documentaristdocumentaristmy life as an esl teacher in south korea. Articles
changma
2007-06-22 12:25:00 the korean season of changma is upon us. what is that? you might ask... it's the monsoon season. my first. i mean, it rains in the spring in montreal, but there is always some reprieve... but according to the (limited) research i've done, it's pretty much going to rain until i go to thailand in 6 weeks.it started yesterday. i was told on monday that it would be coming later this week, and sure enough they were right. maybe the meteorologists in korea have some kind of sophisticated equipment that those in canada don't... or maybe it just happens every year at the same time. i'll bet on the latter.the average annual rainfall in busan in july is around TEN INCHES, or 257 mm. i know, it doesn't really sound like that much when you think about it over a period of a month... but montreal gets about 3 inches in the same period...i've also read that the relative humidity will reach up to 90% in the next month. thank god for air conditioning at home! it's another story at school #1,... More About: Chang , Chan
startled
2007-06-21 12:14:00 i was startled by one of my students today. well, i'm startled by them rather often, but not so much that i remember to write about it here.i was on my lunch break walk when i saw two boys climbing down a large wall that encloses the elementary school next door. i asked them what they were doing and one of them replied "nothing" - surprise #1: that he would know to say that. i said, "oh, that's great!" pleased that he had correctly used a word in english.surprise #2 came a moment later when the other boy said "shut the fuck up." i was blown away! i can't manage to get them to stop saying "i'm fine thank you and you" and they're running around saying things like that! it's to be expected, of course, but it just took me by surprise. this boy never says anything - in korean or english - in class... so for him to come out like that was really odd.i told him to never say that ever again and poked him in the shoulder. then i told all of his friends (as we arrived back in the school ...
pinkeye
2007-06-20 07:00:00 there is an epidemic at my school this week... of conjunctivitis or for the non-medically inclined, pinkeye. everywhere i turned at school today i saw red, oozing, and infected eyes. western medical experts suggest keeping a kid home for a few days when they have pinkeye because it's so contagious, but not the koreans. the kids will leave for a few classes, go to the doctor and come back, ready to pass it on to their friends - which is the first thing they do, so that everyone gets to miss a class or two.i'm wondering how long it will take to spread to the teachers room - at least tomorrow i head off to school #2, where hopefully the same thing isn't going on. i've heard, though, that this is totally normal near the end of the semester when exams are approaching. maybe it's an excuse to give their parents when they do so poorly... "i was sick and couldn't study...".Signs and symptoms Pink eye (conjunctivitis) The most common signs and symptoms of pink eye include: ...
fun with phones
2007-06-16 15:00:00 if you've been reading this for a long time, you might remember my troubles with getting a mobile phone when i arrived in korea. i, of course, finally did get one - it's a pay-as-you-go, which has never posed any problems for me, and is actually better since i don't really use it enough to justify a monthly bill.i've only had to fill it with air time about four times, i usually put around 20 or 30,000 W on it and that lasts me for months. (a lot of text messaging and not much actual calling)... in fact, i couldn't remember the last time i put money on it, so i knew the time was coming... anyway, this morning i tried to send a message and it failed... this is the only way i have of knowing that i'm out of credit. i'm sure there is some procedure, but not speaking the language doesn't afford me that option... oh well.this afternoon i headed to the phone store to pay up. i went into the store that i went to last time, and the guy told me that i couldn't put any money on it cau... More About: Phones
the guy down the street
2007-06-13 14:35:00 a few months ago i was enjoying a peaceful afternoon in my apartment. i may have been reading, or watching lost, or some such activity. it was winter. it was cold out.all of a sudden i heard a voice - no, not in my head - outside my building (so much for good insulation!). i figured it was someone getting in their car or just passing by. the voice didn't go away though. after about twenty minutes i popped my head out the window to see what the raucous was.there was a guy standing in the alley one building over, yelling at nothing. i'm not a stranger to mental illness, i'm sure everyone knows someone who has dealt with mental illness... so i shrugged and went back to my book. a while later i heard a different voice yelling something in korean and then the guy stopped and went inside.this has been a scenario that has occurred many times since then. i'm writing about it, cause it's happening right now. even though it's raining, he's out there - with an umbrella - yelling at the ... More About: Street , The G
stuff
2007-06-08 10:36:00 well, i've already fallen off the daily posting band wagon... sorry. this is just a quick post to say that there will be lots soon as i'm off to ulsan... we all know that means more adventures of kat and liz... so hopefully, no, definitely will have something interesting to post soon... so stay tuned. we might head up to gyeongju, of winter camp fame, to check out more of the "sights" than i got to see the first time around.anyway, it's raining right now. the thunder was so loud it set off a car alarm down the street three times! when the lightning flashed i thought a power line had exploded outside my apartment from the flash of light. this, after a sunny day of 25 plus degrees... anyway, how boring am i that i have to write about the weather?have a good weekend everyone.**a little shout out to kassandra - CONGRATULATIONS on the new job! More About: Stuff
memorial day
2007-06-06 11:35:00 i spent the morning running errands and the afternoon basking in the sun on my rooftop. i didn't really think much about why i had the day off until i came to writing this post.today is memorial day in korea. a day to remember the sacrifice of soldiers and civilians who lost their lives during the korean war. there's a big televised ceremony at the national cemetary in seoul, just like we have in canada on remembrance day. i didn't watch it. in fact, i didn't know about it until about an hour ago... oh well.for me today was just another day off. it didn't seem like anything was different today except banks and schools were closed. something familiar in a land far away. remembrance day in canada is very similar. we take one minute out of our day to think about the lost. same here. at 10 am you're supposed to stop and think.i kind of feel like it's become so routine in our lives to just accept that countries go to war, and inevitably there is a loss of life. canada has been fee... More About: Memorial Day , Memorial , Memo , Rial
happy birthday to...
2007-06-05 11:50:00 my school? yup. today is school #1's birthday, which meant another day off. you might remember school #2 had it's birthday a couple of weeks ago... and school #3 had their birthday today too... how come the schools' i attended never had birthdays? and even if they did, it didn't mean having a day off!!! just another crazy (good) thing in korea!so i spent the day cleaning my apartment from top to bottom - literally. i killed a cockroach the other day. it was the second that i've seen since september... so i'm not worried about an infestation, but i also want to make sure that i don't have to. some interesting facts about cockroaches:- Cockroaches are some of the most ancient insects. Fossil records show their relatives have been around, virtually unchanged in appearance, for over 350 million years.- The popular Latin American song "La Cucuracha" means The Cockroach.- The common German Cockroach can survive for over a month without food, but less than 2 weeks without water.- C... More About: Happy , Birthday , Happy Birthday
see sand, feel sand, enjoy sand
2007-06-04 12:02:00 SAND! that's right, this weekend was all about sand. the haeundae sand festival was on so a bunch of waegooks headed into the big city. i made plans with kat (of the amazing adventures of kat and liz fame) and deb (a good friend from orientation i hadn't seen in 6 months) to meet for the occasion. i spent much of saturday afternoon wandering around the beach on my own as all the other waegooks headed to the baseball game... i had to meet kat an hour after the game started so i didn't go. still had a good time though wandering among the various activities on the beach.no smoking campaigna mermaid!volleyball tournamentlots of kids and families playing in the waterthe sun and clouds didn't really co-operate with the organizers of the festival, but it was still warm out (25ish). when the sun did show itself it was really nice, but the best part was the sand! no, seriously, i LOVE sand... the feel of it squishing between your toes... nothing beats it! well, almost nothing.saturday ni... More About: Enjoy , Sand , Feel
overnight in pohang
2007-05-28 12:57:00 this weekend a gang of gimhaens descended upon the city of Poha ng. i was among them. a couple of canucks from here were playing in a hockey game so we went to cheer them on. apparently it worked because they played much better than they did here in gimhae. (i wasn't there, so that's based purely on what i heard.)a street in pohangwe caught the bus around noon and arrived about two hours later. we checked into a motel and headed for an orphanage where kim worked a few years ago. having grown up in the 80's i always get this picture of the poor little orphan annie in my head; children in rags, scrubbing the floors and being beaten when they are bad... but it wasn't anything like that at all.the valentine motel... our little love nest!!!the kids were fascinated with the waegooks - going so far as to measure nose and leg hair lengths of the boys -- which was hilarious! they were sweet and fun. the orphanage is set up with different "apartments" - each one has about ten kids and one ...
happy birthdays
2007-05-24 12:54:00 first to Abbey. what a night! and second to Buddha, what a great day off!dave made this adorable sign!yesterday abbey hosted her birthday dinner where we indulged in all manner of tex-mex; nachos and salsa, quesedillas, and tacos! then of course, there was the ice cream birthday cake from baskin robbins! i think we all gained about ten pounds in a few hours!mmm... tacos....kim even made a pinata for the event! it was loads of fun to watch abbey trying to break it. finally it fell to the floor where she beat it open.hit it!finally we all headed to the noraebang (karaoke) where fun was had by all. we were joined by a mass of other people and sang late into the night (or early into the morning - i got home at 4am and i left before almost everyone else!)and all that thanks to buddha having his birthday today - which meant no one had to work and we could all stay out! this weekend: pohang. More About: Birthdays , Happy , Happy Birthday
sometimes
2007-05-23 10:49:00 i just don't have anything to say. can you believe it? well, it's true. soon, however, i will have many wonderful stories with which to regale you. for now, happy wednesday, TOMORROW IS A HOLIDAY!!!! More About: Some
back to stage two
2007-05-19 04:33:00 They say culture shock can last for years. I believe them. I was having a good run of things, despite all the 'crap'; I was feeling pretty good, in general, about being here. The last week has seen a resurgence of my culture shock. I?m not sure what triggered it, but everything i do makes it worse.A friend of mine recently wrote a post on her blog about how when you?re far away from home emotions are heightened. When you?re up, you?re really UP, and when you?re down, you?re really DOWN. I?m in the latter at the moment.I think it may have something to do with the realization that I?ll be going home in about three months; then what? I?ve been thinking too much about the future and it?s freaking me out. It?s also making me feel like I'm wasting my time here... I just want to get on with it.It may also have something to do with having gotten out of here and seen something different in Japan. It just brought home a lot of things about Korea that I don?t like.It?s also partly realizing... More About: Back , Stage
just another...
2007-05-17 12:12:00 i worked in a bank for almost five years. not in a branch, but in customer service answering the phones - on the front lines of complaints at that; for three of those years i was a supervisor. when i wasn't on a complaint call, there was other work to be done, but when that was done, all i could do was sit there and wait for the phone to ring. to alleviate the boredom i became addicted to cheesy online games like the ones at popcap. we weren't supposed to play games, but everyone just kind of looked the other way... when you're bored, you're bored... and you have to find anything to make work bearable.this worked for a long time, but i was sick of my job long before i left it to come to korea. in fact the bank job was one of the reasons i came. i didn't want to just go out and find another mundane, run-of-the-mill kind of job, i was free from university and was looking for adventure... so i moved halfway around the world... and here we are.the thing is, my job here, though at t... More About: Another
happy teachers day!
2007-05-16 11:43:00 what a fantastic holiday. teachers day is not what it used to be (or so i hear) but just getting an extra day off is a gift unto itself! i spent my teachers day at the beach, soaking up the rays, with a few friends. a couple of them got loads of presents and gift certificates, where i got a pink balloon and a note. oh well... like i said, a day off is a day off!!!the koreans were out as well... we found these ones buried in the sand!wes, dave and abbey chillin' in the sand...down the beach.the sun didn't seem very strong, but i've come away with my first (and hopefully only) burn of the year. i had sunblock on (only 15 spf, as that's usually enough) but i guess i should take a hint from the stores which sell almost exclusively 30 spf. point taken... it won't happen again. don't think this will peel... and will hopefully be a nice brown in a couple of days.it was a great day for relaxing on the beach... thanks guys! More About: Happy , Teacher , Hers , Teachers , Teac
miscellaneous pictures
2007-05-12 12:01:00 (or fukuoka, japan - the finale)these are just random pictures that didn't really fit into the other posts... funny, different, strange... it's all here... enjoy!on the streetno smoking on the streets of fukuoka!even the manholes are interesting!boys should not hit girls with their bikes!fire hydrants are undergroundexcept for the signs! which have advertising on them!beware of the giant man-eating turtles! (i didn't even see any turtles!)in the storegreen tea kit-kat!because women don't chew gum?!?need an individual size glass of ice?some people...a burned out building with one room left is a perfectly suitable place to sell chestnuts!yes, there are homeless people in japan. more than you would think. this was just outside the walls of the castle ruins...in the train station at night after everything closes... people will sleep anywhere they can... so sad... japan was a great experience, despite only being there for two days. it was truly a breath of fresh air for me. it helped... More About: Pictures , Ella
shrines and temples
2007-05-10 12:05:00 (or fukuoka, japan part four)there are tons of temples and shrines dotting the map of fukuoka. i made it to three. oh well, better luck next time, but with only two days, i had to choose wisely. it would be nice if there were some kind of ultimate guide to shrines and temples in fukuoka (or even japan for that matter) but if there is, i didn't have it. so i just had to go with my gut. the ones i visted were based on proximity to where i was and where i needed to be.on friday, shortly after leaving the hostel (headed for the festival) i came upon ryuguji temple. it is tiny and hidden between two large office buildings, but being the first one i saw in japan, i had to stop in.ryuguji templeit's just a tiny little place and sorry the picture isn't that good... but (again) the weather was horrendous the whole time i was there. the story (according to the little plaque outside the temple) goes:In 1222, a mermaid was cought, a sign which was taken to mean the eternity of our nation and... More About: Temples , Temp
sightseeing
2007-05-08 12:19:00 (or fukuoka, japan part two)i visited the canal city complex on friday early evening. it's basically a giant mall but is often referred to as a city within the city. it is apparently one of the "largest composite complexes in all of Asia". it boasts hundreds of stores (including the gap, which i was exstatic about), tons of restaurants, two hotels, a theater, entertainment complex and on and on... it is huge. i went there twice actually and didn't see the whole thing... definitely worth checking out. oh! and the best part was Wendy's!! that's right i had a REAL bacon cheeseburger - it was to die for!!!canal city (or a part of it anyway)it's called canal city because of the canal that runs through it... here children are playing in the water - totally permitted and even encouraged!a nicer shot of the canal with the fountain that was exploding to songs by ABBA... promo for "mamma mia" which was playing at the theater.wendy's in japan - looks like every other wendy's i've ever ... More About: Seeing , Sigh , Sight , Sightseeing
Hakata Dontaku Port Festival
2007-05-07 12:47:00 (or Fukuoka, Japan - part one)i arrived in fukuoka in the early afternoon on May 4th - the second, and last, day of the Hakata Dontaku Fest ival . i knew that there was some kind of festival going on before i went, but coming from a city whose prime activity is festivals, i didn't really think much of it. turns out that this is one of the biggest festivals in all of japan! over two million people turn out every year for the two day celebration that dates back over 820 years.ladies in kimono and flower hats - hanakasa - unofficial symbols of the festival.in 1179 the merchants of Hakata (fukuoka) organized a parade for their feudal lord. the parade, named Matsubayashi after the lord it originally honoured has remained unchanged since the middle ages. on may 3rd of every year a parade of over 12,000 locals in all kinds of traditional dress follow a procession of three gods of fortune on horse back - Fukurokuju (god of long life), Ebisu (god of business), and Daikoku (god of wealth). in ... More About: Port
back from fukuoka
2007-05-06 13:04:00 just a super quick note to say i am back from fukuoka, japan. here are a couple of pictures taken from the fukuoka tower to get you revved up for the posts to come... i promise details soon!up the coasttowards the citysorry, i just don't have time for more at the moment... taking the rest of the night off to relax before i'm back to the monsters tomorrow morning! the next few days will be full of so many posts you'll be sick of reading! More About: Back , Fukuoka
ready, set...
2007-05-03 09:59:00 GO!i'm all set for japan tomorrow. i went and got some ¥en today at the KEB (korea exchange bank) and the rate was better than i thought it would be. it's really strange to be buying yet another currency. i don't know if i should think about it in terms of the won or the dollar... then i get confused. foreign exchange has never been my forte...even when i was working at the bank. i always hated questions about exchange and rates, i just can't wrap my head around it.i'm just going to keep thinking that 100¥ is like 1$...and 1$ is like 1000W... hopefully i won't end up spending my grandchildrens' inheritance! i've heard of people getting really confused in japan and thinking in terms of won when they see a price that says 40,000 which in korea is pretty cheap (around 40$), but in japan it's actually like 400$! i'll just have to steer clear of anything with more than three zeroes! of course, i am looking (thinking, debating...) to buy a digital SLR while i'm there, so that'... More About: Ready
happy may day
2007-05-01 11:03:00 four months to go! i know that sounds pessimistic, but i know it's going to fly by just as quickly as the last eight have. today was labour day in korea, as it was in many countries around the world. being canadian, i have always celebrated labour day on the first monday in september and until today didn't know that it's may 1st in almost every other country in the world (barring the US). however, since i am not a "labourer" i didn't get the day off. that was the weird part for me, since in canada it's a day for everyone, not just "labourers". oh well... it was a pretty chill day anyway...the students are all taking their mid-term exams so there isn't anything for me to do. which is nice because it meant that i spent the morning sleeping in the "rest room" at school and then was allowed to leave at lunch time. so i guess i got my labour day after all! it's just so weird that i still have to go in, even if i spend the whole time sleeping. why not just let me do that at home? a... More About: Happy
the Bonghwang-dong
2007-04-29 12:17:00 no, i'm not writing about dirty things... this post is about the area in gimhae known as bonghwang-dong (dong being akin to 'hood). this is a historically significant area that has recently been renovated to increase it's importance. basically gimhae has been home to people since the bronze age and this particular area housed the ruling class of the Geumgwan Gaya period. it is also the site of the first archeological excavation in korea (in 1920).really it's a nifty little park now. i'd never visited it though it's been in the back of my mind since fall. i pass by it all the time and today i was walking by and decided to finally check it out.a map of the whole area. i basically walked around the whole thing in about 30 minutes.at the front entrance (bottom left of the map) there is a big field where kids play and families picnic. to the right of the field there's a little 'lake' (more of a dirty pond...) which is sort of neat because it has a traditional boat sitting in the... More About: Hwang , Dong , Wang
it's happenin'
2007-04-27 10:35:00 i'm going to japan next week for two days!!! i know it's only two days, but still, i'm going to JAPAN!!! when is the next time i'm ever going to be able to hop over for the weekend? probably never... so i might as well take advantage. i picked up my ferry tickets today - it's a three-hour ride from busan to fukuoka - and i also booked my hostel - Khaosan Fukuoka International Hostel... i know it won't have enough time to do all the things i would like to, but i'll try my best!i also made my trip to immigration to fix up the re-entry on my visa and amazingly there were no problems. i was in and out. since i was in busan i figured i might as well check out the nampo-dong area (one subway station over) since i had never really been there before. it was a really cool area with lots of shopping and street vendors. it seems like an area where you can get anything...from dried squid... to kimbap and other street food...to neck ties...and don't forget the "feminism fashion" !!! thi...
to the doctor we go again...
2007-04-26 15:30:00 went to the doctors today since i've been feeling like crap for the past five days. my chest has been tight, my nose running like a race horse, and i was having trouble breathing. turns out that the asian dust has affected me more than thought... at least that's what the doc said. i have mild asthma and allergies to the air - that's why i feel like crap all the time.so he prescribed me an inhaler and some pills (not sure what those are). i looked up the inhaler online before using it and it seems ok. the same thing i'd get if this were happening back home. so yay! ummm...ya. anyway, the good news is that i'll hopefully be feeling better soon... the bad news is that i really am allergic to korea... just like that very first doctor told me in september! i'll either have to limit the amount of time i spend outside or get one of those face masks like the locals... think i'll feel pretty stupid wearing one, but if it's going to help... then it might just be the only option. i am ... More About: Again , Doctor , The D
not so cool school
2007-04-25 12:59:00 you have to read the previous post "is it friday already" for this to have full impact... so go do that.now, isn't school #2 so cool? i swear that thirty seconds after posting that my co-teacher from school #2 called. i shouldn't have answered. keep in mind it's 8PM here... turns out that the principal decided today that i should actually go to school and sit around and do nothing all day!!! WTF??!?!?! my co-teacher told him there is nothing for me to do, that the computer doesn't even work, and that i'd already been told not to come in, but NO, he insisted that i have to be there. so i told her that i'm taking a sick day - which is no lie, i am sick... and that i'm going to the doctor tomorrow... which i was planning on doing anyway... along with going to the bank etc...i told her to make sure that i don't have to go in next week when everyone else in the entire school will be away on a field trip... since that's when i'm supposed to be going to japan. fuckers. i'm so pi... More About: Cool , School
is it friday already??!?
2007-04-25 12:42:00 it sure feels like it! i don't have to go to work until monday!!! plenty of time for me to get over whatever new korean disease has taken over my body! i hope anyway...why don't i have to work? is there a national holiday? perhaps a "ped" day as we used to call them in high school? nope. school #2 is just really awesome. tomorrow is the last day of mid-term exams and being the wonderful people they are, have told me that i don't need to bother coming in since there is nothing for me to do. if only school #1 would do the same... i have three days of sitting around next week during their mid-terms. if both schools were cool, then i'd have eleven days off!!! i could have gone somewhere really cool with that much time... but alas, my school ain't cool... (ok, sorry so cheesy...)anyway, that accounts for thursday, what about friday? saturday is school #2's "birthday" - yes, schools have birthdays too! (ok, maybe only in korea, but with the way they count birthdays here, i'm not su... More About: Friday , Frida , Ready
Popping Penguins
2007-04-24 09:41:00 YAY! got to school this morning and was informed that my popcorn machine FINALLY arrived. my co-teacher had actually called to cancel the order because it was taking so long... and i was certain i'd never get it! but it came!!!! YAY!!! it's the cutest thing ever... and in true korean style it's shaped like a penguin!!! (of all things!)in all it's penguin gloryfirst pops!it's fast and efficient!anyone who knows me knows how much i LOVE popcorn... i can't live without it. i've been eating the microwave kind for years, but they don't have any light or fat free here in korea... i've gotten so used to light and butter free that i can't really stand the stuff anymore, so this is the perfect solution! i can put whatever i like on it! (usually kernels flavour powder, but i'm all out and waiting for more to arrive from canada... hint... hint... ;~) anyway, just so happy... at least one good thing happened today. More About: Ping , Penguin , Poppi , Guin
another day, another school
More articles from this author:2007-04-23 11:50:00 started my "after school" class today at a new school - we'll call it school #3. there are some problems with the contract that need to be sorted out, so i haven't signed one yet... maybe i shouldn't have taught the class... but whatever...i don't like the class room they've got me in. it's cold and there is this HUGE desk that i have to stand in front of. i don't like being 'seperated' from the kids desks... it's like having a giant barrier between us... anyway, they're little monsters just like every other school/class that i teach.it took twenty minutes to take attendance! the co-ordinator of the program worked really hard to write all their names in english letters for me to read, but it would have been easier in korean. the pronunciation was all off and half the kids didn't know when i was saying their name because i was saying it wrong. i asked them for the class list in korean for next time. i'll be helping them choose english nicknames anyway, so it won't reall... More About: School , Another 1, 2, 3, 4 |
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