Halloween Korean Style

Friday at work we had a Halloween celebration for our kindergarten classes. The kids came to school dressed up in costumes and most of the staff dressed up also. Halloween in Korea is pretty nonexistent, but with the influx of Hagwons (private English schools) in Korea, Halloween is slowly creeping into the culture (or at least in the Seoul area).

The kids seemed to really enjoy themselves. In class we made Jack-o-lanterns, had a candy hunt, and played Halloween games. Towards the end of the day all the kids lined up in awkward lines and went room to room to "trick or treat" for what I thought was some of the crumbiest candy in the world. They were dumb sucking candies that my grandfather would have probably have passed out.

Over all the kids had a good time.

A few weeks ago one of the teachers on the 2nd floor had to leave back to the US because of family issues. Everyone has had to pick up either an extra class or extra students because of her leaving. Her departure has also left an empty room on the main floor, and because LCI is a business first and a school second; an empty room on the main floor is bad for business. My kindergarten class has been at LCI the longest and has a super grasp of the English language and because of that, they have decided to uproot us and move all of my classes to B Class. I don’t even know if the students have been notified of the classroom change. To be honest, this blows big time. It will be fine but the way administration went about the change is crappy. Enough about that, but you can tell there is a tad of bitterness.


On a positive note it is officially Fall here in Korea. Leaves are actually changing colors and falling to the floor. The other day I watched a woman rake a a ton of leaves into a big pile. I usually don't have impulse issues but as soon as I saw her finish and go back inside, I jump in the pile. It was awesome!


Here are some pictures of the coolest witches, ninjas, wizards, and princesses in Korea.







LCI Halloween

Listening to The Noisettes Atticus.

Here Today Gone Tomorrow

I've had two friends visiting from home, and it's been awesome having them here. I've know Carlos and Brian for almost 10 years. We all went to college together and lived together for a super long time. Having them here is making me miss home big time. It's been great getting home from work and having my buddies around.

The two of them did a lot of tourist stuff while they were out here, and bought a ton of bootleg stuff for some reason. It's been really funny watching the come back with bags of crap.

The two of them leave tomorrow afternoon bound for Los Angeles. Carlos said he is going to try and send Diet Coke out my way pretty often. The idea of a regular supply of Diet Coke is so exciting, because it is nonexistent here in Korea.

Going to miss having them around.








Listening to Julian Casablancas 4 Chords of the Apocalypse.

Botanical Garden Field Trip

Wednesday afternoon we went on a field trip to a botanical garden which was about 15 minutes from campus. Our buses pulled up to a rather large complex and we set up shop. Each class was greeted by a smiling tour guide and off we went. The garden was large enough for each class to have their own space and no be under foot. There were different sections to the garden including several ponds, a really cool shrub maze, and an insect house.

The tour was conducted in Korean so I was kind of out of the loop for a bit but Junu and Kai did a lot of interpreting for me. I was really impressed at how kid friendly the guide was. At one point she was on her hands and knees talking about a worm. The kids were totally stoked throughout the entire trip. They were really engaged and had a lot to talk about when we got back to school.







Things have been pretty quiet other than that. The US qualified for the 2010 World Cup which was super exciting. 2 of our main players were injured though which is a total bummer. It's been really sucky coming home from work on 2 separate occasions and seeing news that Charlie Davis was in a really bad car accident and Gooch tore a ligament during the Costa Rica game. Both are big parts of the squad. On a positive note the draw for the World Cup is Dec. 4th so that is something to look forward to.

2 of my good friends are coming to visit on Monday for 10 days so that should be awesome. I'll get to do some exploring with people who are like family to me. Good things to come.

Botanical Garden Field Trip

Listening to Cage the Elephant Drones in the Valley.

Eeeeekkkk

Lightening, thunder and leaves of many colors. It really is a different world here compared to my little hometown of Los Angeles. I left for work in the morning and it was about 65 degrees outside and the sun was shining. As I came home for lunch it was starting to rain out of nowhere. While I was making lunch the rain picked up and the thunder and lightening started. Pretty awesome. It all happened in like a matter of 15 minutes.

I kind of want to just stay home now and watch the storm come through. Don't think that would go over well with the school, seeing as I have 2 more classes to go.



Listening to Karen O and the Kids Capsize.

Soccer Sundays

I've been up bright and early watching most of the World Cup qualifiers come to an end this morning. Italy, Germany, Denmark, Serbia, Chile, Brazil, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Australia, Japan, North and South Korea, Spain, England, Netherlands, and Paraguay have all qualified for 2010.

The game that I am waiting for is the US v. Honduras match. With a win we will seal our spot for the World Cup. The game will kickoff at 11 AM and hopefully I can find a feed. I've been looking forward to the qualifiers wrapping up all week.


Other then that things are pretty quiet in Korea. 2 of my good friends are flying in next week from the US, so it will be get to see them. Work is going well and the kids are getting very excited about Halloween. Also I'm working on booking a flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia for winter holiday. Flight prices are all over the place so I am working with a few travel agents to find the best deal.

Looking forward to the USMNT win over Honduras.



Listening to The Airborne Toxic EventMissy.

Hello October

Dear October-

How did you get here so fast? It feels like my plane just landed here in this place they call Korea. It has been an enjoyable few days with you here. The weather has been close to perfect, which made for a great long weekend. Feel free to stay for a bit. Please being Halloween in a timely manner.

Your friend-

Stuart

P.S. - Do you know if there is anywhere with awesome breadsticks? I've been missing them greatly.

Listening to The Decemberists California One/Youth And Beauty Brigade.