Shaky Puddin

IF I had the patience. . ..

2009-12-05T08:52:00.000-08:00

I love typeface formats. I have no patience for anything graphic. The professionals make good parodies.

2009-10-23T04:38:00.000-07:00

Is the world getting better or worse?

2009-09-10T08:26:00.000-07:00

I love visuals and NewScientist for publishing them.

http://www.newscientist.com/data/images/archive/2725/27250901.jpg

Miss (Ms) Universe

2009-08-24T06:44:00.000-07:00

I have now been home for about two and a half weeks. In between re-acclimating to American culture and trying not to sleep 12+ hours a day I have been busy with yoga, running, erging, reading and cleaning. Last night after returning from a meditation gathering I insisted on watching the Miss Universe pageant. Say what you will about the parading of skinny tall women with breast implants and hair extensions, they are beautiful creatures to watch. Like horses in evening wear, that give super lame answers to questions such as Rachael Finch's, Miss Australia, answer to her question in the final round.

"Tonight you were judged on how you looked in a bathing suit," Valeria Mazza, a former Sports Illustrated model said. She then proceeded to then ask "In some countries women aren't allowed to wear a swimsuit. How does that make you feel?"

Finch stated "ummmmm", but then answered the question, telling the judges and viewers that wearing a swimsuit was a "beautiful thing".

"It gives everyone of us the chance to show our figures and our toned bodies and what we have worked hard for and I think our bodies are a beautiful part of a woman and we should definitely, you know, show them to the rest of the world," Finch said.

While this was one of the more in depth answers of the evening, she did not give any mention about it being a woman's CHOICE to wear a bikini and high heels. Doesn't everyone wear such sensible attire to the beach? I know what I'm wearing to the shore this weekend! On a serious note a little modesty never hurt anyone, kid. Some people don't have the option to exercise eight hours a day and have toned, bronzed bodies. Anyway this question brought be back to this article I read about a French swimming pool banning a swim suit that Muslim women wear. The swim suit is called a burquini.

Overall I was rooting for Ms. Kosovo who was sporting a Audrey Hepburn Breakfast at Tiffany's blue gown and hair do. If only she had the mini tiara and cigarette holder, she would have been spot on. I was of course a fan of Miss USA until I read that here interests included "online shopping" and she did not pronounce the "T's" in important. Miss France had her beat since her interests were "mathematics and different cultures."

The winner of the pageant for the second year in a row was Ms Venezuela. I am pretty sure Donald Trump is in cahoots with Hugo Chavez. However, this conspiracy is still developing. The former Miss Universe (from Venezuela) dropped the "Peace Crown" before placing it firmly on the head of the current Miss Universe (also from Venezuela).

GO PAGEANTRY!

Updates from the Land of Morning Calm. . .or something to that effect

2009-06-03T20:21:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went to a Mime Festival in my favorite part of Korea. This is the same area where we went for the Ice Fishing Festival in January and is by far one of the most beautiful on the peninsula. The festival was of an outdoor fringe festival with all sorts of performances. When I arrived home Sunday I had 5 voicemails from people at home concerned about North Korea. I am alive and well. As usual during such threats Korean children practice their drills in case of an attack and life goes on as normal. If you are a teacher, you should ask your kids to demonstrate. . .it is worth a laugh.

The teachers at CDI got a week off of work because so many of their teachers are suspected of having the Swine Flu. They were released earlier this week, but you can read the blog that one of the captives has been keeping here.

In March our school switched nams from Poly to Knox. Well a franchise of the Poly school opened literally across the street. I can look out of my classroom window and see their sign. Since many Korean mothers identify with branding, this includes brands of Hogwans, we have seen several students leave our school. For example the Pluto class, which once upon a time had 12, is down to 7 students. The Pluto and Jupiter classes actually retained more than most of the other Kindergarten classes. I miss certain students dearly, but I must admit that seven is much easier to handle when teaching math and science.

I think this is all I have for now. Tootles!

It's almost June and time for updates

2009-05-28T15:57:00.000-07:00

If you are reading this, thank you. It has been a while since I last updated this site, but so much has happened. A brief rundown. . .
1. Spring has passed and SUMMER IS HERE!
2. Libby visited in April.

3. I am considering staying in Korea for graduate school.
4. I love teaching kindergarten.

5. We went to the zoo last week!
6. I lost my voice, went to a Chinese doctor and had it back within hours. There is truth in Chinese medicine.
7. I have been to a Bulls Fighting Festival, Cherry Blossom Festival, Rape Flower Festival, Penis Park, the Beach and other sites in the last several months.
8. The mountains of Korea are beautiful.
9. Amanda left (then came back YAY!!!!!), Mindy left (but will be back :(.
10. I bought a pink cruiser, basket and bell included.
11. Amy and I danced with a Buddha at the Anyang Art Park.

12. I Gave myself a black eye from a rather nasty sinus infection.

I will try update more often within the next couple of months.
-Ellen

Water Footprint Visual

2009-03-19T02:02:00.000-07:00

I would recommend clicking on the image to view the entire chart.

Kindergarten on a Monday morning

2009-03-03T06:39:00.000-08:00

I started teaching Kindergarten this week. My homeroom class is known as Pluto. I started laughing at myself for the internal realization that Pluto isn't even a planet (another faux pas we'll blame on Knox). Pluto is so far removed from our solar system that it is just another piece of rock floating around the sun. "Is this how they see my kids?!" was the defending question that ran through my head. As I looked into their little Korean eyes and corrected Sean to please remove his finger from his nostril, I explained to my little Plutos that we are different than the other Kindergarten classes because they are planets. Pluto is the exception because "our planet is considered a dwarf planet."

I was then greeted with the question from Wide Eyed Andy "Teacher. . .what is planet?"

This is Monday in Pluto.

Birthdays to come

2009-03-02T06:56:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who helped me celebrate my 23 years on Earth. I will post photos and further comments about activities in the next couple of days.

Miguks

2009-03-02T06:48:00.000-08:00

"Miguk" is the Korean term for American. Some expats come to Korea trying to embrace the Korean culture and traditions. This includes small gestures such as how you receive something that is handed to you. Also how you address people older and younger than you.
This beer commercial was shown to me by a group of 2nd graders. I felt a de ja vue after seeing it.

The actress' name is Brownwyn Mullen. Apparently she is somewhat of a celebrity in Korea.

Kimchi Deficit and Avian Flu

2009-02-06T20:37:00.000-08:00

A while back I had a conversation with some Korean friends about how Kimchi prevented the Avian flu from spreading to South Korea. Apparently the BBC agrees.

In other news. . .kimchi sales have been down since the economic downturn.
Perhaps they should release more infected chickens into China to increase sales! Or lay claim that it will purify all of the American beef that they are being fed. Ultimately kimchi will cure people of mad cow disease, fan death AND altzeimers.

Amazingly Tofu Lady's price per block has not gone up. If this happens, it is the definite sign of a worldwide recession.

The Weekend

2009-01-26T05:49:00.000-08:00

Today is the first day of the Chinese New Year. Congrats, I am going to skip this topic of updates since it seems every other expat already cared to do so. In other news it is 26 January which means the following. . .

1. This past weekend we went to an ice festival in Hwacheon. I caught two fish and then proceeded to whack them against the ice to "lessen their suffering." At least they tasted good. Photos will be shared soon.
2. I have just passed 5 months in Korea and am starting to look seriously at prospects for August when I plan to return. The plan of course is changing week by week and my options seem similar to those I had this time last year. On that same note I submitted my first fellowship application as of last Monday!
3. It snowed in the city this weekend and Korea has yet to discover the snow plow.
4. I went to church with Grace and Tom last weekend, it was refreshing to be in the environment. We then went to lunch with Tom's family and I was sent home with two months worth of sweet potatoes!
5. My birthday is in one month and I have mixed feelings about entering the next year of life.
6. My little cousin and aunt both got facebook accounts in the past week.

Samores and Champagne

2009-01-22T05:25:00.000-08:00

The inauguration of Barack Obama took place at 2am on Wednesday 21 November here in Korea. Several of us gathered at my apartment and drank champagne and roasted samores over the two burner range to celebrate the occasion. Huddled around the laptop I streamed the video off of the NY Times website for a live broadcast of the ceremony. It looked very cold on the mall, although I am very jealous of the 1.9 million people that made it out for the ceremony.

We had contemplated going to Unlce Don's (local bar for expats) to ring in the occasion, but

. . . it was cold.

"But Teacher, who would be President if North and South don't fight?" Well Lucy Jeong. . .

2009-01-22T04:28:00.000-08:00

If you've already heard this story and are now reading this, I apologize for the repetition.
Thursday afternoon I walked into the office, before being reminded that it was the first day for monthly tests, I saw the brown paper envelope laying on my desk. Of course I look forward to my monthly National Geographic! You can read practically everything online and more, but having the slick glossy pages to flip through and being able to underline, cut and examine in different lighting can only be delivered through print. This month there is an article about escaping from North Korea. North Korean refugees who decide to flee from the country are forced to leave from the Chinese border. Once across the Tumen River they face increased danger in China, where if discovered they are arrested and returned to North Korea. In a question of international law and refugee status China believes they are seen as economic migrants.

Human rights organizations and various foreign leaders, particularly in the United States and the European Union, are urging China to honor its international agreements by treating the North Koreans as refugees, a status they're entitled to because of the punishments they face if deported. But China maintains that the defectors are illegal "economic migrants."

South Korea is considered the safe haven and about 15,000 refugees have made it to the Southern part of the peninsula since the 1990's. They are required to enter South Korea by traveling through China to Thailand in order to seek asylum.

In one of my classes the kids wanted to watch a movie. . .instead we discussed the situation to the North in the remaining 20 minutes of class.

Additional Links of Interest

Youtube video following a North Korean family defect to Thailand (20min)

Monthly Test

2009-01-21T23:47:00.000-08:00

Every month in South Korea we get to conduct a standardized test for the children of this school. It tests what they have learned over the last month and tends to send some children into panic mode. Most of the kids however are used to the monthly testing so they will buck up and bubble in the scantrons. My favorite part of the test is when they are all finished and they argue over what movie to watch. Sometimes I give them options, but usually I bypass the most recent Madagascar/Disney/Pixar film and we watch one of the many classics such as Mary Poppins, Fern Gully or any of the other mid 1990 Disney animated films.
Next week we are giving the kids level tests, I told you they love tests in this country. Level tests send off a couple more whistles because they are only given every four months or so and determine if the child will move up or down a class. They were moved up a week this time, for God knows what reason.
The other reason I "LOVE" monthly/level tests are for the wonderful writing prompts that I have to grade. Here Poly can ruin a usually wonderful writer by demanding a response to prompts such as "What is your favorite time of the day or of the year?" The blase responses I get to grade, based on a standard scale, are often boring and do not show half of the talent most of my students have for writing. On monthly tests however there are occasionally a few students who understand the redundancy of such questions and write responses that said my in to laughing fits.

More to come!
-Ellen

Back in Seoul

2009-01-10T18:50:00.000-08:00

I love Sunday mornings. They are by far my favorite time of the week. Along with Friday nights, I love both equally, but for different reasons.

I recently visited the Humanscape exhibit in Seoul. I was delighted to see some of Julia Fullerton Batten's work at the exhibit. Along with several other photographers that I have taken note of. The display is at the Old Seoul Train Station and the dilapidation of the building enhances the charm of the displays.

Welcome to the year of the OX

2009-01-01T00:30:00.000-08:00

Year of the OX

Pictures. . .

2008-12-31T20:54:00.001-08:00

Japan Photos

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T19:42:00.000-08:00

I am going to briefly update you all for the New Year!
Last night we went to a bar called Musk that Tim found. It had the usual combination of locals, expat teachers and military guys. I will spare you the details. We rang in the New Year here and danced the night away. We then took a train to the Dazaifu and saw hoards of people going to give their prayers and offerings. This particular temple is dedicated to scholarship, thus there were many young people offering prayers.
Tim and Eric are still asleep, and it is rather chilly here in Japan.
I will post photos as soon as I get time to sort them. . eventually.
Until then I hope you all have a wonderful new year!

Ｔｏｋｙｏ

2008-12-26T06:04:00.000-08:00

We landed in Narita yesterday afternoon. Tokyo is a wonderful city, we covered a lot of territory in two days. Like most major cities it is much prettier at night. Tomorrow we are leaving for Kyoto at 8am. We should arrive there around 11a and procede with our travels. I ｌｉｋｅ　ｗｈａｔ　Ｉ　ｈａｖｅ　ｅｘｐｅｒｉｅｎｃｅ　ｉｎ　ｔｈｉｓ　ｃｏｕｎｔｒｙ　ｓｏ　ｆａｒ．　Ｉ　ｒｅａｌｉｚｅ　ｔｈａｔ　ｉｓ　ａ　ｖａｇｕｅ　ｓｔａｔｅｍｅｎｔ　ｂｕｔ　Ｉ　ｈａｖｅ　ｎｏｔ　ｈｏｎｅｓｔｌｙ　ｆａｌｌｅｎ　ｉｎ　ｌｏｖｅ　ｗｉｔｈ　ｔｈｅ　ｐｌａｃｅ．　Ｉｔ　ｉｓ　ｓｔａｒｋｌｙ　ｄｉｆｆｅｒｅｎｔ　ｆｒｏｍ　Ｋｏｒｅａ　ｉｎ　ｍａｎｙ　ｗａｙｓ．　Ｍｏｒｅ　ｏｎ　ｔｈｉｓ　ｌａｔｅｒ．Ｔｈｅ　ｈｏｓｔｅｌ　ｗｈｅｒｅ　ｗｅ　ａｒｅ　ｓｔａｙｉｎｇ　ｉｓ　ｉｎ　Ａｓｕｋｕｓａ　ａｎｄ　ｉｓ　ａｓ　ｃｌｅａｎ　ａｓ　ｔｈｅｙ　ｃｏｍｅ．　Ｉ　ａｍ　ｓｔｉｌｌ　ｃｏｍｉｎｇ　ｔｏ　ｔｅｒｍｓ　ｗｉｔｈ　ｔｈｅ　Ｊａｐａｎｅｓｅ　ｋｅｙｂｏａｒｄｓ．　Ｉ　ｍｕｓｔ　ａｐｏｌｏｇｉｚｅ　ｆｏｒ　ｔｈｅ　ｃｈａｎｇｅ　ｉｎ　ｆｏｎｔ　ｓｉｎｃｅ　Ｉ　ｈａｖｅ　ｃｈａｎｇｅｄ　ｔｈｅ　ｌａｎｇｕａｇｅ　ａｂｏｕｔ　３　ｔｉｍｅｓ　ｉｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｌａｓｔ　１０　ｍｉｎｕｔｅｓ．
Ｃｉａｏ！

Merry Chistmas from Ellen and Eric!

2008-12-24T08:57:00.000-08:00

Yes we are nerds. . . .

Happy Christmas Eve!

2008-12-23T21:46:00.000-08:00

Eric arrived on Sunday and we made a trek up to the Seoul Tower last night. The last few weeks have been extremely busy preparing for Japan and indulging in the festive holiday spirit.

This morning was the Poly Christmas Pageant where the morning teachers did a spectacular job coordinating Kindergartners and Pre-schoolers into song and dance. Tonight Poly is hosting a staff party. Sadly the fun will be cut short since we are leaving for Tokyo tomorrow morning. I may be updating during this trip, depending on internet connectivity.

There are many, many photos to be posted. This will have to wait until after the holidays.

To anyone reading this, I hope you have a Wonderful Christmas and I will see you in the New Year!

P.S. I love Andy Warhol at Christmas. . .

Won hits 1325!!!!

2008-12-17T18:52:00.000-08:00

I have to admit I have been glued to AP news coverage recently. When I checked my e-mail I was welcomed by an e-mail reporting that the Korean Won hit 1325 yesterday! That means the 1USD is equal to 1325 Won. It was at about 1230 when I arrived in August. At this rate people predict it should be back on track by early 2009.
Value chart for Nov-Dec

Chart source
AP article

Prison for adultery

2008-12-17T18:34:00.000-08:00

The Korean legal system has a series of laws in place for spouses that are found guilty of adultery. According to AP the 55 year old statute has largely been used to prosecute philandering husbands. In recent years some husbands have used the charges to pursue their wives.
Ok So-Ri was recently sentenced for adultery.

We're going to the chapel. . .

2008-12-13T12:09:00.000-08:00

I was woken up at 5am this morning by Libby who was at the church with the entire family. Danielle and Zane finally got married. . .CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Santa? In Korea?

2008-12-12T00:54:00.000-08:00

Many of the children we teach live in high rise apartment buildings. The apartments therefore lack chimneys. In light of the Christmas season I asked the second graders today how Santa came to their apartments. Many of the responses included through the window, taking the stairs instead of the elevator to avoid CCTV.

My favorite response (as many answers from Korean children have to do with bodily functions) was that Santa delivered toys through the toilet. . .this way no one is able to see him.

The World in 30 Colors. . .

2008-12-09T12:49:00.000-08:00

The world is a colorful place.

Kickin' It In Geumchon

2008-12-06T06:52:00.000-08:00

This little gem expresses the general attitude of English teachers in this area.

Florence and the Machine

2008-12-05T05:04:00.000-08:00

It may not be Korean, but I like.

Korean Class-Vowels

2008-12-04T05:29:00.000-08:00

I found this explanation of vowels while blog stalking this evening. Someone was talking about the rotation of the vowels on Saturday. This explains that perspective. Give it a whirl.

Happy December!

2008-12-03T06:41:00.001-08:00

Here are some photos of the Korean angels(?) I get to spend my days with!
This is 2s-4, I taught them the chicken dance. . . video is pending.
This is Joey and Jamie modeling their hats. Jamie's is extra popular this winter. On the really cold days children's faces are disguised as polar bears, pink moneys and other woodland creatures.This is the former GT2C2-2. Some of my favorites got moved up, and down we'll see how the new batch turns out.

Korean Class-Picture Day

2008-12-03T00:41:00.000-08:00

This is the class photo from Korean class. The instructor is seated three from the right in the front row. She is wearing a greyish skirt and lavender top. She is incredibly patient and skilled at her job. I must admit it is very helpful being in the student's perspective when you yourself are acting as the teacher. Especially to people who are learning your native language as their second language. After sitting through several of her teaching sessions I immediately realized why it is so important to speak slowly when instructing.

Similar to slowing down to eat it is also important to slow down when you speak. First so people can thoroughly understand what you're saying and second so you have a deeper appreciation for your ability to converse using language.

Pack for all

2008-11-30T06:53:00.000-08:00

In other news I am beginning to plan packing for Japan and I have found one necessity that is a call for every occasion. I will spare you my opinion of American Apparel, but for this. . .two please!

Expat Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T06:23:00.000-08:00

I try and avoid the term ex-patriot since by my logic it implies people that have jumped ship from the motherland and decided to meander elsewhere. While this may be true, the combination of the prefix "ex" and the word "patriot" meaning one who loves his or her country and supports its authority and interests does not bode well. Regardless it is a status to hold onto, or you can simply be titled as an American living abroad. Regardless a groups of us North Americans and Koreans gathered this past weekend to do what we do best. . .throw a party known as Thanksgiving.
There was turkey, stuffing and many kinds of salad, casserole and desserts. There was good wine, really really bad wine and the evening rounded off with some good old rug cutting at a new hip hop bar in Beomgye. Since my photography skills are lacking I leave picture taking to the experts to document our lives.

Someone once told me that we express love through different mediums. While it can be expressed in a wide array or through simple acts, one of those acts is food. Let me tell you. . .this food was welcomed as was the company it brought with it. One of the major things I am grateful for here in Korea is an awesome support network of friends. (the term co-workers and friends has become synonymous in this environment).
While speaking to Tim last week he expressed a sentiment that we all go through where we ask "What the heck am I doing here?" While this question often runs through my mind I am quickly jolted back to reality by the community I am surrounded with and thus I am grateful.

Korean Fashion-Tights

2008-11-30T02:30:00.000-08:00

Before coming to Korea I had read in multiple books and websites that Korean women were very fashion sensitive. This can be good and bad. While leggings may be big in the States. . .they are a BIG deal in Korea. I may have worn tights/leggings in the past, but I now have an appreciation for the differences between stirruped, mid calf, footless and full lengths tights. While it may be Korea that forced this appreciation. . .it is truly American designers that keep me coming back for more.

Language Study

2008-11-28T12:32:00.000-08:00

Over the last month I have been taking language classes at the local community center to try and gain an understanding for the Korean language. In that time I have made multiple acquaintances in the class. All of the women are foreigners who have married Korean men, their ages range from 18 to 40+. The women are from Russia, China, the Vietnam peninsula (general) and Uzbekistan. My favorites are the pregnant Cambodian women in the class. Several weeks ago two of them sat in the front of the classroom and continued to get up and force their way (awkwardly) through the four rows of tables. Every time they walked by I would rub the bulging pregnant belly. They would smile and continued to leave the room. After about the fourth belly rub, they did not get up again.

Often times I vaguely know what we are discussing since the entire class in in Korea. The Vietnamese women chatter faster than the speed of light in a language that I cannot even begin to dissect. Simultaneously the Filipino woman in the back of the classroom openly belches mid vocabulary review. I have managed to begin reading (very basic) texts such as signs and public notices. I have slowly moved on to reading websites and single vocabulary words. There are several grammar rules that I often forget such as "o" after a vowel in the second position creates a "ng" sound. Regardless it is coming along.

If you are looking to improve your Korean or are planning a trip soon here are some helpful language tools. Some of these require a Korean browser (do not run on Firefox, or need a Korean version of an OS to run)

http://www.interedu.go.kr/ : provides information about the basics of Korea such as greetings, numbers, letters etc. They start out at the pre-school level which is exactly what you need to understand the Hangul alphabet.

http://hompi.sogang.ac.kr/korean/ :an online resource from Sogang University to help with language development. It is automated and like many of the other sites requires flash or some kind of shockwave software.

http://www.mct.go.kr/koreanthroughenglish/index.htm : this is one of my favorite sources for language rehearsal. It has very basic vocabulary and explains character placement and written order, it is broken into chapters.

http://www.langintro.com/kintro/ :this link provides a diagram of body parts as well as audio files to help with pronunciation.

http://onlinelearning.lingnet.org/korean/default.htm :for speakers that are at the intermediate level the Korean Defense Ministry has devised their own website to correspond with Korean course work.

http://www.learnkorean.com/lesson/kclassindex.asp

Other stuff

http://www.dlibrary.go.kr/NEL_ENG/Index.jsp :Korea has established an entire online library of many government and otherwise paper documents. While there has been controversy over free speech and expression in academic circles there is still a lot of information in the public sector. Granted it is in Korea, but can easily be translated through many online translators. The English on the website is not correct, you will notice this about many things in Korea. Try and decipher what they are saying and run with it.

http://lmp.ucla.edu/Search.aspx?doBasicSearch=true :UCLA has composed a rather extensive list of language books, dictionaries and language tools that are available on the market right now.

Happy learning!

Serial Killer in the ROK

2008-11-28T07:50:00.000-08:00

Apparently there are serial killers in South Korea. More specifically Anyang.

Santa's not coming to Korea. . .why?

2008-11-24T05:21:00.001-08:00

Due to a lack of creativity on my part and having more than one very witty co-worker I am dubbing posts from two other blogs and featuring the 10 reasons why Santa will not be visiting Korean children this December 25.

Reasons Santa's Not Coming to Korea.

He got sick off melamine cookies in China.
He's still waiting on his visa.
Dog isn't the only meat that provides "stamina." Look out Blitzen.
Korean parents report, "nice, but not nice enough."
He's tired of taking his boots off at every house.
Wait...where is Korea?
He's tired of taking hits to the sleigh. Apparently N. Korea takes that whole "DMZ" thing pretty seriously.
He's got all the drunken spousal abuse he can handle at home. Why even leave the house?

He's tired of lugging his sack of toys through all those Soviet Bloc apartments. Get a chimney!

Mrs. Clause hates kimchi breath.

Kudos to Erica, Justin Trevor and Mindy.

Aesthetics of Greenpeace

2008-11-16T16:01:00.001-08:00

This has nothing to do with Korea but I love Greenpeace's use of cartoon contrast to picture the lumberjack.
I will comment on Korean ecological preservation in a later post. It is 9am and I need to run.
Cheers!

National Geographic

2008-11-16T15:23:00.000-08:00

National Geographic opened their London retail store last week. For the armchair anthropologist inside all of us. Libby was kind enough to forward my copies here to Korea, Korea actually has a 700,000 year old history. If anyone finds themselves in London over the holidays please please please send me a postcard. I have seen the press coverage and was staring googly eyed from images of the new store.

About two weekends ago I went to the National Museum of Korea in Ichon and three floors of Korean/Eastern Asian History. The museum is broken up in a such a way that galleries flow well and they are reasonably organized based on time period and style of art/genre.
The first floor contained an Archaeological gallery filled with multiple artifacts from the paleolithic era. This I found to be less entertaining and quickly moved on to my favorite period in Korean history which is the development of the Three Kingdoms.
Now for a very brief history. . .
The first tribal settlements were formed in the Gojoseon Kingdom around 10th century BC. This Kingdom later fell to the Han Dynasty in China in 108BC. After the break up of the kingdom several walled tribal states developed that divided the peninsula. The tribal territories eventually developed into Three Kingdoms.

Goguryeo (37BC-668AD)
Baekje (18BC-660AD)
Silla (57BC-936 AD)

Each of the kingdoms had their own culture and different environments based on their geographic location. The museum does a wonderful display on the rule under the three kingdoms and in between the National Museum of Korea and the National Folk Museum there is plenty of understanding of the way of life under the three kingdom time period. Although each museum teaches about different aspects of the time periods.

In the seventh century the Silla defeated the other two kingdoms to lead to a unified peninsula. As the Silla Kingdom weakened the Goryeo Kingdom was established by Wang Geong and eventually overthrew the Silla. He named the Kingdom Goryeo and thus we have Korea.

Under this kingdom Buddhism flourished as well as the arts and philosophy. One branch of the National Museum of Korea had an entire gallery dedicated to Buddhas. They had several statues that we from outside of Korea including India and Japan but they are very clear about the Korean schools of Buddhism. For a brief timeline on pre 20th century Korea please look here.

The museum also has coverage of other Eastern cultures in the upper galleries. When you arrive upstairs there are a variety of exhibits including one completely dedicated to the development of Hangul and the logic behind the language. In addition they have a small section on Chinese porcelain and Indian artifacts as well as pieces from Vietnam and brief historical descriptions from these regions. I was disappointed that there was no exhibit or artifacts from Northwestern China or far Western Asia but that may be a bit overwhelming considering Asia is a rather large continent.

One of my favorite parts of the museum was the fine arts gallery on the third floor. They had a brief display of Korean Celadon which included some very early pieces of white porcelain. The aesthetics of this exhibit while very simple were amongst my favorites at the museum.

2008-11-16T04:28:00.000-08:00

It is now Sunday night here in Korea. I bit the bullet and bought a new camera, the same model that I had before the Halloween escapade. I had dinner with friends on Saturday when our conversation came to the topic of Kimchi (fermented cabbage) and he tried to convince me that it was the reason Koreans did not suffer from the Avian flu. Today I went hiking and decided I am not ready for winter.

I have gotten the apartment to a stance where I feel comfortable sharing it with the outside world and have photos to prove it! This past weekend I purchased a mirror and constructed two old picture frames into bulletin boards that help tremendously with organization. The photos posted show the "highlights" of the apartment and the rest is really not worth seeing.

My beloved rice cooker which I have now discovered how to make fresh pumpkin puree and apple sauce in. I do not have an oven here so a rice cooker and stove top range help to supplement for warm foods, especially as we enter the winter months.

Flashbacks of Hysterectomies

2008-11-14T11:28:00.000-08:00

This past week has been a whirlwind of emotions, hormones and pumpkins.
This post was brought on by one specific story that I feel may need to be shared.
It is the tendency of bars in Korea to play music that was popular from when I was a freshmen/sophomore/junior/senior in high school. Due to this some memories that I may have forgotten about are often triggered by said songs. In a recent unofficial Poly outing to Uncle Don's I was reminded of the days when I threatened to get a hysterectomy rather than a tattoo. I directly remember asking my general practitioner about this at my yearly checkup and I forget his advice but the look on his face was pure horror. In any regard I am proud that I kept my uterus (some days). The evening concluded with a succession of three cabs. One headed for the apartments and the other two headed for Beomgye. After arrival at Beomgye for nore bong I skipped out on the 3am fun and headed home.
Cheers!

Now for something completely different.

Ozzy Osbourne explains Korea

2008-11-12T04:18:00.000-08:00

I think Ozzy does an amazing job demonstrating my day to day communication in Korea.

Veterans or Pepero?

2008-11-11T16:05:00.000-08:00

While 11/11 may indicate Veterans Day in the US, it is based on the fighting that ended World War I on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. In my History classes we are currently covering topics of ancient history. Recently I was presenting information to students regarding Pepin who was appointed King of the Germanic tribes by the Pope. There was mention in the book of one of the Kings led the tribes into war against the Arabs and as the students often do ask questions we quickly were off topic. The discussion led to current events and as people thought that World War I was the war to end all wars, not much has been resolved. In another point to students I pointed out that the two conflicts the US is currently involved in are somewhat based on differences in ideology. In contrast to Eastern religions it can be debated that Christianity and Islam both are based on violent history. Religion and ideology are two major topics people are willing to fight and die for and not much has changed 1500 years after the Franks fought the Arabs.

During WWI Korea was under Japanese occupation. When that ended the country could thrive on its own and people could once again identify as Korean. In the 1980's a holiday of sorts was created called Pepero day. Now instead of being Valentines day or Sweetest Day this is a day where kids buy one kind of candy, produced by the Lotte Corporation, and give them out to friends, classmates, homeless people, pregnant women and teachers. Pepero is essentially a cookie in the shape of a stick and it is dipped in chocolate. They are really good to stir into your coffee. The green box shows the almond covered ones, these are by far the best!
Some parents went the extra mile and we were given homemade pepero, but I think this is a travesty to the holiday! That's almost as bad as giving out homemade Valentines day cards to everyone in class!
By the end of yesterday I was all Peperoed out and promised the kids I would run an extra mile for them tonight. I had fun with cork board instead.

A Spooky Time in Korea

2008-11-01T18:01:00.000-07:00

Brief updates.
I apologize for not updating this in a while but odds are if you are reading this I have spoken with you at some point in the last two weeks. This past weekend was Halloween (Happy November!) and nine of us dressed up as the track and field team from the Former Yugoslavic Repuclic of Macedonia (FYROM). Despite this acronym only one person actually asked me what is meant. We made the journey up to Hungdae to a place called Bar Boom for drinks and dancing. It was an excellent night until it dawned on me that I had somehow lost/dropped my camera while on the dance floor. Documentation of this night is being left to others and photos will be posted as they are available.
It was a fun time but I missed the emphasis that Halloween receives in the states. I saw a Christmas tree decorated with pumpkins the other day at Lotte Mart and was thoroughly disappointed that Halloween was not in full effect.

In other news this week is going to be HUGE. Election day is on Tuesday. I get to buy a new camera and it's one week closer to Japan!

Sharing House

2008-10-12T01:52:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning I hauled myself out of the apartment for an all day ordeal at the Sharing House which is a communal house for Comfort Women about an hour outside of Seoul. I was headed to hear the stories of sexually abused Korean women who were held captive during the Japanese occupation during the first part of the twentieth century.
I will go on about the experience but first a history lesson:

Comfort women is a term used for women that were forced into prostitution and used for sexual slavery in Japanese brothels during World War II. It should be mentioned that the term "comfort women" is used as a euphemism as the women were not used as comfort but rather for sexual purposes, whatever the soldiers may have gained from such encounters. There were eight women living at the house where I visited. We only had the chance to hear from two of them but the museum that has been established by the community of volunteers was quite informative and speaks to the usual methods of human rights activism. They see the establishment of the house as a form of protest and entertain groups of visitors, students and the public to visit in hopes to raise awareness and spread the knowledge of their cause.

I was also invited to join them at a protest on Wednesday around 12 at the Japanese embassy where every week they gather to protest the Japanese government. These women hold the Japanese government responsible for the actions and have not been given an apology or reparations to the surviving women. Many of the women who survived this experience are well into their 70's and 80's. There are an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 women that fell victim to Japanese brothels over the span of their existence. The numbers also range based on the group of scholars you read. It is also important to remember that the Japanese empire at this time spanned from the Northern border of China then South to the Dutch East Indies as well as Malaysia, Philippines and Myanmar.

One woman's story started when she was abducted at the age of 15 in 1927 by a member of the Japanese army. She was thrown into the back of a truck and transported into China where she served as a comfort woman remained until transferred around to various sites. After the defeat of the Japanese she married a Chinese man and proceeded to raise his children and did not return to Korea until 2000 when she was able to track down her remaining living siblings and declare Korean nationality.

I found the experience to be meaningful and insightful. The personal testament explains much of the hostility felt by this country for the Japanese and the abusive actions taken toward Koreans during the occupation.

The actions the women described that were taken against them and the health problems that they have encountered since are diseases and sterilization which is often due to abusive sexual situations. An example of treatment from the Japanese is they would inject a woman with mercury if she were declared to have and STD. Condoms were often reused and pregnancy were terminated with forced abortions. Women that did not follow directions and take orders were either physically beaten or in extreme instances killed in public demonstrations.
Another comment that one of the women continued to mention was the distrust of the current Korean and Japanese governments. She mentioned that one of the reasons that the Japanese government has not really apologized is because the current Prime Minister maintains the policy that actions of the past should not reflect the current period of a country. While I have not conducted much research into this idea I would think that the Japanese government would not like to reflect on the occupation and treatment of such people similar to the way the US government does not constantly reflect on the treatment of Native Americans. The women have opened an art gallery to artistically display the feelings that they have suppressed over the years.

To push the envelope I asked about their involvement in other causes such as the ongoing human trafficking that is present in Eastern Asia I was met with grim responses. The older women are responsible for spreading awareness of their own cause I was not surprised by the response I got. A lingering thought I took away from the experience was that they expect a foreign government to be held responsible for sexual slavery while they would not comment on the same actions that are still ongoing in their own country.

Happenings in Seoul

2008-10-12T01:14:00.000-07:00

I have been doing a lot of reading over the past 2 weeks. Thus the lack of posting and internet activity related to this blog.
In this time I have completed the Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. I have at least finished to book 11 as I have not located book 12 in the series, in English anyway. On Monday I also read Chelsea Handly's book "Are You There Vodka It's Me Chelsea." Like Sarah Silverman she is one of the few comedians I can actually stand and her humor should only be read/heard with slight disclaimer. It is not something I would likely recommend for grandmothers or nuns.
In other news last weekend I visit the island of Muuido which is in the Yellow Sea to the west of Korea. Swimming was not enjoyed due to the water content but the mud flats and digging for shell fish always make for an enjoyable outing. We visited reindeer (which I still think were going to be eaten) and other adventures.

The following week was followed by teaching, excessive coffee, guitar hero an absentee ballot and other mello drama.

Something else to chew on

2008-09-30T19:20:00.000-07:00

I know I ask it way too much.
But what are you wearing?

Data Mining

2008-09-30T16:13:00.000-07:00

A different kind of mining.

hip hop a la carte

2008-09-28T06:12:00.000-07:00

After an avid conversation about the identity of hip hop on Friday night I found this great graphic representation of the various body parts represented in different music types.

2008-09-28T04:06:00.000-07:00

Back to the game. . . .

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights from Seth Brau on Vimeo.

Family in random places

2008-09-28T00:03:00.000-07:00

Friday I made it up to Itaewon to see Cindy. Our visit was documented below with a shout out at the Noksapyeong subway station note the train on the left.

Random finds. . .

2008-09-27T06:46:00.000-07:00

http://curiosityshoppeonline.com/index.html
http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2008/09/honey-honey.html
http://www.theposterlist.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66PXaQw8xo4
http://www.marcowens.co.uk/vinci.html
http://www.funfam.jp/shop/
http://westerndigital.com/en/products/Products.asp?DriveID=517
http://www.simondale.net/house/gallery.htm
http://www.micoach.com/
http://www.adamwallacavage.com/octo/index.html

Saturdays at the Palace

2008-09-27T00:10:00.000-07:00

This blog is coming to you at approximately Sunday Afternoon in an apartment in Anyang.
Yesterday was spent in Insadong where we toured the Gyeongbokgung rather known as the "Palace of Shining Happiness." By the end of the day my feet were sore from breaking in new clogs and my eyes hurt from deciphering so much detail on the palace ceilings.
Instead of rewriting the entire history of the palace and the dynasty I have discovered a lazy way to transfer information.

The palace was of course spectacular but I have to say the sandwich I consumed after was almost as wonderful. Although the mozzarella could have been thicker it was still a welcome dose of Panini. In other news I am taking specimens for when I get to design my own home and especially lay tile and wall decor. Inspiration comes from the strangest places. I am not a huge fan of Korean aesthetics. It is important to hold appreciation for the cultural architecture and what not, I simply know it is not in my taste. I was interested to learn about Geomancy (pungsu) which is the Chinese equivalent of feng shui. It is the art of remaining in physical harmony with the universe. Often if people find their lives to be in disarray (business is doing poorly, the kim chi isn't fermenting or some other form of distress Koreans will call an actually geomancer to tell them how to arrange a room so that it may be more pleasing for spirits and energy to flow properly. This is the main building of the palace, where the King would traditionally sit and it is the first building you encounter after entering the main gate.
There is also the retreat in the back of the palace which is the structure pictured here. This site is where the King and Queen (emperors were never present in Korea, except for the Japanese) used as a retreat from chaos and commoners alike.

The United States of Mind

2008-09-23T18:11:00.000-07:00

Through the amazement of the internet I have access to almost everything that is available in the states besides the major broadcasting stations and mostly live media.
Today I found this amazing tool in the WallStreet Journal where they broke down every state by tendencies, nueroticism and extrovertedness and other features.
The United States of Mind
Although I should probably be focusing on the country at hand, I still thought this was pretty swank. However if you have traveled through these states then you can probably tell such features from the people you would have encountered.
Happy Wednesday!

The L Word

2008-09-20T23:02:00.000-07:00

The L word has come up recently in a lot of conversations. Either because people are getting married, using the term more freely when describing travel destinations, a shoe brand or fabric scent. Either way there have been many books written about the subject, several that have made it to my "to read list."
Whenever discussing the topic of Love I am reminded of this article that was published over the summer about the economics of love. Written by the infamous Ben Stein, he offers practical advice that may often go overlooked in recent engagements.
Biology may be able to explain why people fall in love through chemical of the body and psychology may explain the process of the brain and different neurological responses but overall some people get caught up in the mushy business of it all.
While keeping this in mind one of the interesting multiple interesting things about Korean couples is their ability to match. Matching clothes/outfits are a trend in this country that I can comprehend but have difficulty liking it. There are rumors that certain stores offer promotions for couples that are getting engaged/married. Couples rarely live together prior to marriage and see it as a way to express their relationship to the world. Also I have not noticed many women that wear a ring on the left finger so it may be a signal that they are in fact serious about their choice. On that same note you will rarely ever see a Korean couple display any sort of affection besides holding hands or occasionally hugging in public. PDA's are kept to a minimum, although most restaurants and social activities are strongly marketed to couples. Fathers often view as investing in their daughters to simply pass them off to their future husband as a bond between families. It may seem very traditional but I have also been told that like the suicide rate, infidelity in this country is also rather high.

Daily find

2008-09-16T17:03:00.001-07:00

Travels to Busan and trying to crack the nut that is Korea

2008-09-16T07:50:00.000-07:00

This weekend our travels to Busan were incredible. First I didn't realize how much I missed the water until all of us were sitting on the beach shoveling out strawberry cheesecake ice cream. (By the way dairy in this country is expensive). Once you get past the scent of fish and eerie looking street carnivals Busan is a pretty swank town. People have a different dialect and it felt a little slower paced than Seoul. We explored the Beomeosa Temple and Taejongdae Park. Traffic was not as bad as expected and the total driving time was somewhere around 5 hours (one direction). We also were able to watch a D List movie called "My Father" and Nico and I were the only ones who laughed at the English jokes on the bus.

In other news I arrived home around 9:30 Seoul time on Monday night and instantly read about the fall of Lehman Brothers and Meryl Lynch's crumbling to US Bank and felt this looming pit in my stomach. I must admit I had a hard time sleeping that night because of the dire times that I predict are about to come. At least from what I have read, the future remains pretty bleak.

As of Monday I have now been in Korea for exactly one month. I finally feel as though I have settled in, established a routine and am starting to feel at home. I have since purchased four plants and several books to make the apartment feel more like home. Surprisingly I like the accommodations of where I am staying. They are simplistic and overall sufficient to living standards. Also after a month I finally have a bank account, am a registered alien and have a cell phone.

Amongst the subjects I teach at school vocabulary is one of them. The other day I was reviewing vocabulary terms with my second graders concerning political elections/debates. Having done my homework about the Korean political system I related the conversation to the Korean style of government rather than the American. All of the books we use are US based thus many of the kids relay more information about American history than about their own 500+ old country. One of the students that is usually full of information politely informed the class that her parents got to meet President Bush while they were living in the United States. I quickly turned the subject around to Korean President Lee Myung-Bak who was elected in February 2008. All of a sudden the second graders were in uproar about how they didn't like him and there were and excess of ooooooooo's in the class. (Korean students tend to drag out the O's and A's at the end of words, similar to the Korean language). Another student expressed dislike for the President because of his agreement for the controversial US beef imports. While some second graders may listen to their parents, this incident just goes to prove that even eight year olds are constantly listening.

Photos are up from Busan.

That's all I have for now. Cheers!

2008-09-12T13:50:00.000-07:00

It is Saturday morning around 5:50a. I am glad to report that I have NOT been up this early in astounding two months (days of travel not included). Regardless I have been a bad blogger this past week with avoiding updates and spending more time away from the computer. On that note I have lots of stories to tell, but not many updates to life.
Today we are going to Busan (southern port city of Korea. . .lots of Russians apparently) for the long weekend. It should generally be about a 5 hour bus ride but since the entire country of Korea has a vehicle it should be more around 7-8. Anyway I plan to be that annoying tourist and have two fully loaded batteries/memory cards to prove it.
Topics to be featured this coming week

explaining "candidate" and "debate" will send second graders into a tizzy about this guy
Ellen gets a cell phone and 4 new plants
The Korean Won tanks even further, users of of the USD are no longer allowed to complain
Caucasian men and Asian women. . .the mystery
My love for Skype. . .and the NYTimes
many many more

Happy Chusak!
-Ellen

Saturdays in Seoul

2008-09-08T05:50:00.000-07:00

Saturday
This weekend my discovery of Seoul took me to the area of Itaewon. The entire place has the cleanliness of a back alley in Adams-Morgan and alarge presence of expatriots and military alike.
The situation with other foreigners within Korea is this resistance to actually speak to them. There may be brief eye contact, a head nod or a simple smile, but rarely will there be an exchange of words. I have yet to figure out why. . .it may be out of shock from seeing another foreigner or simply an unspoken rivalry between expatriots. I hope to over come this social stigma, just from my experience so far you try and avoid such people like the plague. There are social circles aligned at work and from what I understand not many people have branched out of the circles.
In regard to Itaewon it was comforting to be around Western culture. I had Coldstone Ice Cream as well as and Stella Artois (comfort food/drink). We went to this place called Geckos at Itaewon for dinner, the meals were comparable to American prices but the options for food and beverage were more extensive than anything I have experienced. The atmosphere was nostalgic however it is not on my list of favorite places. Overall is was comforting to be around mass Western culture, but I have had my fix for a while.
Saturday evening was followed by a trip to a night out in Apujong. Again we were greeted with hoards of military personnel and westerners. I drank Jack and Coke out of a bucket and we danced to the same four songs played over and over. The entire Saturday experience was enough to refresh my taste of the States and remind me to appreciate Korea while I am here.
Sunday I purchased my ticket for Busan where I will be visiting Kevin for the three day weekend along with Nicki. The three day weekend is in celebration for Chusak.

Chusok, also known as the Korean Thanksgiving, is held on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. Chusok means a great day in the middle of August. It occurs during the harvest season. Thus, Korean families take this time to thank their ancestors for providing them with rice and fruits. I am going to the beach.The celebration starts on the night before Chusok and ends on the day after the holiday. Thus, many Korean families take three days off from work to get together with family and friends. Basically it is one of the biggest holidays in the Korean calendar.
Monday
This morning I went for a jog and decided to do some exploring. Instead of turning right on a street I know, I turned left and kept going. This turned into another left and after two hours of being lost I found my way home. Having gotten lost on jogs before I disregarded co-workers advice to:
a)wear contact lenses
b) carry your address/someone's phone number
c) take at least 5,000 won with you for cab fare
I did none of the above. Instead I kept going and eventually crossed paths with the number 6 bus which will take you from our apartments to the subway station. In my genius I spent the next 40 minutes chasing the number 6 bus knowing it would guide me home. It eventually did, but I know I never fail to baffle/amuse the Korean neighbors as that insane white woman who shouldn't wear spandex.

I love the internet. . .and NPR.

2008-09-08T05:08:00.000-07:00

While the term feminism is still controversial this piece expresses some of the frustration that comes along with the title. It also discusses the opportunity/issue of options for women.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94369835

Friday Rants Are The Best

2008-09-05T19:20:00.000-07:00

This week's movie of the week was the "Constant Gardener." The film was released in 2005 and this was the first time I have seen it.
It is a film that takes place in Kenya, it does not relay the events that are happening in Somalia or in Southern or Western Sudan. Rather is portrays a message of corporate manipulation of drugs for TB that is hypothetically occurring in Africa and the death of two of the main characters occurs at the hands of such companies rather than at the hands of the English or Kenyan government.
If you have not seen the film I advice you to see it because it portrays another actor in the continuing human rights struggle of Eastern Africa. However from this perspective it is not focused on government corruption or the arms trade, but rather the health perspective that is also a driver in the conflicts of this region.

From a security perspective I would like to point out that greater instability in a region is likely to lead to the spread of terrorism. Thus it is even more important to stabilize the humanitarian situation in these countries due to the fact that such instability may cause the spread of terrorist activities such as those we are currently seeing in Afghanistan and Iraq. There is also the military component and the tribal fighting that is ongoing in this area.
As you should know Al Qaeda has ties to Somalia and my theory is once it covers Somalia there should be no reason for such cells to pop up in other regions of this continent. Of course there is the border of Ethiopia and Somalia to keep the conflicts against the coast. It is a pending situation that will have different effects in the next 5-10 years. I have not even begun on the ongoing war in Congo. Africa in many ways has become the forgotten continent, I think we may come to regret this in the next decade or so. Not to mention the Chinese have not forgotten about Africa, neither have their investors.
Ultimately there are multiple military and diplomatic efforts that we as the public do not know about. In addition there are grassroots efforts and many other factors that we may or may not be aware of.
I could go on and on with this, but the combination of frustration and redundancy is already apparent. Each conflict must be individually broken down and examined to see the combating parties, what they are ultimately fight over (ie water or land) and what are the powers supplying the guns, the planes, the medicine and diplomatic/military support. In addition you have to consider the desertification of Northern Africa that is expanding the size of the desert (desertification) and causing conflicts over resources that spur life. Such as water, wood for cooking and land for raising animals/crops.
Like I said there are many many factors to the conflicts within the African continent. The "Constant Gardener" simply shows one of those "hypothetical" forces.

One of the things that often annoyed me when we were doing fund raising or awareness campaigns back at school was a) the level of apathy and b) the people that did show an interest quickly disappeared. While people may not have to pack their bags and relocate to the troubled areas of the world we can do work at home to monitor what our government is doing as well as the multinational corporations that we rely so heavily on for our standard of living.

The Daily

2008-09-04T17:54:00.000-07:00

The past couple of weeks have been a time of transition. One part of traveling to the complete opposite side of the world is the time difference. I am approximately 13 hours ahead of the time zone I have lived in for the last 22 years. When explaining a time difference to eight year olds, I simply tell them that we are in the future.
Occasionally I will leave the computer on while I sleep and get woken up by the screaming sounds of Skype (indicating an incoming call). Otherwise most contact with friends and family has been done through e-mail. When I wake up in the morning I occasionally get e-mails from my family and friends. This discovery of cell phones and their ability to send e-mail has taken over the minds of my middle aged relatives and allows me to "share" in the moments I am missing at home. Or they are simply rubbing it in that I have again forgone a family event where people take the time to flex for the camera. WHO KNOWS?! Example as follows
This photo simply screams "we are having such a great time celebrating at the swim club" "wish you were here."

Regardless I am working on updating this blog and I plan to post some of the interesting things I find through my web surfing, market browsing and over all exploration of Korea. It is now Friday morning and I am getting ready to go to work. I found my inhalers buried at the bottom of a cosmetics bag and have gone running twice this week. Jogging around the streets of Anyangsi, especially at night allows for an exploration of the city and proves that Korea operates well into the night. Last night as I was jogging past the Hogwans (Korean school) there were still gobs of kids pouring out of these buildings. This was around 11pm at night. I will explain this emphasis in another posting however at 11p at night you are likely to see two things 1)kids loading on buses to either go home or go to another school and 2) drunken Korean men, all dressed in similar short sleeve buttoned down shirts, stumbling home after pounding back a few at the bar on the corner. Despite the reliance of these people on alcohol, caffeine and cigarettes I was surprised to learn that the average life span of Koreans is about 79 years. It is either the Kim Chi or all of the walking they do.

Cheers for now.
More

Moutains and Exterior Views

2008-09-03T05:09:00.000-07:00

It's almost Thursday on this side of the world. My body has again entered an abnormal state of nauseousness and I have not been getting in my weekly miles of jogging. Needless to say my entire being is off center. In other news I now spend half of my day with second graders and the other half with seventh and eight graders. It keeps the days refreshing and makes me feel old.
In other news I am deciding the right time to get up the energy to send pictures of the inside of my apartment. For the time being I will post photos of the outside of the buildings.

This past weekend I climbed Moraksan on Sunday, it is a mountain about 1/2 mile down the street. The hike was about six miles and gave a great view of the surrounding mountains and the skyline of Anyang. In the photos you may not be able to see much except for the pollution and rows and rows of skyrise apartment buildings. Thank fully I do not live in one of these Soviet looking buildings but rather have to climb one flight of steps to my apartment. There are bars on the windows however to deter robbery. Although I still have not figured out what to do in case of fire.

Staff Party and Kevin

2008-08-31T05:03:00.000-07:00

Last Friday (8/22) the school hosted a dinner for the staff at a restaurant across the street. There was lots of grilling, garlic, Cass Beer ( the equivalent of Coors) and Soju. Soju is the national drink of Korea. When I went for my health check at the regional clinic earlier that morning the questionnaire simply asked "How many bottles of alcohol (Soju size bottle) do you consume weekly?"

To describe the taste of this beverage take the cheapest brand of vodka you can think of and combine it with Kerosene, voila Soju! Many people drink it along with dinner, lunch, brunch or breakfast along with another drink, often referred to as a chaser. After leaving the restaurant I was greeted by Kevin Burns who had arrived earlier in the week to take a teaching position at Pusan. I was very excited to see him as we have commiserated through the visa and application process together over the past several months. He came with the Poly staff to a Nurebong (group Karaoke) around the corner and the evening resolved itself around 1:30a. The rest of the weekend was proceeded with nauseousness and fever.

Hitting the ground

2008-08-30T09:41:00.000-07:00

I have been in Korea for about two weeks and have decided to do what everyone does while living abroad and keep a blog. I am not sure how often it will be updated but you will probably learn more about my experience through this than through a quick e-mail.
To sum up the past two weeks I have traveled to the Northeast Section of South Korea where we swam in the channel between Korea and Japan. It was a last minute trip that I took after having been in Korea for less than 48 hours.
The first hotel we stayed in was comparable to a crackhouse in OTR. Four girls were kicked out of our room that we stayed in the first night, they were moved to another smaller room. Someone mentioned that they may have been prostitutes, but this is still up to question. The second night we packed our bags and headed for a nicer hotel where again we proceded to fit 10 people onto sleeping mats on the floor of a MUCH nicer hotel room. Bugs and prostitutes were not included with the deal we got on the room. Regardless it was alot of fun and compensated for the nauseating weekend I had over 8/23-24 which included stomach nauseation, fever and sinus infection. I didn't leave my bed. If I leave Korea with anything it will be with a built up immune system. Thanks to the outstanding hygeine practices of Korean children and general society.