Seoul

Interview finished, awaiting contact

2011-04-25T15:58:00.000-04:00

I had my interview last night, I think it went pretty well. I spoke to the principal, Ms. Kim, and to someone else named Ellie, I forget what her title is though. They both sounded very nice and pleasant, but they were both concerned about my ability to control the kindergarten students in the class I'll be taking over. Apparently the current teacher has asked to transfer to another position

Interview pending, still waiting

2011-04-22T13:26:00.000-04:00

I have an interview Sunday night at 9:30 with the principal of YBM. I don't want to do an interview on Easter, nor do I want to do one that late since I'll be waking up at about 5am to work at McDonald's (more on McD's later). But I want to get that interview in asap, and that's the time they suggested. As for paperwork, I just got my degree apostilled, still waiting on my CBC to come back.

My prophecies coming true!

2011-01-13T13:39:00.003-05:00

For the extremely large amount of readers I have (sarcasm), you may remember back on April 22, 2009, I had a post about my predictions for the cell phone future. In it I said a bunch of crazy things, and one of those is coming true. Here's what I said:For those of you who don't know what Electronic Ink is, it's a screen that isn't backlight like your normal monitor. Backlit screens are bad for

Applying to Teach in Korea Again

2011-01-11T20:46:00.002-05:00

On Sunday I sent my resume in to http://morganrecruiters.com/ to get a placement in Korea. I've insisted on a job in or near Gangnam, teaching pre-school, kindergarten, elementary, or college, with a 9-5ish schedule. Almost anything else I'll compromise on. I'm pretty excited about the prospect of returning to Korea, but honestly, I've been applying to several jobs in Charleston and will take

Resurrection Sunday Prayer

2010-04-03T13:01:00.003-04:00

Father, make us faithful as Joseph of Arimethea, make us loving as the two Marys, make us as bold as Peter, make us as beloved as John, make us as thoughtful as Thomas in this Resurrection season.Thank you for the Resurrection, both Your Son's, and our own future resurrection that your Son's promises. Thank you for the Passion, the passiveness with which the Christ suffered, and by which He was

I'm home!

2010-03-07T02:22:00.003-05:00

I am home, safe and sound. The flghts weren't bad, though there was a SCREAMING baby on the long flight. Touched down about 15 minutes early in Charleston and 9 friends were there to meet me. Good friends, good times.

Lots to say...I think

2010-02-20T22:46:00.002-05:00

It's been quite a while, sorry. The past 3-4 months I've been terrible at communicating with you guys. There are still two emails in my inbox from late Dec/early Jan.... I've just been in a funky mood. Well, today I woke up at noon (sorta early for me), felt great, and decided to update and post pics. First, I went to the 63 building. It's Korea's tallest building. It was built in 1985,

Quick Update

2010-01-05T12:08:00.003-05:00

It's been a couple of weeks since I've posted, and I've done a fair bit in that time, but for now I'll just give a brief rundown and fill in some details later.On both Xmas eve and New Year's Eve, my friend and I went into Itaewon (the foreign center of Seoul and therefore the sleaziest, dirtiest part, relatively speaking of course. Basically, it feels like America, haha) to a club, then to a

The high today will be 14

2009-12-18T22:43:00.001-05:00

I am just speechless. That's the high today with the wind chill factored in.

What does "-4" mean?

2009-12-16T11:44:00.003-05:00

Wind chill is -4F tonight. I don't even know what that means!! I see it's a toasty 55 in SC...jerks. On the plus side I am coping very well without my ebook reader, well enough that I question whether I should spend the $100 to fix it. I am going to bc I have access to hundreds of my favorite books, bit if I lived near a library I probably wouldn't. I am very busy this semester with classes,

Just 3 things

2009-12-05T14:06:00.002-05:00

This is copied directly from an email I sent my friend who is living in an Islamic country right now, so certain words are censored. I trust that you can figure them out, however. I am in a rather melancholy mood tonight, that may explain why I speak so frankly of my loneliness.There are three things I am thinking and prying about in my life, and would appreciate your support. First, my ebook

Tragedy!

2009-12-05T10:26:00.002-05:00

I just pulled my ebook reader out of my pocket to find that the screen broke at some point in the past thirty minutes!!! I am seriously saddened, and the only recourse for me is to blog about it...how sad.... I emailed the company right away and hope it can be fixed, rather than having to completely replace it. I just don't know what to do, I really can't explain how crestfallen I am right now

Heresies, Experiences, and Bad Acting

2009-11-28T12:16:00.003-05:00

Today was good. I met up with Grace in Seoul where we went to Costco and bought the makings of a Thanksgiving Dinner. This was quite an experience since the foods are difficult to find here. What we ended up with was a small ham, corn on the cob, broccoli and cream soup (Grace wanted it, even though I told her soup isn't a Thanksgiving thing), salad, and homemade mashed cheesy potatoes.

Thankfulness

2009-11-26T10:33:00.003-05:00

Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Jesus the Christ. -Paul of TarsusFor those of you who want to know God's will for your life, well there it is. I am truly thankful this Thanksgiving (even though technically it's Friday here). As all of you probably know, it hasn't been exactly easy for me living here because I basically have no friends outside of working hours.

This is what a witch's teat feels like

2009-11-17T09:06:00.000-05:00

It's cold here. Witch's teat kind of cold. Open a tin can with my nipples kind of cold. Don't sit down on the toilet kind of cold. The wind chill here is -6C, or 21F. For you Charlestonians and MBers, that's colder than the coldest night in January...and it's mid-November. The average low in January here is -6C, with a light wind that quickly gets to -10C, or in the low teens. I started a

The Nature of Trust, Fear, and Relationships

2009-11-16T12:10:00.004-05:00

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and I guess it started while I was thinking about the employer-employee relationship: particularly the fear they may inspire (in a bad way). I am not talking about any unnatural, horror kind of fear, just the usual fear that accompanies the feeling of guilt that one has broken a rule, knowingly or unknowingly, or the simple fear of punishment, just or

Laughing

2009-11-14T08:53:00.001-05:00

This is a vignette primarily about loneliness. I'm reading Chuck Palahniuk so it's somewhat influenced by his style.And this guy walks out of a corner store laughing maniacally, staring right into my mouth as if lip-reading words that aren't there. I'm walking, I'm walking, I'm walking. I see a billboard with a woman in a bikini. Over her head are the words "Testicular cancer?" and below her

Happy Late Pepero Day!

2009-11-13T22:46:00.001-05:00

November 11th, known to the rest of the world as a little holiday called "Veteran's Day," is Bbaebbaelo (pronounced something like pepelow) Day. A Bbaebbaelo is a lot like a long, very thin, cookie, covered in chocolate at one end. It reminds me of an anorexic bread stick from Olive Garden. The irony of the day was not lost on my students as I explained to them what Veteran's Day is, and how

Darn Daylight Savings Time

2009-11-12T23:00:00.002-05:00

I'm a huge fan of xkcd. It updates on MWF at noon Eastern US time. That worked out perfectly for me for a long time because that meant 1pm here. I'd read my xkcd, jump in the shower, and go to work. However, thanks to the stupid Daylight Savings Time, it now updates at 2pm, which is the exact moment I am supposed to be at work. It actually took me all this week to realize what was happening.

Cheong Gye Mountain Part 2

2009-11-10T09:44:00.002-05:00

I went hiking to Cheong Gye Mountain again this past weekend with my new friend Poppy.How we met was pretty interesting. I was selling something on Dave's ESL Cafe (an international English teacher's website) and she wanted to buy it. This was over the summer, but she said she wasn't in Korea at the time and she was coming in August. By the time she got here we had already emailed a few times

Church in Baghdad

2009-11-03T22:07:00.004-05:00

I received an email from a friend about a church in Baghdad that was the recent victim of a bombing. I won't waste my words, I will let you read them from the source. This is from their blog. If you're interested in more, here's their website: Dear Friends,I am very sorry to tell you that the two major bomb

My New Apartment

2009-11-02T09:13:00.005-05:00

I moved Saturday, and all went well. There were a few minor hiccups, like the movers being 25 minutes early while I was at a restaurant eating breakfast. Or the movers not being told where I live and relying on me to get them there, in broken Korean and English! Fortunately, I assumed that would happen and when I was taken there on Friday I made some mental notes of how to get there. From

Packing

2009-10-30T10:26:00.001-04:00

So I'm moving tomorrow. The mover will be here at 10.30 to get my stuff. I have an appointment at 10.00 to set up internet, which is impossible unless the guy's first appointments run long. I doubt they'll run more than an hour long, which is what I'll need if I'm to get to my apartment before him. If I don't, I won't have internet until Monday. What ever will I do!?I packed two small boxes

Cheong Gye Mountain

2009-10-25T06:18:00.002-04:00

Topia organized a hike yesterday. It's a pretty popular thing to do, have your boss organize some outing and then them force you to do it regardless of what you already had planned or whatever. I wanted to go, so it didn't matter, and I don't think Topia did that yesterday, but Joy and Grace's mom both work at the same hospital, and their boss made them hike the same mountain as we did

My realization of my loss of happiness

2009-10-19T09:55:00.004-04:00

Saturday was my real birthday celebration. I spent all afternoon with Grace, shopping for some winter shoes (which I didn't find and ended up having to buy online for twice what they're worth), eating, just hanging out in Seoul. After that she met a friend and I went back to Jukjeon and watched a movie with Joy (the girl I'm trying to date). The choices were Fame and District 9. I told her I

God's Will

2009-10-17T11:18:00.002-04:00

God's will is a phrase we toss about today like a beanbag at a 6-year-old's birthday party. When the idea of it first came to humanity, it was likely to a nomadic man somewhere in Mesopotamia whose idea of freedom was likely so vastly different than ours as to almost defy definition in our modern frame of mind. As it progressed, and seemingly came to a head in the New Testament, so did the

An Enquiry into Somatosensoral Words and Their Subjective Meanings, Particularly Applied to the Eastern Mindset vs the Western Mindset.

2009-10-09T23:19:00.002-04:00

Apparently, in the Korean toothbrush market, "Soft" is merely a relative term to differentiate between toothbrush bristles which will rip concrete from its moorings, from those that will merely rip your gums from your head.

Good News, Bad News

2009-10-09T22:27:00.002-04:00

First, the bad news. I was told Thursday that the lease on my apartment is up at the end of this month and will have to move because the prices in the area have increased as much as 25%. I won't be moving too far away, just a 10-minute bus ride probably, but that's a lot more than a 3-minute walk :( Plus, I've gotta pack all my stuff. I've been told that when it comes time to move, they'll

Happy Chuseok!

2009-10-03T09:31:00.002-04:00

Today is Chuseok in Korea. Yesterday I went to some nearby mountains with a church group. It was a Christian retreat, and I'm sure most of you can figure out how I feel about those things. This one was exactly what I expected: good people, great people, trying hard to get to a good end, but whose means are not fully thought out.During discussion, I had to remind the group, more than once, of

The Other

2009-09-28T10:27:00.002-04:00

I wrote a poem, which is the first one in over three months. There used to be a time when I'd write at least a poem a day. I wonder what happened to all that creativity. Anyway, about this poem, I was walking home and it was drizzling, sightly chilly, and I met a man walking the other way. That small incident got me thinking and before I got home I had this poem. The rhythm is at times

The Happiest Place in Korea

2009-09-28T10:03:00.003-04:00

Grace and some friends decided last-minute to go to Everland, Korea's version of Disneyland or maybe Six Flags, on Saturday night and invited me along. We got there shortly after 7pm and the big attraction, T Express (which goes 140km/hr, or 79mi/hr) closes at 8, and I'm not at all sure why we didn't immediately go there but of course when we did eventually get there it was closed. I think the

[Insert Clever Title Here]

2009-09-25T12:50:00.003-04:00

I bought a bicycle! It's certainly nothing special, it cost about $65 used, but it's a bicycle. I've ridden it around a little bit and it makes it much more convenient to travel to the 24-hour place up the street to eat. I found a halfpipe and I played around on it a little bit. I had never ridden a bike on a halfpipe and it was pretty scary. I didn't even ride to the top, which was no more

Success!

2009-09-11T22:26:00.003-04:00

I sit here eating the most satisfyingly-attained meal I've ever had. If I had caught and strangled a tiger with my bare hands, I scarcely believe it would be more satisfying. You see, I ordered delivery...in Korean. I gave my order, my address, and when it came, my money. So blessed is Korean delivery that there is no extra fee, nor tip. God Bless Korea.P.S. for the curious, I'm eaing al

Whitewater Rafting: Canceled

2009-09-11T20:39:00.003-04:00

So. Whitewater rafting. Love it. Gonna go. Got canceled. Frowny face.Topia was going to go whitewater rafting today. It cost about $30 for everything, traveling, eating, and rafting. I was pretty excited. Then yesterday, I got to work and was told too many people had canceled last minute and transportation therefore became more expensive, so they canceled it. I'm almost speechless...

I can see!

2009-09-04T11:48:00.002-04:00

I went to the eye doctor Thursday morning with Grace and they determined that my glasses and eyes were matched, and then found out that the tear ducts in my right eye don't work right, so they prescribed me some eye drops. The whole thing cost less than $20 for the appointment, checkup, and eye drops. God bless Korea.

First day of the new semester

2009-09-01T13:10:00.004-04:00

Well, it's official: I've got 6 months left. Today was the first day of the new semester. Lots of new teachers who have been slowly trickling in over the past two weeks, doing meaningless office work, today got to actually do their job. The atmosphere in the office is usually quiet, work-like, no family-feeling (which I hate), but the new teachers are changing that a little. I hope us

The Meaning of Liff

2009-08-31T12:42:00.002-04:00

Liff (n.): a book, the contents of which are totally belied by its cover. For instance, any book the dust jacket of which bears the words. 'This book will change your life'.The Meaning of Liff is a 200-something page book by Douglas Adams (author of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) that is simply a dictionary of made-up words, liff being one of them which lends itself to the title. I

Great News

2009-08-24T11:11:00.002-04:00

We got our schedules today, and we do get 2 less hours next semester, yay! I have a 1-hour break on M and F, 2 1-hour breaks on T and R, and no breaks on Wednesday. That means I can finally eat a normal dinner 4 days out of the week! I'm so happy. However, this can still all go downhill. A foreign teacher had some problems back home and said as recently as two weeks ago he may leave in

Good News (possibly)

2009-08-23T10:43:00.003-04:00

Two bits of good news. First, and most important, I was unofficially told that most of us teachers will only be teaching 24 hrs/wk next semester (in one week). I currently teach 26 hrs/wk, and while a 2-hour deduction may not seem like much, it is. 2 hours less teaching means 2 hours less in the classroom, 2 hours more of office-time grading (i.e. not grading at home), and less time preparing

Good Weekend

2009-08-16T23:17:00.003-04:00

This past weekend was pretty good. Friday night, work treated the foreigner staff to dinner and drinks, which is always nice. Nothing crazy happened, luckily. I did find out, conclusively, that our online overtime will be outsourced to the Philippines, which takes about $400/month from me, but there's nothing I can do. No one likes it, except of course the higher-ups, who will be saving a

To Have and to Have Not

2009-08-01T11:51:00.003-04:00

So I lost a bunch of stuff today. I'll start from the beginning, since that's a pretty good place to start. First there was God, and His roommate Steve. Then, God created the universe, and most of what is in it today. Humans created some stuff, too, I guess. Steve didn't really do much.That brings us to today. A few friends and I wanted to go hiking, so we decided to climb Bukhan Mountain.

Strangest...Dream...EVER

2009-07-14T10:30:00.002-04:00

It was strange, but very comforting. Last night, I dreamed I was taken up through the most beautiful-blue sky, into Heaven. I have absolutely no recollection of what happened while in Heaven, but when I was placed back on Earth I remember being told a number: 8.22. There were one or two more numbers, but that is all I can remember now. For some reason, in the dream, I interpreted this as a

So busy

2009-07-02T10:35:00.003-04:00

I have been sooo busy this past month with all my classes. Every week I have to grade 18 1-2 page essays, 17 short essays, 12 story summaries, 12 character analyses, prepare two pages of in-depth discussion questions for two classes (questions such as, how does the author use chiaroscuro in the story, what is the purpose of parody, what are the conflict, plot events, and resolution of the story,

Umbrellas

2009-06-21T03:47:00.001-04:00

Rainy seasonSeoul.Sidewalks,Submitted to the seasonal rain,Are flooded,And couples,Cheating rain,Take refuge in European faux cafes with stupid forks.The windows are thrown open to make a restaurant into an open-air cafe.The seat-mate's back is to the rainHer face being framed by cherry blossomsWho are washed in the rain.Passerbys cradle their umbrellasIn hues of pink, grey, gray, and rainbowAnd

That's very hot

2009-06-17T23:19:00.004-04:00

Title is a reference to a Korean sketch comedy show, you can view it here: . Remember, Asian men and Asian women will hold hands to show friendship, not necessarily homosexuality (but the two on the right are pretty clearly playing gay people). If anyone says anything contain the words "that's," "very," or "hot," they tend to break out into this for

An almost all-nighter

2009-06-14T03:08:00.003-04:00

Grace had free time yesterday (quite a rarity) so I spent the afternoon with her in southern Seoul, a place called Gangnam. It's a really, really nice part of Seoul, I've been there about 5 times. Dr. Fish is there, the place where you stick your feet into the fish tank and they eat dead skin from your feet. Grace's cousin also came along, and the three of us had fun.Grace had to be at church

The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

2009-06-05T00:13:00.004-04:00

The weather here is AMAZING! Everyone kept telling me how hot the summer is, and I kept laughing in their face. Well, it's June and I still haven't turned on the a/c (unless you count my 5-day roommate insisting upon it being turned on...women). I've also had the windows open for almost a week now. It does get warm and sticky in the day, but I work until 10pm so by the time I get home the

End of Innocence or Education via Music

2009-05-28T11:25:00.003-04:00

My youngest school children who are really good at English had a story last week entitled "Who Are You?" I asked them if they had heard of CSI and none of them had. I am constantly surprised at the amount of American pop culture these kids know, so I thought at least one of them would be familiar with the show. I guess they just don't get it over here. Anyway, I played the song, Who Are You,

A Real Update

2009-05-25T09:59:00.004-04:00

Sorry, it's been very long since I've said anything of substance about my life here. I have a lot to say, but I may not remember it all. I'm also tired so I don't feel like writing it and then putting it in order, so I'm just going to write it as it comes to mind. If it's a little scatterbrained, that's why.First, another installment of Flatter the Teacher by Writing an Insane Story and

Yet Another Installment of Flatter my Teacher by Writing About Him

2009-05-19T06:51:00.002-04:00

Same class as the Flying Pig story, different student. The topic was "write a story about earthquakes." This student got a little closer, I guess.Once upon a time, there lived the mighty soldier Jason. Jason loved to kill people, so he killed people as many as he could and ate them. One day God came to him and said I'm going to tell you to stop eating people, but Jason didn't listen. Then

Teacher's Day Swag

2009-05-16T03:08:00.005-04:00

After lunch at Outback, a foreign teacher mentioned having a competition to see who got the most gifts for Teacher's Day. A Korean teacher said that'd be a good idea, and then we realized that the Korean teachers would get the most because they're homeroom teachers and call the parents all the time. So, we decided that homeroom teachers couldn't compete. There wasn't much interest in having a

Teacher's Day

2009-05-14T22:23:00.003-04:00

Today (Friday) is Teacher's Day here in Korea. Topia is taking us out to lunch to Outback Steakhouse (no rules, just right), and our students are probably going to give us presents. I've already gotten a few because I don't see all my students on Friday. One of my students got me and his other two teachers some decorative soaps. I was quite offended at him telling me I stink, so I took a poop

Bukhan Mountain

2009-05-11T02:27:00.005-04:00

This post is rather lengthy, sorry. I know not all of you have the time to sit down and read all of this at once, but I hope that doesn't keep you from reading. I began writing as a literati about halfway through, albeit a bad one because my writing is much out of practice, so I apologize if the voice seems very odd. Without too much further ado (do, haha, if you laugh you're weird like me),

Flying Pig

2009-05-07T02:57:00.003-04:00

Long long time ago, one tallest boy named Jason was lived. His height is 1310 meters. His so happy because he can stump small villages and people one day, he think, 'I want see what creatures are live at sky'. So, he put mountain upon another. Next, he jumped and arrived sky.First, he saw pink creatures. It have wings and they are singing like bird. They are singing flying pigs. Their sing

Let's get accosted every day!

2009-05-04T09:44:00.002-04:00

So that girl who was a discipline problem last week brought me a coffee today! Well, of course her mother bought it, but it was pretty nice. It makes me depressed as hell, though, because it was a cheap coffee (stop laughing and lemme finish). Other parents have brought in 2 dozen Dunkin Donuts, other parents will bring in a few pizzas, some bring in boxes of chocolates, for no reason. And,

*Tear

2009-05-03T04:42:00.003-04:00

Last night I had my first good beer since I've been here. I went into Seoul with some friends and went to a bar called Freebird, haha. They had Hoegaarden and Guinness, and I nearly wept. I tried a beer I had never heard of, brewed in New York. It was called Honey Brown Ale or something like that. I reminded me of a mixture of Sam Adam's Brown Ale and Honey Ale. It had the sweetness of the

Discipline Problem

2009-04-29T11:12:00.003-04:00

Had my first discipline problem today. If this happened in America it would be called "Monday," or perhaps "Thursday," but in Korea this is more of a big deal b/c the kids are a little better behaved. Anyway, here's what happened.The rule in Topia is no cell phones during class, or on the stairs while we're walking them down. Monday a student pulled out their cell phone in class, while I was

Electricity Bill Nearly Tripled!

2009-04-28T00:51:00.005-04:00

My electricity bill nearly tripled this past month! I don't know if I can continue to afford living here. It's going to cost me almost $5 to keep my lights on...I just don't know anymore. And I still haven't received a water bill. I'm anticipating an astronomical amount, perhaps $10 or even $15. If anyone wants to help me, I'd really appreciate it. I can't sleep at night for thinking about

Sci-Fi posting

2009-04-27T10:40:00.004-04:00

Here's Nick Lomma's response to my ideas about cell phone technology. It's really long, but I think it's hilarious. If you like Nick's humor, you'll like this.First off, I’m proud to have such friends with imagination, intellect, creativity, diction and syntax. Secondly, I think Jason should send an application and portfolio to Popular Science magazine as a writer, editor, contributor, or even

Lantern Festival

2009-04-26T10:39:00.003-04:00

I went to the Lantern Festival, which is a celebration of the Buddha's birthday, today. It was pretty neat, but nothing amazing. I got out of the subway station and there were a bunch of tents that lined the street for about a mile. There were tables under all the tents and different activities and information at each one. For instance, at one I made my own incense, at another there was

My Ideas

2009-04-22T10:42:00.003-04:00

I've been thinking a lot about cell phone technology recently, I'm not sure why, but here're some of my ideas. Everything you ever carry in your pockets/wallet will be added to your cell phone. Japan and Korea are already experimenting with using your phone to replace your credit card, mainly on public transportation right now. Your ID will be encoded to your cell phone so all you have to do

Plantar fasciitis

2009-04-20T14:10:00.003-04:00

Pronounced "Fa-she-eye-tis," is a painful inflammatory condition of the foot caused by excessive wear to the plantar fascia or plantar aponeurosis that supports the arches of the foot or by biomechanical faults that cause abnormal pronation. Basically, the tendon which runs from your heal to your toes gets messed up. This is commonly caused by long periods of weight bearing or sudden changes in

2 Things

2009-04-19T10:46:00.003-04:00

Two quick things. I went to E-Mart to buy a few things today, including a MicroSD for my cell phone. It can play mp3s so I hoped to put some music on it and wake up to it instead of continuing the haslte that is my ipod as an alarm. I've now been messing with it for about 10 minutes trying to get it to work, and I've almost lost the MicroSD under the keys on my keyboard, and I think I almost

2009-04-13T12:51:00.006-04:00

These are pictures of my excursion into Seoul on Easter to buy some things. Mother wanted me to take a picture of the subway as she's never seen one. You should've seen the looks I got..."stupid foreigner." Oh well. Oh, and she also wanted a picture of me carrying all the stuff home. The best I could do was a picture of my reflection as the subway was passing. The fourth picture is

Finally, the CBF

2009-04-09T07:39:00.008-04:00

Cherry Blossom FestivalClick on the photo to see my web album with some pictures from the CBF (Cherry Blossom Festival). There weren't that many cherry blossoms, but it was cool nonetheless. I mean, there weren't many cherry blossoms to me, but this is Seoul and real estate is quite expensive so they aren't going to "waste" it on plants and stuff. At the palace I saw, for the first time since

Oh Crappy Day

2009-04-08T12:23:00.002-04:00

I didn't exactly have a bad day today, but it definitely wasn't good. First, I haven't been able to get on Facebook for the last two days and I've actually needed to. At work my computer wouldn't get online at all, even though I was plugged straight in to the network. I had planned on getting some internet work done before class but I couldn't. Then, in my first class, my favorite student,

Gas bill

2009-04-06T10:13:00.003-04:00

I received my gas bill yesterday (Sunday). First off, it was weird to receive it on Sunday. They just tape the bills to your door at my villa, I'm not sure if that's standard everywhere or what. The bill had a piece of paper with some hand-written stuff on it and 3 amounts: one was W30,000, one was W2008, and one was W582,008 ($23, $1.50, and $446, respectively). At first I freaked out,

Cherry Blossom Pics

2009-04-05T08:24:00.006-04:00

The pictures I took this evening around sunset. I'm getting pretty excited about the Cherry Blossom Festival.Sorry about the pictures, they look right when I'm writing the blog but when I view it they look all screwed up. Anyway, last night I started coughing and feeling sick again. I slept about 11 hours and didn't even hear my alarm for church. I've felt better all day today, so hopefully

Cherry Blossoms

2009-04-04T13:01:00.003-04:00

Cherry blossoms are the most popular tree in Korea and Japan. There's a Cherry Blossom festival every Spring in downtown Seoul. I'm going with Grace and her family next Saturday. I'm pretty excited about it, and about getting lots of pictures. I have no idea what all happens, but I imagine there are a lot of beautiful trees. Anyway, the trees in Juk Jeon just blossomed today, and as I was

My Hobby:

2009-04-04T00:12:00.002-04:00

Using my incredibly dry humor with my students who have no idea what I'm saying (that's an XKCD reference). Most of my classes have had at least one exam in the last week or two. I grade the papers and bring them to class the next time I see them, and I always say, "I have here in my hand a list of known Communists," ala McCarthy. When I walk out of my later classes, I tend to say, "Good night

Duck Dodgers, and the 24th-and-a-half Century!

2009-04-01T11:03:00.003-04:00

(Title is a Looney Tunes reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_Dodgers )Well, I've finally managed to waltz into Modernity by purchasing a cell phone and getting internet in my apartment. My boss (the president of the school) has been calling the people to come set up the internet but they kept failing. Monday she called them and told them it was their last chance, if they didn't come

Title

2009-03-29T08:39:00.004-04:00

So after yesterday's failure of internet and phone, I got to church and Grace told me that her mother offered to sign for me so I can get a 1-year contract with KTF, and thereby a free phone. She freely offered that, I didn't mention it to Grace or anything. My first night here, I discovered that Topia had not provided me with a towel in my apartment as per the contract, and Grace called up her

PLUTO IS A PLANET

2009-03-27T09:23:00.003-04:00

"When I was your age, Pluto was a planet." I've had to tell two different classes this because they had presentations this week and some were doing space. I told them that if they said Pluto wasn't a planet, they'd fail my class. I've successfully indoctrinated many students. In the same class, one child ran up to me with a planet glued to a stick and asked, "Is this Uranus?" I busted out

Sex Appeal

2009-03-26T07:55:00.002-04:00

My favorite student, of all my 100 or so, is Juliet. She's 7, I think, and is soooo cute. She's really tiny and doesn't speak much, but when she does she speaks loudly and she's always correct. She has gotten 10s on all her Word Tests until Monday, and when she missed one she rolled her eyes and blew her bangs out of her face, hahaha. Anyway, I asked her if she knew who Romeo and Juliet were,

Children are precious (when you can give them back)

2009-03-24T04:35:00.003-04:00

Some of my kids are so precious. They have to write journals, and one topic was "What do you do on the weekend?" This was one child's response, it just warms my heart to think of the innocence.In spring, I can ride a bicycle. I like spring because it's weather likes warm, so I can play with something. In summer, I can eat ice cream every day, I can go swimming pool, sometimes summer weather

Sunday Cruddy Sunday

2009-03-22T22:46:00.004-04:00

(That's a Simpsons allusion, btw). I got around 6 hours of sleep Friday night, so I assumed I'd get to bed early Sat night. I didn't. I didn't get sleepy until almost 4am and I needed to get up at 11 for church. I managed to wake up, and stay awake during the sermon even. The past two times I went to church I got a little headphone thing so I could listen to the translation, but it didn't

Am I in Korea?

2009-03-21T10:59:00.002-04:00

So there are times when I forget I'm in Korea. I don't know why, but I'll be using the bathroom, or I'll wake up, or I'll be walking out of my apartment, and suddenly I'll remember I'm in Korea. When and why did I forget? I'm not really sure what this means. It's kinda weird, though, and funny. In the early spring, winds pick up sand from the Gobi Desert in China and blow it across the sea to

Manic Monday

2009-03-17T02:45:00.003-04:00

Boy, Monday sure was a Monday. First off, I realized that I forgot to grade some papers over the weekend, so I hurried to get them graded before classes began, but I failed. I still had a few to grade while I had to teach class, but fortunately two classes had Unit tests so I finished them then. However, I missed two and had to grade them during the class I was supposed to give them back in,

Old Korea

2009-03-15T06:01:00.009-04:00

Saturday I went with Grace and her family to Seoul. Her mom knows some of the history, so she acted kinda like my personal tour guide.We stopped on the side of the road for this shot. I like this shot b/c on the right you can see the old-style roofs, and in the distance you see huge buildings. If there were a theme for Korea it'd be: Old meets New.We went to some antique stores, and I saw the

Getting My ARC

2009-03-12T07:18:00.002-04:00

The Alien Registration Card (ARC) is an alien's ID during an extended stay in a foreign country, and it allows me to work. I went to immigration today to give the paperwork that is required, and I will be getting my ARC in 10 days. Paul, my immediate boss, told me that Topia arranged a taxi to pick me up at 10am this morning. I woke up at 10:03, and was out the door by 10:04. Daero, who was

Weekend Update

2009-03-09T09:27:00.002-04:00

The title is an SNL reference, btw. Let's see, Friday we all went out after work. I'd tell you about it, but I don't remember it. Actually, I'm kidding, I do remember it, but you get what I mean (gotta keep this somewhat professional). Anywho, I volunteered to interview children on Saturday for Topia. I got W25,000 for an hour's work, but it really only took ~30 minutes. The inteview process

Getting Better

2009-03-05T08:09:00.003-05:00

I've enjoyed the last couple of days of teaching. After getting the kinks out and understanding some of the routine it's getting easier. Suprisingly, I enjoy these little kids. They say the funniest stuff on accident, an even funnier stuff on purpose. The youngest group, though not the smartest, is definitely my favorite b/c they're so cute. By the time they get to the middle or high group

Teaching Kills

2009-03-03T05:25:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was my first day teaching, and I felt totally unprepared. I even forgot to take my textbook to the first class! That standardized training I mentioned before was a total waste of time, I wish I had spent those days at Topia observing and learning. Everyone who went to that training feels the same way, too. After the mistakes I made yesterday, however, today went much better. On top

Learning the language

2009-03-01T04:25:00.003-05:00

I've been spending 1-2 hours a day, on my own, studying Korean. I've found an incedible website http://korean.sogang.ac.kr/ and spent probably 2-3 hours on it yesterday. I try to write the alphabet multiple times a day, I read every sign I see (at least the ones that don't go by too fast), when I write or read I try to speak aloud, too, and obviously I'm hearing it and when I do I try to spell

Differences

2009-02-28T04:03:00.005-05:00

I'm sure a lot of people want to know all the differences between Korea and America, but it's tough to point them out because you really only remember differences that are negative, and there's basically none. I'll try to list the positive differences, as many as I can recall. Well, I suppose there is one potential negative. There are no clothes dryers. On my porch there's a clothes rack that

Lots to update

2009-02-27T10:03:00.006-05:00

I have lots to update you guys about. First, the best experience of my life was Wednesday. I used the restroom at the Topia building in Seoul and the toilet seat was HEATED! Best...thing...ever. There was a control panel next to the toilet, as well, but everything was in Korean (duh) so I couldn't figure out how to flush the toilet. I was standing to get a look at the control panel and

Training

2009-02-24T20:46:00.003-05:00

Well, today will be my third day of training. Thusfar it's been ok; it's a standardized training held in downtown Seoul that everyone from every campus must attend. It's kinda hit-or-miss, like most standardized training, but I have learned some helpful things. It's also pretty cool to see all the new teachers and get to know them, and find out which ones will be at your campus. Speaking of

It's Fa-REE-zing

2009-02-22T18:54:00.003-05:00

It is soooo cold here, but the temperature hasn't gotten below 27F or so, which isn't too bad with a couple of layers on. Well, I got curious and went to weather.com and it turns out that the humidity here, right now at 9am, is 91%!!! It's only 27% in Charleston at 6pm, which is NUTS! That explains why it feels so cold. Any skin exposed goes numb pretty quickly, and I'm trying to time just

First day in "Seoul"

2009-02-22T05:12:00.005-05:00

Turns out I don't live in Seoul. I'm actually an hour south of it as the bus flies, or 20 miles as the traffic crawls. This is a link to google maps that shows where I am in relation to Seoul: http://tinyurl.com/d7qsuk. The picture is a little old as you can tell, since my apartment doesn't exist in the it. I promise I don't live on dirt. Anyway, I'm sitting in Java City (yes, the same

Sitting in Seoul

2009-02-21T20:53:00.002-05:00

I'm currently sitting in Seoul, across from my apartment at a Java City. It's actually closed, but the wireless is still available so I'm sitting outside, haha. My apartment is so tiny, but it's all I need; I love it. It's pretty cold but nothing I'm not prepared for. I met Steve and Paul last night who are fellow employees. We went out for some beers but I didn't drink any b/c it's bad for

Tokyo Airport

2009-02-21T02:57:00.002-05:00

I'm sitting in the Tokyo Airport at one of their internet kiosks. The 13.5 hour flight wasn't all that bad, I had a window seat and no one sitting directly next to me. I did, however, have two Japanese children behind me who enjoyed kicking my seat and jabbering incessantly in their mother tongue, pure bells and whistles to me. It's nearly 5pm here, making it 3am EDT. I didn't sleep at all

Tummy Hurty

2009-02-17T16:11:00.002-05:00

My stomach has been feeling weird all day, and at first I thought it was b/c I drank last night (though not much), then I thought it was b/c I was hungry. I finally realized it's b/c I'm getting really anxious about Korea! I've got so many people to see and so little time. I don't have a whole lot left to do before I go, thankfully.I went to the post office today and talked to them about my

President's Day Hurts Me

2009-02-16T11:57:00.003-05:00

I received a call from the Korean Embassy at 3:30pm on Friday telling me that my visa had been returned to them. The USPS supposedly attempted to deliver it twice and was unable to. Well, I'm pretty sure that's a lie b/c someone was at my house 24/7 for the past week, because 2 of my roommates have been sick. Anyway, I had to send another expedited envelope to them asap, and that cost me

Flight Itinerary

2009-02-10T01:44:00.002-05:00

I just received my flight itinerary. I'm flying with NWA, and judging by their baggage allowances I like them. I get 2 free checked bags, a carry-on, and a personal item (briefcase). That's almost twice as much luggage as I was preparing for. What to do with all that space...hm...maybe bring a small person with me (Taylor).Anyway, I fly out of Charleston on Feb 20th at 6am, arrive in Detroit

Visa Interview Went Fine

2009-02-06T16:52:00.002-05:00

Interview was merely a formality to make sure I was me and that I'm not crazy (clearly I tricked them all). The consular was very blunt and I'm excited about experiencing that kind of bluntness all the time. The wind chill was 4F when I woke up the morning of. Next step is for TOPIA to buy my plane ticket and then for me to get on the plane. I fly out two weeks from today. That's so soon.

Visa Issuance Number

2009-01-29T11:46:00.002-05:00

I just got an email from TOPIA and they got my VIN. Next step is to go to ATL and interview with the Korean Consulate. I've got that scheduled for Wed Feb 4th at 1100. Problem is, I'd have to leave at 0500 to get out there in time and of course I'd rather not do that. Or, I could go there the night before and crash either at Austin's mom's condo, or with Alex's brothers. Oh, I just

Worry

2009-01-28T18:24:00.003-05:00

So I'm getting worried because I sent my documents off almost two weeks ago and haven't heard anything from the school or my recruiter. The process should take no more than two weeks, or that's what I've been told. Also the exchange rate is dipping back down, right now I'm at $1600USD/month. I really should stop looking at it because I've signed the contract, it doesn't matter what the rate is

FedEx received

2009-01-22T16:28:00.003-05:00

Just checked the FedEx website and they received my package on the 20th, after not receiving it the 19th for some reason. One EOM HAE MI signed for the package. I was expecting to get some sort of confirmation email from them but I didn't. My Korea website is coming along pretty well, still have a lot to add. It's one month before I leave, kinda weird. I spent my days off this week in N.

FedEx Gouge

2009-01-18T01:27:00.001-05:00

Sent my documents off yesterday via FedEx. The process was relatively pain-free, aside from the $66 charge of shipping .7lbs across the Pacific. At least it'll be there Monday and I should have my visa issuance number in a week or two. I wonder how much UPS or DHL would've charged me, but I woke up late and didn't have time to shop around; I had to get the documents out that day.