, www.Skype.com. I have written about Skype before and honestly wish more of you would get with it already and download their program! Skype allows me to call any phone in the world through my computer at ridiculously low rates. Plus, if you also have the program on your computer, we can talk for free. This is definitely the future of voice communication and there are already ways to use Skype on your cell phone and even wireless handsets designed to work like regular house phones, just through your computer.

Second, www.411sms.com. This website lets me send text messages to any cell phone in the states and receive them as well, all for free. It works just like an IM program and after you log into the program, it works just like you are having an online chat. If you dont have texting on your cell phone, this is definitely a program worth checking out.

Third, www.surfthechannel.com. This website is unbelievable, it has over 300,000 links to movies and TV shows that you can watch online. Since there are only 5 or 6 channels that show programs in English here, I spent a lot of time on SurftheChannel catching up on my favorite shows and watching movies. The great thing is, the day after any movie comes out in theaters or any show is shown on TV, there is usually a link posted so you can watch it ASAP. There are some downsides though, there are no major sports recorded and the quality can be grainy if you want to expand the video to full screen. Other than that, this site is great is you are looking for ANY episode of ANY show or want to watch pretty much every movie ever made.

Thats it for now, expect a similar post in the future about how much more advanced Korean technology is than ours and the cool gadgets everyone has.

Hope this was enlightening and everyone had a good weekend.

New name and updates

2008-10-12T21:32:00.002+09:00

First, check out the new name of the blog. Ive always thought "Quincy's Guide to Korea" was kind of lame but never had a better one until now. I went hiking with a friend on Saturday and passed by a kid hiking with his mom, as soon as he saw us he grabbed his moms hand, pointed at us and said "waygookins!" According to my friend, 'waygookin' is the Korean word for foreigner and what we are frequently called so I thought Id try it out as a new title.

Also, I just uploaded almost 200 new pictures, they dont have titles yet but you can still check em out on my picture page.

The Claw Game

2008-10-12T21:04:00.005+09:00

Seoul is obsessed with street games and The Claw Game is the most popular one. Its so popular that someone actually invested money to engineer them to be waterproof. Claw machines are on every street corner and outside of every convenience store, I pass about 6 of them on my way to work. One would think that they would be aimed at kids, but I have never seen a kid actually playing one. Instead, its old men that stand at the machines at all hours of the day and night and play with the goal of winning some of the most random prizes ever. While The Claw Games you know are filled with stuffed animals, the ones in Korea are filled with appliances, tools, food, etc... So far, I have seen the following up for grabs:

-Power Drill
-Vitamins
-Socks
-Lighter
-Pen
-Digital Scale
-Flashlight
-Calculator
-Pizza Cutter
-BB Gun
-$2 bill (seriously, see picture)
You get the idea, its pretty random. Apparently, people get addicted to playing (including a former teacher) because its so cheap, the equivalent of 50 cents gets you one play but $10 gets you 60.

Meet the kids

2008-10-07T20:50:00.009+09:00

Ive wanted to introduce you all to my kids for a while but its been tough because sometimes Id have my camera and one of them would be sick or theyd all be there and Id forget my camera. But I finally got it all worked out so you can now see the kids with the only southern accents at Kids College.

This is my Kindergarten class and the ones that I see the most of. They are all 4 or 5 years old and I teach them every day from 9:30-2:30. From left to right it goes Grace, Jake (back turned), Sung Joon, Jay, Daniel, Hee-Gun and Liz.

*Note Daniel's pose, hes the one in the middle pointing his butt at the camera, I told you they were obsessed.

This is my E class, they are 5 or 6 and meet every Tuesday and Thursday from 2:30-4:30. From L-R it is Dana, Jason, Melody and Kelley.

This is my S class, they are 9 or 10 and I see them every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 4:30-6:30. These kids are one of the highest levels here and can have fairly in depth conversations with me which is a nice change. L-R it goes Ted, James and Bob.

When was the last time you went on a field trip? (New pics and video, too)

2008-10-02T19:21:00.008+09:00

So all the kindergartners and the teachers had a field trip Tuesday morning. We went to an exhibition in Northern Seoul called The 24 Hour Famine that was designed to expose the kids to the suffrage from hunger around the world. It could not have been more poorly planned. The trip was designed to take half a day, with everyone returning around 1230pm. However, it took 45 min to get there which allowed only and hour and a half for organizing and exploring. Most of you can imagine how hard it is to organize 150 5 year olds so when it was all said in done, we were rushed through the exhibit in an hour compared to the other schools that probably took about 2 hours to see everything. Needless to say, there were some unhappy kids on the return ride home as many of them had not gotten to participate in any of the activities.

On top of that, the teaching staff was left mostly in the dark about the plans in the days preceding the trip. No one knew the organization that we were contributing to and therefore had not prepared the kids for what they would see or do on the trip. There was no talk of hunger or famine in the days leading up to the trip. As we were standing around, waiting for the buses to board before we left, the only thing we really knew was that the kids had been collecting money for hunger and were going to donate it wherever we were going. When we arrived, the site was actually pretty cool and we were told it was an old battleground. The grounds were decorated with sculptures, pinwheels, and walk-through tents that either depicted the hardships of living hungry (mostly in Africa) or provided activities for the kids. As a consequence of the lack of preparation, almost all the kids didn't know what to think about the pictures of kids starving and laying the street. Some kids even laughed which was embarrassing for everyone as it appeared every other school there had at least warned their kids about what they would see and instructed them to be respectful. In the end, the only activity my kids did was color a cheap umbrella for them to take home (what that has to do with 24 Hour's mission, I have no idea). We also brought home the parts for mini pinwheels, which we were supposed to make during the last class of the day, but instead they were too complicated and allowed me to harness my rusty construction skills as I put together all 7 of them.

Here's a video from the field trip:

All in all, it was a waste of a field trip, especially considering the coolest part was the trip there and back. As soon as we left the city limits, the highway ran parallel to a water channel about a half mile wide and the bank on our side was protected by double fences with barbed wire and military outposts every few hundred yards. According to the driver and Korean staff on my bus, across the water was North Korea! Pretty cool to be able to see the mountains and even their capital from the road.

Heres a picture of N Korea, you can see the South's Army posts on the right and across the water is a town in the North:

Anyway, I put up new pictures from the last week, including the field trip and North Korea, check 'em out.

Sexually Harassed in the Workplace...

2008-09-26T18:56:00.003+09:00

...by the kids.

If I had known that by accepting this job, I would be living out the fantasy of every pedophile on the planet, I would have reconsidered. The things I have seen unfold in my classroom (and Ive only been here a month in a half) are disgusting, troubling, and humorous. They are disgusting because unlike some of you, I dont enjoy seeing half naked kids. They are troubling because it makes me nervous that many of us, myself included, were the same way. With this mind, I dont know whether to worry for what these kids are doing or just accept it as a stage. Finally, most of it is humorous because of the situations that initiate or result from these instances of inappropriateness.

Heres whats happened, mostly in my Kindergarten class, since I got here: I have seen multiple boys engage in what I would classify as make out sessions. Thats right, one boy has kissed two different boys on the lips on two different occasions. According to the video I made of it (joking), it was not open mouth. The same boys have also kissed each others hands as well as my hands.

Twice I have turned around to see everyone in my class pulling their pants away from their stomachs and looking down everyone's. Why? I dont know. Im hoping out of sheer curiosity.

I have also seen the two girls in my class pull their tops up, sometimes at each other and sometimes towards the boys. While I dont think that any of them are entertained sexually by this, they all find it hilarious. Even though both girls have been talked to twice about their actions, I still catch them every once in a while contemplating a third performance.

They all love butts. They love the word, they love their own, they love mine, and they love touching everyone's. Before every picture I take in the class, I have to remind them that it is not appropriate to turn their butt towards the camera. Still, as the pictures show, they insist on flaunting their backside. As for my butt, it has been squeezed, patted, and has narrowly avoided penetration by a 5 year old finger. Again, I pray that this is a stage because I am not getting paid for this.

The most uncomfortable for me, however, occurs in the bathrooms. Every time I use the urinal and there is another boy in the bathroom, he stares at my crotch as I pee. Every time. Its gotten so that I wont go unless I can have the farthest urinal that allows me to angle myself towards the wall and away from the piercing eyes of the kids. The other guy teachers say they dont even use the urinals for this reason, they use the stalls.

The worst, however, has not occur ed in my classroom. Another teacher, Robin, has been here only a day longer than me and she might have the worst class in the school. She has a kid that exposed himself to her once, and when she brought in a Korean staff member to help discipline, the kid threw water on them both. That was not the first time that happened either, the same kid pulled his pants down on his last teacher and tried to pee on him. I have no idea why he hasnt been kicked out yet.

As for the humor side of it, their excuse, at least the kissing boys, is always "I like boys." Because of their limited vocabulary, Im pretty sure they cant express themselves fully, but they are adamant that they like boys, especially when I ask them why they dont kiss the girls. Kids are funny like that. As for what preceded these exhibitions, it seems that it is often a competition of sorts. For the instances involving the girls and everyone looking down everyone's pants, there is usually a slew of Korean spoken right before and then nakedness ensues. What is said, I dont know, but my guess is its something like "look what Ive got."

Have a good weekend everyone!

Meet my coworkers and picture update

2008-09-23T08:50:00.002+09:00

Heres a group shot of most of my coworkers from the weekend, we are about to go out for the guy in the middle's going away party.

Also, pics from this weekend and my hike last weekend are up, enjoy.

Gwanaksan: A Mountain's Mountain

2008-09-20T20:29:00.006+09:00

When I thought about what I wanted to title this post, A Mountain's Mountain came to mind first, I dont know why or if it works as a title or not, so let me know.

Anyways, for those of you who read the Chuseok post, you will remember that I had a few extra holidays on my hand so I spent Tuesday hiking the tallest mountain in Seoul: Gwanaksan. Gwanaksan is moderately sized mountain in the southern part of the city with about a half dozen peaks that precede the summit. Heres the view from one of those peaks:
When my 3 friends and I started out, we didnt know anything other that what subway stop to get off at. We ended up getting directions fairly easy once we got out of the subway but were directed to the hardest possible route to the top without knowing it. We knew we were in for a hike when we were hiking a very steep concrete slope before the trail even started. While we anticipated the almost 3 hour hike to the top, we did not anticipate the handful of sections where hikers became climbers and we had to use ropes bolted into the rock to prevent us from falling down the face of the mountain. Im not kidding, at least 5 times we had to take hold of thick ropes or heavy chains to keep from falling down a steep slope or off of an almost impassable narrow ledge. The trick is not to look down but I cant say we always followed it. The hardest of these was the last push to the top where we had no more than 6 inches to put our feet on, only a chain to steady us, and then had to hoist ourselves over the last big rock to get to the top.

Although my legs were exhausted the rest of the week, I dont regret a bit of it. Along with some amazing views, it was nice to get above the pollution cloud and experience what so many other Koreans enjoy. The city of Seoul is located in valley so there are mountains, some big and some small, surrounding it and Koreans love hiking, absolutely love it. When we were trying to decide whether or not to attempt some of the roped sections, there were old men and women passing us at a pretty fast pace, one friend said he thought they are part mountain goat (DNA tests are pending). On top of that, they dress the part to the nines. I plan on covering Korean fashion in another post but I will say a few words quickly: whether they are out for a 30 min walk or hiking the biggest mountain Seoul has to offer, they look like they are about to tackle Everest. 95% of the hikers we saw had packs, shirts, pants, and shoes designed for hiking. We felt like the outcasts dressed in the typical North American workout gear of mesh shorts and a t-shirt.

A few cool things we saw on our hike: it was once feared that North Korea would try to surround Seoul and hide in these mountains so the South built bunkers everywhere. They were almost always surrounded with barb wire but occasionally we would see one that had been broken into or collapsed. Heres an pic of an open one:

We also saw about 4 helipads throughout the hike, mostly located on the ridge line. We couldnt read the signs so Im not sure whether or not they are for injuries or the army.

Finally, and perhaps the most impressive, there were people selling things on the mountain! We saw two people with cooler shaped packs that had ascended the same way we had, both of them selling ice cream. We had expected and hoped for water, but I guess the Koreans have their priorities.

Im not embarrassed to say that we took an easier way down, we were all doubtful of returning the same way we had come. The way we took was still an hour and a half and was particularly hard on the knees.

Exhaustion aside, the hike was great and we are going to try another mountain sometime soon, maybe the next weekend. Heres a picture of the survivors:
I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend, Ive had a pretty productive Saturday so far, stay tuned for details.

Happy Chuseok!

2008-09-15T11:20:00.002+09:00

Chuseok is a traditional 3 day holiday in Korea to celebrate the harvest. Very similar to our Thanksgiving, people are expected to spend the time with their families and usually travel throughout Korea to be with them. That said, Seoul was pretty dead this weekend. While Chuseok was officially Sunday, a lot of stores and restaurants were closed all weekend and there was a permanent line of traffic leading out of town. Despite the frustration of not being able to find much to eat, I do get Monday and Tuesday off work. Also, I got a very nice Chuseok gift from the moms in my K class: 2 nice bottles of wine from the nicest department store in Seoul (so I hear.)

I have also fixed my blog so anyone can comment on the posts, simply click on the comment button underneath each post and you should be able to write something. I really enjoy hearing from everyone and I do spend a fair amount of time posting updates, pictures, etc so even the littlest feedback, whether email or other, is appreciated. I would like to give a shoutout to Mamma Jean, Charles' mom, she has been my most consistent correspondant, so thank you.

I hope everyone had a good weekend, take it easy.

Picture and Video update, PLUS the myth of "fan death"

2008-09-10T21:18:00.001+09:00

First, I have uploaded more pictures and videos. The videos include some popular and humorous Korean exercises, plus tours of my new school and apartment. Also, every picture now has a title so you know what you are looking at. Click on Quincy's Pictures or Quincy's Videos to the right.

Ok, to end this post, I want to talk something that terrifies all Koreans: fan death. I found out the other day, while talking about differences between N. America and Korea, that practically all Koreans believe in the myth that sleeping with a fan on while all your doors and windows are closed is SUICIDE! Thats right, even educated Koreans, and I talked to two of them, believe that sleeping in a closed room or apartment with a fan on will cause death by suffocation. Fans are even manufactured in Korea with a timer so you can avoid falling asleep with the fan on and consequently certain death. When we joked to our Korean friends (both of whom studied here and in Canada,) that we were going to go home and sleep with out fans on, the honestly pleaded with us not to for fear of our lives.

Now I know what you are thinking, how can anyone (regardless of education) believe this? But according to Wikipedia (Fan Death), even medical professionals have accpeted this myth and their government claims that "asphyxiation from electric fans and air conditioners" was among South Korea's five most common seasonal summer accidents or injuries, according to data they collected.

Be careful out there.

Notice anything different?

2008-09-09T23:41:00.000+09:00

So about 30 minutes ago, I was about to jump in the shower and thought to myself, "My beard could use a little trim." So, I got out my trimmer, that I have only had since July, and get to work. After a minute, I noticed that it wasnt trimming as well as it usually did and that I was having to go over places again and again to get them fully trimmed. I wasnt worried though, I just thought that maybe my hair was thicker than usual and that it may take a little longer this time, no problem. Then, 1/3 of the way done, the blades seize up as if on strike, refusing to trim anymore. So I tinker with it, change the batteries, take apart the blades, but to no avail. It was then I realized I had two choices, get a new trimmer after school tomorrow and go the entire day looking like an idiot, or shave it all off with my electric razor.

The picture shows how the story ends, but I thought it was pretty funny and that some of you who have seen me the last 6 months with my beard would enjoy it. But dont worry, the beard will be back and I plan on buying some industrial, Korean clippers to tame it.

New teachers, new school, and new apartment

2008-09-09T21:18:00.000+09:00

Ok, so Ive been at my new apartment and school for a little over a week so I thought Id fill everyone in on how it was going. First, the school: The new school is great for a lot of reasons, the best being the staff and proximity to my apartment. When we merged schools, we also merged the staff and students (most of them anyway) meaning I now work with twice as many native English speakers. If you can remember back to my first birthday weekend post, that was the first time I had met any of the new staff, and after a week, I am still amazed that everyone I work with is so easy going and easy to get along with. With the addition of the 3 new teachers this week (more on this later), I think our teaching staff is now up to 12, maybe 13. The new school is about 1/3 bigger than the last, with more office/desk space and more classrooms. The school is divided between two floors with the majority of classrooms on the 2nd floor and most of the offices on the first. My desk and classroom are on the first, along with 3 other teachers'. Heres a brief tour of my floor and classroom:

In terms of proximity, I only have to walk 10-15 minutes from my apartment to reach the school compared to a 20min drive to the first one. Also, there a lot more restaurant options around the new school so its a lot easier to not eat Korean for lunch if you dont want to.

Like I said, we have 3 new teachers this week, a couple and another girl, all from Canada. Nationality aside, they all seem really nice and a few of us actually had dinner with the couple last night (they were 5 hrs off the a 13hr flight but were still pretty coherent). Their arrival has promoted me from the new guy to someone with a little more experience and it was nice to be able answer their questions and give a little advice, even though Ive only been here a little over 3 weeks.

Ok, so about my apartment: it is a huge step up from my original one and even closer to the action in my neighborhood. It has a lot of perks including a semi-patio, bigger washer, bigger bed, and a lot bigger living room. I did sacrifice a bigger TV, but its not really a problem since I only get 4 channels in English. Its hard to describe how its set up so just check out the video of it:

Thats it for now, more pictures and videos coming soon!

The wonder of Skype

2008-09-08T22:06:00.000+09:00

For those of you who dont know, Skype is a Voice Over IP (VOIP), which means it is a way for me to call people over the internet. It is a program that allows me to type a number into my computer and use it as a phone to call everyone for less than 3 cents a minute. This is good for you for two reasons. First, I can call the USA for very cheap, and two, if you choose to download Skype (for free) we can talk for free between our two computers. Thats right, as long as you have Skype loaded onto your computer, you can talk to anyone else with Skype on their computer for FREE. Here is the link for Skype, the instructions are pretty simple, but if you have any questions, just email me.

Skype

Birthday Weekend Continued

2008-09-04T19:31:00.000+09:00

Ok, so I woke up Saturday feeling a little hungover but I decided to get out of my apt and go to Itaewon, the main foreigners district in Seoul. According to my friends, this is where you go when you want a little taste of America and while I wasnt looking to escape Korea just yet, it definitely lived up to its name. As soon as I stepped out of the subway, I saw a lot of non-Koreans, including black people! Now you all know Im not a racist, but after spending the majority of my life in Atlanta and Charleston, African Americans are just something I got used to seeing and had been without since I got here (save the occasional random one). Anyway, along with black people, there were tons of white people and tons of english being spoken. I was greated in every store I walked into with english which was really nice after 3 weeks of cultural immersion. Stores I saw included Nike and Reebok, Columbia Sports, The North Face, Quiznos, Starbucks, McDonalds, KFC, Subway and the most patriotic of all: American Diner. The other stores, however, were mostly Korean and Im pretty certain are the souce of all knock off goods that reach the states. Im serious, along ever street, down every alley, and on every corner were stores or booths selling all types of designer goods. I didnt end up buying anything but had lunch at Subway, which combined with hearing english for a couple of hours made a pretty good afternoon.

When I got back to my neighborhood, I decided to meet up with some fellow teachers at a bar nearby called Party Bar. This bar is hillarious, not only is it a dive by American standards, their decorations do not translate into Party at all. We walked in and I had to stop for a second to look around at the walls: the primary theme seemed to be western with pictures of cowboys and indians all over, but they also had old license plates, outdated penants from old teams and an electronic dart board, which was the most modern thing about it. Decorations aside, we ended up having a great time playing darts and listening to American music. I met one of my friend's Korean friends names Bamf (I dont know why) who had studied in Canada so his english was pretty good. He was also a pretty competitive dart player and won us a few rounds from his victories. This is a friend of Bamf's and his shirt may have been the highlight of the night, it says "Peace up, A-Town down" (for Atlanta) and was given to him by this Korean artist, Crown J, who sings a song called "Too Much A". Check it out:

When 1 oclock rolled around, the two teachers I was with said they were tired and were going home to bed, I told them that was cool and I was just going to finish my drink and then do the same. However, when they left, I ended up going to a Karaeoke bar with Bamf and his friends and butchering some songs by the Beatles, which was alright because Bamf was the only one that could understand the words and I dont think he knew the Beatles. All in all a fun night, a little more low key than Friday but fun nonetheless.

I moved apartments Sunday and school Monday so my next post may be about those transitions, hopefully complete with pictures.

New pictures and VIDEOS!

2008-09-01T23:57:00.000+09:00

New pictures are up and I have also opened up a YouTube account so you can now view videos. I will link YouTube on the right under the pictures or you can click here to see them: YouTube.

Birthday Weekend

2008-09-01T20:56:00.000+09:00

Ok, as many of of you knew, (and many didnt), Friday was my birthday so this post is about my celebratory weekend. A quick note before I start, while I turned 23 "American," I was 24 in Korean years because everyone in the country automatically gets a year older January 1st. Weird, I know. Also, my camera has been out of batteries so my personal pictures of this weekend are non-existant but I will get the ones from my friends and post them soon.

So I want to start by saying (again) how awesome the teachers are that I work with. I have not known them more than 2 weeks but they put together some funny decorations and a big dinner for me which was totally unexpected. When I got into the bus on Friday, there were the always appreciated "Happy Birthdays" which are always appreciated but as soon as I sat down, the driver, Mr Na, who knows practically no English, handed me a box and said "Happy Birthday." Inside was a charm for my cellphone (whether for a male or female, they are big here and accepted, trust me) that was a little cloth square, almost like a mini pillow, with a mirror on the back attached to a string to go on the cellphone. Im not sure how much use it will get but it was a big deal for him to even get me anything.

When we get to school, on the door to the teachers loungs/offices, there is a big piece of poster board with the words Happy Birthday Quincy written on it and a blown up picture underneath. I recognized the picture immediately, it was from College of Charleston's Alumni Ball that I went to this past May. The picture is me with my arms around my girl friend, Holly, and good friend, Alexis, only in this picture their faces had been replaced with faces of two teachers I work with. Again, I will need to post a picture, but it was really funny. The rest of the day was uneventful, but we had dinner reservations at On the Border that night.

I know what you are thinking, why eat at an American Mexican chain when we are in Seoul? I wondered the same thing but the teachers said it was a good place because they had lots of room and there was something everyone could enjoy. Turns out they were right because my meal was great and we needed the extra room becuase 25 people showed up, about 10 of which I didnt even know. The unknowns were friends of friends and teachers from the other campus (whom I work with as of today) and were all really nice and I appreciated meeting new people. So, after everyone had some tequila and a good, American-style, Mexican dinner, we went back to Gangseo-Gu, the district we all live and work in.

The first place we went to was this bar called Miller Time that served American beers and overlooked the nightlife of the streets below (it was on the 2nd floor). We didnt stay long there and instead opted to go to a nightclub nearby that everyone had heard about but no one had gone to. When we get there, we immediately walk down some stairs, like we are going into the basement. When we get about 1fl down, we are met by music and two large Koreans in suits and sunglasses. They quickly usher the girls we are with past a velvet rope and down more stairs and then, (Im not kidding), they give all the guys in line orange juice boxes. So, we are all drinking these juice boxes and end up waiting about 10 min and then we are led down the stairs and into this huge, dark room with a stage at one end and tables filling up the rest. The tables are designed to seat 8, but they only put 4 of us at each table. We see the girls as we are being sat so we dont really worry about why half of the table is open. As soon as we sit down, a waiter comes over and takes drink orders and when those come, another waiter comes but instead of drinks, he is leading two Korean girls and sits them at their table. It was then that we realized what type of club this was and a Korean friend described it as a "forced social situation." What that means is that men and women come here to meet eachother, nothing sexual, but it is the staffs duty to make sure as many people mingle with as many other people as possible. So, we tried to make the best small talk with could, which is difficult with none of the guys at my table knowing Korean and none of the girls knowing english. This went on for about 3 different sets of girls and it was just getting tedious to know that you cannot speak to these people and the point of these clubs is to meet new people, meaning we were not supposed to sit with the girls we came with. They, on the other hand, had better luck and said they were introduced to a few guys who spoke very good english which sounded like a lot more fun that what happened to the guys. Anyway, we left soon after that and it was late and I was exhausted from teaching 11 classes that day so most of us went home. Some people went to a Karaeoke bar but I was not part of that adventure so I cannot write about it.

A funny note about the club before I wrap this up, the MC on the stage was supposedly famous and would play a song and everyone would dance and then he would do about 5min of standup comedy which seemed to be funny based on the laughter. An interesting combination.

So thats Friday, I promise I will write about Saturday soon.

Meet Kate

2008-09-01T20:44:00.000+09:00

Alright everyone, I want you to meet my friend, Kate.
We know eachother from Atlanta and she is currently in Scotland and nearing the end of a trip that we can all be jealous of: 15 countries in 120 days.

I am linking her blog to the right side of the page, click on it there or here and enjoy her adventures with her, there are a lot: WorldWideKate

Kids are complicated (many of you already know this)

2008-08-27T22:14:00.000+09:00

On the bus ride home the other day the teachers were talking about how teaching will help you be a better parent. While I agreed, I also know that it has made me appreciate my parents, teachers, and anyone who has taken care of me. After seeing how stressful these miniature humans can be I just want to say thanks to my Mom and Dad, my teachers, and to anyone who was fortunate enough (or unfortunate depending on the day) to take care of me.

As a note before I continue, the following names are not their traditional Korean names, but are instead names given to them when they enroll because it does not look good when their teachers cannot pronounce their real ones. I think its funny that these kids adopt a different name every time they come through our doors because the ones teaching them English cannot figure out their proper ones.

This is Daniel, he is one of K kids and the most non responsive, non participative kid I teach. He also gives the most hugs so even after he stares at me with his blank eyes as I ask him again and again and again to get off the table, I find it hard to be mad at him when he gives me hugs for no reason. Seriously, he will randomly get off the floor, out from under the table, off the table, or walk up to me before or after class and hug me and say nothing. Its weird because what I call punishment for not participating or more commonly not listening to me he interprets as a vacation. Because of this, I end up with him sprawled out on the floor like this when he has to sit on the floor in front of the class. Daniel isn’t a trouble maker, just a pain in the ass sometimes when its my job to get everyone to participate he just wants to sit under the table.

This is Eric, he is the polar opposite of Daniel and loves to answer questions, follow directions, and lead the others. The only problem is that Eric loves to play with himself. I wont go into too much detail but a few times a day I have to say “Eric, HANDS!” and he will immediately bring his hands from under the table to on top of it. I plan on breaking him of this habit or hope it will pass with time but the first time I caught him was priceless, we were in computer class and when I noticed what he was doing I told him to stop immediately. This apparently startled him because he rearranged himself so quickly that he scraped his leg on the desk and when he told me he hurt himself and wanted to go to the sick room, I told him he could but he would have to explain how it happened (to the nurse). He managed to stick it out the rest of class. Aside from that, he has been great though. He always sits down when told, is the best reader and is always the first to raise his hand.

The things I have the most problems with in my K class is their energy (obviously) and their use of Korean. They know they are not allowed to speak Korean in class, they also know that I don’t understand even the vocabulary of someone half their age so occasionally they will get in trouble for using it. Trouble and punishment usually consists of sitting in front of the class for a bit, decreased gym or music time, or heads on their desk for a while. When it gets really bad I bring in one of the Korean workers and they say something magical in Korean that Im sure includes the threat of bodily harm because this always shuts them right up for the rest of class. Usually though, they can be controlled with a point/bribery system started by my predecessor that rewards good behavior with points that can result in a prize at the end of the week. If they are bad, subtract points; good, add points, simple and pretty effective. Like I said, this typically works for everyone except Daniel who is motivated only by the voices in his head.

As for my other classes, they are less stressful because they are older, understand more, and realize when I am really angry. They are not, however, above crying. Even something as simple as taking their pencil away because they would not listen resulted in a temper tantrum and the quote (directed at me) “I will not cry when you leave.” Kids minds are a funny thing because the next day everything was fine as if they had forgotten about the crying. Even with the discipline the majority seem to like me, the boys love to give me high fives and I have even received a ring off a girls finger as a “present” (it was plastic, not even C-Z) and been told by another teacher that I am a girls first crush (she gets butterflies in her stomach when she sees me). True love I say, Im still waiting to hear her reply.
Oh, and on top of all that, they think I am the hairiest human to walk the planet. I exaggerate of course, but its funny because Asians are notorious for their lack of body hair while my arms, legs, and face are covered with it. A couple of funny things they have said to me: “You have so much fur on your face” and “Why do you have a beard on your arms?”

To conclude this post, here is a picture of one of my kids rubbing my leg is disbelief, hope all is well and I love hearing from you all:

PICTURES ARE UP! - UPDATED

2008-08-24T17:54:00.000+09:00

Ok, I finally got most of my pictures uploaded, here is the link:

http://s535.photobucket.com/albums/ee360/quincylsmith/

Also, if you look at the top right of this page, you will see a new section of the blog entitled "Links" where you can also find the link to my pictures. I will use this section to add other websites that I find interesting or that have more stuff from Seoul (for example, a link to my YouTube page when I get it up). So, whenever you want to see any pictures, all you have to do is click the link to the right.

UPDATE: My apartment ARE NOW UP!

I also have the capability to post pics directly to my blog, heres an example:

This should be my K class during their arts and crafts class, we made "hand fans."

So Im moving, twice

2008-08-23T14:44:00.000+09:00

So yesterday at school I was offered the chance to move apartments to a bigger one that is "a huge step up. " After talking to the people that are about to vacate (they are teachers about to finish their contract) I took the offer. While my apartment isnt that bad, theirs is a huge loft with high ceilings and a bigger bed (because they were living there as a couple). Also, they said they would leave all the furniture and everything that was in the fridge and cabinets. So, while Im really excited about having a nicer and bigger place, it means that I will still not have regular Internet or TV for another week.

Also, my Kids College campus is closing, so I, along with everyone else, will be moving to one of the other campuses after this coming week. After Sept, there will be a brand new and supposedly really modern new building opening up that everyone (both campuses) will be moving into. The good news is that both places are really close to where most of the teachers live so instead of having to ride the bus every morning I will be able to walk 10 min if I want. The bad news is that everything is in the process of being packed up so it has been even harder to to find the things I need to teach.

Its now Sat afternoon and I went to Costco this morning with two teachers and got a bunch of stuff that is hard to find in the neighborhood stores. I picked up some Honey Nut Cheerios , ravioli and sauce, sandwich meat, cheese, and some granola bars. Tonight Im going with a fellow teacher to one of the foreign neighborhoods for a bar opening party that is being thrown by a friend of my recruiter. My recruiter is a Canadian who is the essentially the mediator between my school and me and helped place me in my job. According to the invitation the majority of people there will be teachers so Im looking forward to meeting some more Americans and Canadians. Dont worry, Ill be safe!

Thats about it, hope all is well in the States. Still no pics, sorry, I promise Im working on it.

Hello from Seoul

2008-08-21T19:02:00.000+09:00

Hello all, I am writing this from the rooftop of my apartment as I do not have internet yet. Luckily, there is a strong signal if I sit in the far corner of the roof. So far everything has been great, where do I begin?

The Trip: The trip went great, I left NYC on Sunday morning (thanks to Holly for braving the subway with me at 530 am) and traveled to San Francisco where I had to connect to Seoul. I was not thrilled about the 13 hr trip to Korea but I ended up getting a great seat in an exit row and as soon as I sat down, the man who was next was just getting up and told me he had just been bumped up to Business class and that I had two seats to myself. So, the flight was pretty easy compared to what it could have been.

Customs were easy and fast in Seoul and as soon as I got my bags there was a man standing at the door with a sign with my name on it. He spoke no English but handed me a phone and I spoke to my contact in Seoul and he told me that the driver was going to bring me to my apartment where he would meet me. The trip into the city was about 30 min but went pretty fast because you can watch TV on all the GPS systems here. Yes, it can be dangerous, but it definitely made the time go fast-we watched the Olympics and a channel dedicated to this online game that is apparently huge here and very similar to World of Warcraft. I knew nothing about it but my driver was very into it and I found out there are 24hr internet cafes dedicated to this game and players have been known to have heart attacks from drinking energy drinks and staying up for days playing. Check out the videos if you want to see the GPS in action.

My Apartment: My apartment is not bad and also not what I expected. Most apartments here are designed like lofts with no divisions for the bedroom and living room. Also, most are square in shape. Mine is more of an long rectangle that opens to a square bedroom divided by sliding glass doors. I realize this may not be the best way to describe it and its probably pretty hard to picture so just check out my pictures if you are curious. The bathroom is separated by a door but the weird thing in South Korea is that almost no bathrooms have tubs or showers, most are cased in tile and have a drain on the floor for the water that comes from a shower head that extends from the sink. So, what you do is turn the sink on, push a knob, and pick up the shower and use it while standing in the middle of the bathroom. Your towel is raised at an angle to it is hard to get wet and the toilet paper has a metal cover on it so it doesnt get soaked with water. Also, there are enclosed shelves for your toiletries. On a side note, I went the first two days taking cold showers because I thought my hot water was broken but it turns out there is a box on the wall outside the bathroom that allows you to "direct" the hot water to where you want it to go (bathroom, kitchen, floor for heating). Needless to say my shower this morning was a lot more enjoyable.

My Neighborhood: My neighborhood isnt that interesting, pretty much everyone in Seoul has an apartment so its like walking down tiny streets or alleys with nothing to look at but buildings. Seoul is divided into provinces and then into neighborhoods and Im lucky to be about a 5-10 min walk from the nightlife area of my province. This area is nothing but lights, lights, and more lights. When I first saw it I immediately thought of Tokyo for some reason because every picture I have seen of Tokyo seems to have millions of neon lights. Here is no exception, there are neon lights on every sign and in every window. The teachers that I work with live on surrounding streets and with the exception of them, I have not seen any other white people, although I am told the exist.

My School: Where I work, Kids College, is really cool and is located in the business distict of my province. The school is about a 30 min walk from my apartment but I get picked up every morning with the rest of the teachers in this yellow bus/van and have about a 10 min drive to school. However, unless I want to stay until 630 every evening I have to find my own way home. I actually took the subway and bus today which was easier than I thought but took about 45 min total. Ill prob end up taking a cab most times because they are rediculously cheap and I can split one with some other teachers.

The school occupies the 4th and 5th floor of a building and has about 10 classrooms, a library, gym/auditorium, two offices, and a teachers lounge that houses my desk. My desk was by no means bare when I arrived, the teacher who I replaced left EVERYTHING, including needed things like lesson plans and teaching materials along with more useless things like year old homework and open deoderant.

Teaching has been pretty confusing so far, I have never been put into a situation that I felt to untrained and unprepared for. Dont get me wrong, the teachers have been great in helping me in every way and I actually shadowed them on Tues and Wed, but the class rotation is complicated and finding the right book, locating the right lesson, and the overall teaching is going to take a bit of getting used to. Kids College is a pretty big company by Seoul standards and has 3 campuses in the area. They are well established and because of this they have developed their own teaching materials to go along with their classes. What this means to me is that in order to teach a class that rotates every day, I have to dig through my desk for a book that has a generic cover with a simple title on it and is also mixed in with the books needed for my other classes, including ones from years past. My predecessor was not organized. I think I have finally gotten every book I need located but it still takes a bit to find the one I need since they all look the same. Hopefully I can take them all home with me this weekend and establish a tentative lesson plan, apparently that makes the day go faster.

The teachers I work with are nothing short of awesome, they are all cool and willing to help me with everything from teaching, Korean traditions, and directions. Two of them even met me at my apartment when I arrived. The group is a mix between Canadians and Americans with the majority being Canadian. However, between departures and arrivals of teachers in the next two weeks Americans will be back on top like we deserve.

Anyway, thats it for now, Im sure I will post a lot more when I get the chance but I know this has gotten pretty long by now. AND, before I go, please disregard the comments about pictures, while I was writing this my pictures were supposed to be uploading but I just realized something got messed up and they havent. So, I will try and remedy the situation and will make sure to let everyone know when they are available.

Adios,

Quincy

Departure CONFIRMED!

2008-08-16T07:58:00.000+09:00

After 2 weeks of delays, my departure has been confirmed, I will leave my beautiful hosts in NYC this Sunday, connect in San Francisco and reach Seoul on Monday!

Assuming I have an internet connection, expect an update when I reach my new apartment.

TEST

2008-08-01T09:14:00.001+09:00

TEST