The Korean Rabbit Hole

Up and running

2010-02-07T02:23:00.000-08:00

I've officially made the switch from BlogSpot to WordPress. Here is the link to the New Blog. It's still pretty skeletal but its up. The 6 people that read this, don't forget to change your bookmarks.

Cheers-

A Whole Bunch of Creepy....

2010-02-01T07:34:00.000-08:00

Here is an article from the LA Times that ran on the 31st. It's about an Anti-English group in Seoul that has gotten into some shady stuff. Some of the highlights include:

"Then he follows them, often for weeks at a time, staking out their apartments, taking notes on their contacts and habits."
"members have spread rumors of a foreign English teacher crime wave. They have alleged that some teachers are knowingly spreading AIDS, speculation that has been reported in the Korean press."

Also in the news have been reports of a well known SAT instructor being abducted by a private institution and being forced to renew his contract to teach an SAT prep course. Here is the article from the Korea Times.

One more bit of information in the Korea Times is an article about Korea predicting robots will be teaching English language classes and native language teachers no longer being needed here in the country.

Sounds like Korea is in good shape, putting the development and well being of the student first! As long as they are sitting nicely and can regurgitate things from the workbook everything will be super!

On a positive note I'm at the halfway mark. I've got 6 months left and then off to Europe. Almost done mapping out countries and cities. 3 day weekend coming up next week, followed by our schools winter festival and kindergarten graduation. February is going to fly by. Also making the switch from Blogspot to WordPress in the next few days. I'll keep things posted on here.

Listening to The Ting Tings Fruit Machine.

The Korea Times Article

2010-01-23T21:08:00.000-08:00

Here's an article from The Korea Times that touches on hiccups in the world of Korea with regards to site access for foreigners. Found it dead on.

Expats Want Easier Access to Services

From: The Korea Times | Jan. 24, 2010

By: Kim Jae-won | Staff Reporter

Korea has an ambitious vision to become a globalized country as an IT power house and Asia's financial hub but it seems that it has a long way to go as "hidden" discrimination against foreign residents still exists in their daily lives.

More than 1.1 million foreigners are living here, but many of them cannot access various everyday services due to Korean-focused IT systems and language barriers.

A European ambassador, who declined to identify himself, said he often feels frustrated when he shops online.

"I tried to make reservations for the movie 'Avatar' last weekend. But I couldn't make them because I don't have a resident registration number or social security number. We have a foreigners' number, but it is nothing. It doesn't work at all," he told The Korea Times.

"There is another example. I tried to buy a Hi-Pass gadget on the Web site, but I couldn't because of the ID problem."

Hi-Pass is an automatic paying system on Korea's highways. If you charge the electronic gadget, you don't need to wait at the toll gate as the sensor checks it by itself.

Their frustration is not limited to the online world. They also suffer in the real world.

Joanna Encabo, 33, a Filipino who has lived here since 2004, still has a problem with banking due to a language barrier. Whenever she visits a bank, a Korean friend accompanies her for interpretation.

"Without the help of a Korean friend, it is still hard for foreigners to do banking. Recently, I got a credit card from a bank. But I think it would have been much more difficult if my friend had not helped me," the 33-year-old Quezon City native told The Korea Times.

Encabo is just one of the many foreign students and workers struggling with the banking system. Despite local lender's efforts to beef up expat banking services, most foreigners have little access to banking services due to language barriers and heavy-handed rules.

In a survey conducted by the YMCA from November to December, the association found that 72 percent, or 58 students, of the total 81 respondents had trouble using financial services here.

Listening to Discovery Orange Shirt.

Quiet

2010-01-22T03:12:00.000-08:00

Things have been quiet in the Rabbit Hole called Korea. I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing. I went to a pretty solid Green Day concert on Monday in Seoul that really helped to pick up the pace of the week. No matter how old Green Day actually is they know how to put on a solid rock show. It was a tad scary though watching Billie Joe command 15,000 people whenever he felt. The power one man has is a scary thing. Kind of like the president of the United States and his ability to send more and more troops into countries for no reason.

Work has been bumping along. We are preparing for graduation and our winter festival. The kids are super stressed out because they have to put on some strange dog and pony show so that the business or "school" as it is called can put on a happy face.

Other then that things are going smoothly.

Listening to Radiohead Talk Show Host.

DJ Lance and Yo Gabba Gabba

2010-01-14T02:32:00.000-08:00

Back in the States is an amazing show called Yo Gabba Gabba. It was created by the lead singer of the band The Aquabats and is like a super Sesame Street that features awesome bands. Some of the bands they've had on the show included The Ting Tings, The Roots, The Shins and MGMT.

Now, I'm writing this post because during the last presidential election I went to a concert that was a fundraiser for one of the candidates that included The Bird and the Bee / The Lady Tigra / Willoughby / Electrocute / The Hard Place / Polyamorous Affair / Wolfkin / and DJ Lance Rock. I took a few pictures at the show that included DJ Lance as the house DJ for the evening, and everyday my Flickr page gets at least 25 hits on his pictures.

For the show DJ Lance looks like this.

At his guest DJ spot he was dressed like a regular guy.

I just find it super interesting that daily 25 people are looking for DJ Lance.

Listening to Passion Pit Sleepyhead.

Has it already been 2 weeks....

2010-01-12T05:03:00.000-08:00

It's already been two weeks since I've been back from vacation. The major thorn in my side right now is this super cold weather. Being from sunny Southern California (Los Angeles) wild winter weather is not in my blood. I usually enjoy the cold weather but this is just silly. The Monday back from vacation was only a half day because Seoul received record snow. Outside of my window it looked like this.....

Now most of it is beginning to melt away, but a lot of it is still hanging around because Korea is not equipped to handle snow. I have see old ladies outside of their shops shoveling snow with dust pans. I don't know if snow plows or shovels don't exist here but something is not right.

I finally found my way to a decent concert here in the non-existent world of quality music (except for K-Pop which makes my skin crawl) here in Korea. Muse was in town for the first leg of their Asia tour. I had seen them before and the second time around didn't disappoint. Next up is Green Day. They might be a bit past their prime but familiar music will help to soothe the soul. They also put on a super entertaining concert.

On a different note my co-teacher asked me if I wanted to extend my contract. I was a bit shocked because I still have 6 months on my original contract. I don't know if this should be flattering that they want me to stick around or if they are just trying to cover their butts for the following months. Either way Europe is calling at the end of my contract, so unless they make a super, amazing, wonderful and stupendous offer I am going to have to decline.

All is well here in the odd Rabbit Hole of Korea. Working on a few things that should hopefully start to come together in the next few months. I'll keep you posted on that as they come along.

Listening to Red Cortez Laughing Streetcar.

Cambodia

2010-01-04T01:06:00.000-08:00

Wow! One of the best experiences in my life. The flight from Seoul to Siem Reap was all of 6 hours, which is similar to flying across the United States. We landed in Siem Reap around midnight because our flight had been delayed because there was a snow storm in Korea. I was really nice to be leaving a snow storm for tropical conditions for a week.

We had booked a guesthouse called Bou Savy Guesthouse, which was amazing. We paid $80 for 6 nights in Siem Reap. I can't say enough about how wonderful and amazing the staff was. Each morning we would wander down to the courtyard and enjoy breakfast which was included in the price of staying at Bou Savy.

During our stay we did a ton of things. The first day we visited the region of Angkor. Located in the region are the ruins of Angkor. There were several temples that had been constructed by the Khmer Empire that are stunning to look at. I can't even wrap my head around how these were even built. They were just stunning. The complex included over 20 temples with some of the more popular ones being Angkor Wat, Bayon, and Ta Prohm.

The next day we went to the Landmine Museum which was created by a man named Aki Ra. He personally disarmed the mines at the museum and had been collecting them to create a center like this one. It was really sad to see what kind of destruction humans had created. It was also very confusing to see the really short list of countries that have refused to sign a cease to create act and sitting at the top of the list was the US.

One the way back from the museum we stopped at a small butterfly garden that had been created. There was an area that had been netted off and a beautiful garden built. There were tons of butterflies cruising around and some awesome cabinets but that contained lots of cocoons. The villagers near the butterfly garden collect the cocoons and the garden purchases them from the villagers. It was a way the villagers could make money.

After washing up at Bou Savy our Tuk Tuk driver dropped us at Pub Street for dinner and drinks. I think every evening we were in Siem Reap we made our way to Pub Street. They had an amazing selection of cool restaurants that served a super variety of food. The food and drinks in Siem Reap were dirt cheap. Meals cost around $3-$7, while drinks were $0.50 for a draft beer and $3.00 for pitchers. It was awesome. Also near Pub Street was a delish ice cream shop called The Blue Pumpkin. The ice cream there rocked big time and the lounge upstairs was super cool.

The next day we had breakfast at the guesthouse and waited for our driver from Tara Boat Tours to pick us up to go to the Tonle Sap Lake. Located at the lake was a rural village that was literally floating in the water. It was a drastic change from the actual city life in Siem Reap. Our tour was about 3 hours and included a stop at a catfish/crocodile farm, playing with snakes, and lunch on the tour company's 81 year old boat. It was an awesome experience.

After the river tour the driver took us to Artisans d'Angkor. The facility teaches the villagers around the area different trades that allows them to make a living will learning a craft. It was a really cool place that had a lot of different crafts that were taught.

Following Artisans d'Angkor we made our way back to Pub Street for food, drinks and shopping at the Angkor Night Market. The market was just off the main strip and was created to give tourists a safe shopping environment during the night time. I was really impressed by the night market. There were tons of shops and had a sweet tropical bar right in the middle of it all.

The next day we slept in for a bit and then made our way to Butterflies Garden Resturant. This was a similar butterfly housing establishment but included a koi pond and a super delish restaurant. While we were waiting for our food there was a group of about 10 kids milling around the restaurant with cages full of butterflies. The establishment employees the kids to collect the butterflies and helps them to earn some money, rather then them begging on the streets. We just happened to be there on a Thursday which was butterfly release day. So in a matter of minutes there were tons of butterflies swarming the facility. It rocked big time. The food and atmosphere was super.

After lunch we made our way back to Artisans d'Angkor which offered a free tour of the silk farm on the other side of town. It was real interesting to see how they harvested the silk from the cocoons and the process to make different things out of silk.

We wandered back to our guesthouse to get ready for the new years festivities that would be happening throughout the city. When we arrived at the guesthouse the owners invited us to celebrate the new year with them and their families, so we washed up and made our way down. The staff had created a very elaborate dinner spread, equipped with tons of drinks. It had a great family feel to it. There were other guests and tons of family members wandering the facility. After dinner and a few drinks, we were off to Pub Street once again. Over the course of the week there had been great preparation happening to transform the area for the evening. When we arrived we had some more food and drinks and found a great little spot called the Giddy Gecko. It was a funky little hookah lounge. We ended up hanging there for the new years festivities. There was some great live music, cheap drinks, and awesome hookah. It was a wonderful way to usher in the new year. We called it quits around 1:30am and back to the guesthouse we went. When we arrived at Bou Savy the place was still celebrating. It was so cool walking in and seeing all these happy amazing people. I really can't say enough about the Bou Savy staff and facility.

On our last day in Cambodia we stopped at the children's hospital to donate blood. The hospital offers free child care for Cambodian citizens and they are in desperate need of blood. We were the first two people of 2010 to donate blood. After donating blood we went to the Angkor Museum and learned a lot about the history of Cambodia and the temples.

Overall it was an awesome trip. At some point in my life I will be making my way back there. I really didn't want to leave Siem Reap. The people there were just amazing and it was such a great diverse setting. It a world of difference from robotic life style of Korea. It was really nice to see different kinds of people and different kinds of things.

Next on the list of travel is probably Tokyo around March or April. Should be awesome. January is going to fly by. There is finally live music coming to Seoul. It's been 6 months since I have seen a live show and I have been going through withdrawals. We have Muse on the 7th and then Green Day on the 18th.

More pictures of Cambodia.

Listening to The Rifles For The Meantime.

Getting Back

2010-01-01T16:53:00.000-08:00

Just got back from an awesome trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia. A picture link and a tad about the vacation coming in a few. Awesome, wonderful, amazing, wishing I was still there doesn't describe the trip enough. Bou Savy Guesthouse..... Can't say enough about it.

Hope everyone had a happy new year. It was an interesting start to say the least.

Listening to The National So Far Around The Bend.

Christmas at Work

2009-12-25T07:24:00.000-08:00

Thursday we had a Christmas celebration for the morning kindergarten classes. The school is split on two floors. I was asked to be Santa for the 4th floor and one of the other teachers Don did it for the 2nd floor kids. The kids seemed to enjoy it but couldn't concentrate on anything else but Christmas (totally understandable). Each class came and took a picture with Santa and then went back to class for other activities. This was basically a photo opportunity for the school to send to current and perspective parents. Photo ops like this are really common here and exploited a great deal. Enough about that though. The day totally flew by at light speed and was capped with a variety of goodies from the kids. I left with soaps, cookies, lotions, and a sweet bottle of scotch!

Cambodia is right around the corner.... we leave tomorrow!!! I've got most everything in order, just need to pack now.

In a twist of amazingness my wallet magically turned up! It somehow made its way into a drawer that I think in total I've opened 3 times including the time I opened it and found my wallet. Weird but a relief.

Here are some pictures from Christmas at LCI.

The one above has the words amazing written all over it.

LCI Christmas

Listening to The Courteeners Not Nineteen Forever

New Camera = Lots of new pictures, Lost wallet = Sad Face

2009-12-19T23:22:00.000-08:00

I bought a new camera about a week ago and can't get enough of it. I upgraded from the Nikon D60 to the Nikon D300. The D60 was a great jump off camera and I learned a lot using it. I found a super deal on craigslist for the D300 and have been shooting with ever since.

My wallet on the other hand is nowhere to be found. It magically disappeared on the walk from my apartment to Tom n Toms coffee. Pretty sucky if you ask me. My mom just happened to have sent me a new card that came to her house, so I have access to my account at home but I have to get a new Korean card. There was about $50 bucks in it and that was the only stuff that was lost with any monetary value, but I had some pictures of my family and a coin my dad kept in his wallet before he passed. Kind sucky. Maybe with will turn up but I doubt it.

Here are some pictures from the new camera.

Friday Night in Bundang
Random Korea

Listening to Real Estate Suburban Beverage.

Snowboarding in Seoul?

2009-12-16T01:47:00.000-08:00

This past weekend (Dec. 11-13) 50,000 spectators at Seoul's Gwanghwamum square witnessed Switzerland's Gian-Luca Cavigelli win his first World Cup event. Constructed in the middle of this insanely congested city sat a huge a jumping facility that The Seoul Metropolitan Government said cost a total of W700 million (US1=W1,164) and took over 6,000 steel pipes and 500 tons of ice to create. This was the 1st and only time an Asian country has hosted an event of this type.

It was pretty awesome all around. It's been awhile since I had been to any kind of snowboarding competition and this was a great one to watch.

Listening to The Cribs The Light Went Out.

Webcam

2009-12-15T05:27:00.000-08:00

My kindergartners discovered how to use the built in webcam on my computer the other day. I was going through some of my pictures and found these. What a bunch of goof balls.

10 more days until Cambodia. Can't wait for it.

Listening to Mumford & Sons Little Lion Man.

Is it Really Already December?

2009-12-10T03:51:00.000-08:00

It feels like I just got off the plane from Los Angeles and stepped out in Incheon. I don't know if everyone experiences this but time doesn't seem to exist here in Korea. It feels like a time warp of some sort. Kind of like a Rabbit Hole. Well with that said, there has been a great deal that has happened and will be happening.

At the end of the month I am off to Cambodia. I found a guesthouse in Siem Reap called Bou Savy Guesthouse. The rooms there are dirt cheap and seem to have a local feel to it. I know what you are thinking..... dirt cheap usually raises a flag, but that's why I did my research. Bou Savy is one of the guesthouses in Siem Reap that had the highest customer review ratings. Hope they are real ratings.....

I also picked up a new camera for the trip. I found a super deal on a Nikon D300 with a decent lens that was included. I still need to head into Seoul and pick up a prime lens before the trip. I have really been enjoying shooting with it so far (only been a week).

Another exciting piece of news is the 2010 World Cup draw that took place last weekend. I was up until 5am my time watching a few goofy people pull special ping pong balls out of a a few bowls. I know this might not sound super exciting to some people but these ping pong balls decided the World Cup groupings for June. The US had a wonderful draw, pulling England, Slovenia, and Algeria. Playing England will be super exciting because it will give the US a chance to take down a huge European team on a grand stage.

Short and sweet this posting. Going to make an effort to update this a bit more regularly.

Here are some pictures from the past few weeks. Thanks Crystal for the awesomeness.

Listening to Tokyo Police Club If It Works.

World Cup Field Set

2009-11-19T00:07:00.000-08:00

The field of 32 is finally set.

AFC

* Australia
* Japan
* Korea DPR
* Korea Republic

CAF

* Algeria
* Cameroon
* Côte d'Ivoire
* Ghana
* Nigeria
* South Africa

CONCACAF

* Honduras
* Mexico
* United States

CONMEBOL

* Argentina
* Brazil
* Chile
* Paraguay
* Uruguay

OFC

* New Zealand

UEFA

* Denmark
* England
* France
* Germany
* Greece
* Italy
* Netherlands
* Portugal
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Switzerland

It looks like June is going to be awesome! Looking forward to the draw on December 4th.

Also scored tickets to see Muse on Jan. 7th!

Things are looking pretty good right now.

Listening to Radars to the Sky I Might.

Busy Weekend

2009-11-16T20:00:00.000-08:00

Time is ripping past like a wild animal and this weekend did just the same. The last few Saturdays I've been playing soccer at a local park. It's been great being able to run around for a few hours.

My friend David took this shot. Check out some of his other stuff. It's pretty awesome.

Saturday evening Crystal and I went to Yeouido Island to check out the 63 Building. The building itself is 63 stories tall and you can see all of Seoul from the top. We didn't make it to the top but we did get as far as the 60th floor. There was an art exhibit at the Sky Cafe and 360 degree views of the city.

The exhibit was pretty cool also. There was a variety of work there and even a few Warhol pieces. I'll probably end up back at the 63 Building because there was a ton of other things to do there, including a wax museum and aquarium.

Sunday we took an hour bus ride from Bundang to Yongin to check out Everland. It was really cold outside, like in the 40's so there was hardly anyone at the theme park. The country is also really worried about swine flu so that could have played into the lack of people also. The rides were geared towards a slightly younger crowd but there was still plenty for grownup children to do also.

They were still transitioning to their winter motif so some of the things were not fully set up. It appears there will be sledding and stuff like that to do in the near feature. One of the rides that really caught my interest was the Safari Bus Ride. Basically a group of people load on to a mini bus and travel to a back section of the park. Freely wandering are a variety of super cool animals. There were bears, white tigers, lions, and LIGERS!!!!

Overall it was a pretty solid adventure. Everland is definitely worth the voyage to get to. The safari ride on its own is enough.

Listening to Ryan Adams Karina.

63 Building
Everland

Everland

2009-11-14T18:38:00.000-08:00

Heading to Everland right now. Theme park in Korean?!?!?! Could be interesting.

Listening to Girl Talk What It's All About.

Aquarium's Rock!

2009-11-02T03:00:00.000-08:00

Since moving to Korea I've been to two different aquariums and have decided aquariums rock big time. Over the weekend Crystal and I went to the COEX Aquarium in Seoul. It started off in the right direction when I found a big box of popcorn for only 1,000 ₩ ($0.84)! The aquarium had an interesting mix of creatures, that included spider monkeys, chickens, and hedgehogs (all of which are not your usually aquarium clientele).

I'm pretty sure I spent 45 minutes infatuated with a ray shark that kept swimming laps around a group of fish. It was so graceful and awesome I had trouble leaving it.

After the ray shark we made our way to a tank full of piranha's. It amazes me how these creatures are born in the wild with amazing color patterns and can be so vicious.

One of the cooler creatures was a turtle that was hanging out. The interesting thing about it was it had two heads! At home there was a snake at the LA Zoo that had two heads and it was always so strange to see.

There were tons of other fish and lots of other things to be seen and done at the Aquarium. If you are looking for something cool and different to do in Seoul this is a solid bet.

Listening to The Henry Clay People Andy Sings!

Aquarium pt. 1
Aquarium pt.2

Halloween Korean Style

2009-10-30T21:47:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-28T06:47:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-15T05:53:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-12T21:08:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-10T17:29:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-04T02:49:00.000-07:00

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.

Laundry

2009-09-29T01:48:00.000-07:00

Down here in the Rabbit Hole (Korea) dryers are not a standard appliance for people. For 2 months I have been washing my clothes and sheets and then hang drying them. Personally I feel clothes just don't feel the same without being dried. After the wash they don't retain their shape and they have a rough feel to them.

So to my delight I stumbled upon a cleaners right down the street from my apartment. A few days ago I dropped off some dry cleaning and noticed 3 super huge dryers in the back. The man explained to me in a combination of Korean and English that they will wash and dry items for a flat fee. It was a bit on the expensive side but it sounded amazing. So I dropped off a hobo bundle of clothes and sheets wrapped up in my comforter.

Today I went in to pick up my hobo bundle and it was no longer in a bundle. My comforter, sheets, and underwear were folded neatly. All of my shirts were hung on hangers. But most important everything had been dried.

There were about 12 hangers of stuff and a bag with my comforter and sheets in it. The owner of the store grabbed the hangers and shuffled me out of the store. She proceeded to lock her shop and help me carry everything right to my door step. This alone will being me back to Eco Cleaners often.

As we were walking down the street together I couldn't help but think of the scene in the movie Home Alone where Kevin is staying in a hotel and desk person brings up a pair of his dry cleaned underwear and he freaks out because someone might have seen them. Now I didn't freak out but it just reminded me of that scene.

The whole experience put a big smile on my face. Makes me think that humanity still really does exist.

Listening to Karen O and the Kids Heads Up.

Solid Weekend

2009-09-27T04:21:00.000-07:00

This weekend I stayed in town but it was still awesome. Friday night I went out with a group of friends and hung for a bit at a place called Pub 210. It's a foreign hangout and the jukebox is actually a computer with youtube. About halfway through the evening Crystal and I commandeered the computer and played DJ for a bit. Pretty entertaining all around. After 210 I built a fort at home and was pretty impressed with my fort building skills.

Saturday afternoon we ventured out to Insadong and wandered there for a bit. There was a festival going on at the park, with tons of odd booths and things set up. The highlight of the afternoon was the free popcorn vendor that was situated just off the path. Popcorn and I have been good friends for sometime now, so the idea of popcorn for free was amazing.

Today I found a poker game in Gangnam and played at a full table. The game was at a casino where only foreigners could enter. At the table were 7 Japanese players, 1 Indian player, a Vietnamese player, and myself. I played for about 3 hours and made enough cash to probably pay for my trip to Cambodia during winter holiday.

Overall I must say it was a solid weekend.

Listening to Discovery Osaka Loop Line.

Field Trip

2009-09-24T04:51:00.000-07:00

I went on my first field trip with LCI today. Students and staff piled onto buses and we took a 5 minute drive to Bundang Central Park. The park was pretty awesome and there was tons of space for the kids to spazz out and move around. We played a variety of games that included a mixture of teachers and students. Overall it was pretty entertaining.

Once we finished playing the organized games the kids were aloud to run around and be children. I was super pleased that the school was putting on an event that let the kids actually be kids. At one point there were a group of 15 children chasing pigeons and having an awesome time doing it.

Somehow a chase game started with the kids chasing a teacher. As the teacher got tired they would yell out another teachers name and suddenly 45 kids would stop in their tracks and book it to the next teacher. This proved to be entertaining for about 10 minutes, but the kids really enjoyed it.

Crystal turning the children on me....

My class getting ready for tug of war.

Listening to The Airborne Toxic Event The Girls in Their Summer Dresses.

LCI Field Trip

Busan and Haeundae Beach

2009-09-22T03:59:00.000-07:00

Friday night we had a staff dinner, hosted by the school. The director Mr. Kim took everyone out for dinner at a Korean BBQ restaurant. There were about 25-30 people there and the plan afterwards was to rest up for a temple stay a few of us had planned. This plan took a very different turn in a matter of 5 minutes. Another group of coworkers were planning on heading to Busan which is a few hours south of Seoul.

We arrived at Seoul Station to purchase bus tickets for the 4 hour ride; we quickly came to realize that there were only 2 tickets left, but 5 of us who were going. We decided to split up and we would meet in Busan in the morning. Forrest and Olivia took the bus, while Jason, Crystal, and I tried to figure out a game plan to get to Busan. The final decision was to take the KTX, but it didn’t leave until 5:30 am on Saturday morning and it was 11:45 pm Friday. At most metropolitan bus/train depots late night patrons tend to be an interesting breed and Seoul Station did not disappoint. There were a variety of locals milling around the station but the three of us had the distinct pleasure of being the only foreigners until almost 4 am (we stuck out like a sore thumb).

When 5:30 am finally arrived the three of us boarded the train and set sail for clear skies, and warm weather. The train took a little less than 3 hours to travel 210 miles, but didn’t make much of an impression because I slept the ride there. We found a hotel in Haeundae , dropped off our bags, showered up and wandered down the street to the beach.

The beach was pretty awesome. The water was super clear, which is very different than the water at home. It’s usually in your best interest to not go in the water in Los Angeles, but in Busan it was encouraged. We hung at the beach for a few hours; dug in the sand, napped, played with the local wildlife, and then went back to the hotel to wash up for the evening.

That evening we went to the local live fish market that had just about every kind of seafood item you could think of. The way the market worked was you picked the live creature from one of the many vendors, they would cook it, and then you get to eat it. This was definitely an experience.

Now my eating repertoire only includes one kind of fish and that is a goldfish cracker. Outside of that; seafood and I don’t mix. Forrest picked out the lucky creatures that would be moving upstairs with us for dinner and we went and found our table. A few minutes later a king crab, live octopus, clams, and more were laid upon the table. Inside my head was a toddler throwing a pretty intense tantrum, but on the outside I held my composure, and actually tried the crab.

Thanks Crystal for the photo.

The next morning we went to the Busan aquarium before heading to the bus. There were a lot of awesome creatures. Overall it was a solid weekend.

Listening to Bright Eyes Lua.

Swap

2009-09-18T04:43:00.001-07:00

Temple stay has been swapped with Busan. Traveling to the south of Korea to check out the last weekend of summer at the beach. Going with a few of my co-workers. Should be entertaining. Its the same beach as the movie Haeundae was filmed at.

Broke the 1,000 Marker

2009-09-16T07:50:00.001-07:00

The Korean Rabbit Hole has finally hit 1,000 unique views. Pretty cool if you ask me. Starting to look at different places to go for my winter holiday. Any suggestions?

On a side note.... We were playing Hangman in my kinder class today, and two of the kids were trying to sabotage the game. Kai kept guess obscure letters like Z and X, so when he guessed the letter Q, I decided to write it on the board. His jaw dropped to the floor in amazement. His plan had backfired.... I started to laugh which resulted in the whole class having a pretty solid belly laugh. Kai proceeded to tell me "It was so funny that you wrote that, my eyes started to make a river." His eyes were watering because he was laughing so hard.

No matter how insane the day has been, little things like this make everything better.

Listening to Radiohead Talk Show Host.

Insadong and Downtown Seoul

2009-09-14T05:24:00.000-07:00

A week or so ago I made my way out to Insadong which is near downtown Seoul. Insadong is an older outdoor shopping area that was packed with people. Wandering the streets, Insadong quickly become one of the top 5 places I've been to in Korea so far. There were tons of cool street vendors and lots of shops to venture into.

The city was an interesting mix of young and old. The young aspect that stood out was an interesting artsy vibe. The architecture some of the buildings was super cool. There was one shopping center that had a variety of boutique style stores that catered to a young crowd. This area was highly populated with university students, couples, and foreigners. The walls of the building were littered with graffiti that seemed to be encouraged and added an interesting touch to things.

Once we made our way back to the main street the vendors seemed to be in full effect. Now granted it was a Sunday afternoon, and prime shopping/selling time but it was a bit overwhelming to see all stuff for sale. There was everything from traditional Korean clothing to tea pots to hats to porcelain pigs. The hat guy reminded me of the book Caps for Sale. The only thing missing was the monkeys.

One of the things I really enjoyed about Insadong was that fact that you could wander down an alley and it seemed like a whole new world would appear. It was as if one had ventured down a rabbit hole and popped out somewhere else. The first place we popped out at; was in front of an awesome art gallery. The exhibit was a variety of 2D sculptures that appeared to be 3D. There were several sculptures of Korean pop stars and a variety of other worldwide figures.

As we left the exhibit we found another alleyway to explore and popped out in front of a tea house. The place was amazing. The tea and food were delish as well as the building was visually cool. They had a variety of teas, some hot and some cold. I had this super yummy citrus tea. My friends David and Melissa ordered a different kind of fruit tea that I was totally keen on. I don't know what the snack food we ordered was, but it was really good. It was rice based and very light.

After tea we made our way towards downtown Seoul. We walked about a block before running into some kind of dance festival. It was really entertaining and really packed. As we were watching an older Korean man pulled me aside and wanted to take a picture with me. It was pretty silly. The dance party went on for a bit and then people went their separate ways.

After the show we went a bit further down the street and wound up on Sejongno street. Sejongno is littered with different monuments and civic offices including the US embassy. Along Sejongno is a huge fountain area that surrounds a statue of Admiral Yi Sun-sin who is a naval hero in Korea. The statue and fountains we pretty elaborate.

Other than that things have been pretty quiet. I finally got a cell phone and found a gym down the street that I signed up for. We got a new teacher at work and have a staff BBQ on Friday. Hope the food isn't like the last meal I had that was sponsored by the school.

Saturday and Sunday a group of us are heading to Golgulsa Temple which should be interesting.

Things are swell in Wonderland.

Listening to Little Joy How To Hang A Warhol.

Insadong and Downtown Seoul

Babies for Sale!!!!

2009-09-09T21:11:00.000-07:00

Not really but this kid made me laugh. I was at E-Mart and hanging out in the basket was this guy. Made me smile.

Korea v. Australia

2009-09-07T06:33:00.000-07:00

The past weekend was super entertaining. On Saturday all of the soccer world shut down for World Cup qualifying matches. South Korea and Australia have both already qualified so they scheduled a friendly match here in Seoul. We got to the stadium around 7pm for a 8pm match because we still needed tickets and didn't know what things would look like attendance wise. As we got off the subway there was a super fun party atmosphere already in effect. There was a ton of people at the World Cup Stadium but it was no where near capacity. We grabbed tickets in the general admission section (₩10,000/$8.10) and wandered through the crowed courtyard.

There were lots of festivities taking place before the match. This one had a high potential of being awesome but we opted for heading to the ticket booth rather then get in line for this...

Free Hite beer before the game.

We made our way to the seats and settled in for the match. The Korean supporters section was out in full force. There was a solid sea of red just to our left that didn't let down the entire game. The first picture is before the match followed by one during the game.

The pride and joy of Korean soccer is Park Ji-Sung, who plays for Manchester United in England. He is also the captain of the Korean team. During the introductions the crowd erupted when his name was called. He played a large role in the Koreans to 3-1 victory over the Socceroos.

Since I've been in Korea that has been a buzz everywhere about Swine Flu. Posted in the restroom at the stadium was a friendly reminder to was your hands to prevent Swine Flu. It made me laugh.

South Korea v. Australia

Listening to fun. At Least I'm Not As Sad (As I Used To Be)

It's been a whirlwind of a week....

2009-09-07T05:08:00.000-07:00

The past has been the first week (while in Korea) where I've felt there is not enough time in the day to get everything I want to do done. Classes have been going very well. We started a new semester on Monday (8/31) and my Co-teacher rearranged my morning routine which totally threw off the kids. It feels that the kids and I seem to have figured each other out and we both are settling in to this new routine.

My morning K class is a super busy, high energy, needy, awesome, wonderful, brilliant group. Everyday we hit the floor running at 9:30am and there is not a lull in the day. I have been struggling with a couple things in the classroom and am trying to put together the puzzle to make things flow.

My first head slamming against the wall moment has to do with a student. Ian is my biggest challenge in the classroom. He was very attached to the previous teacher and has been having separation issues since I arrived. My Co-teacher has informed me that his family background is a bit bumpy which makes things hard for him on many levels. We are working on building a trust between us and it seems like there is progress everyday. He has responded really we to taking on roles in the classroom that gives him a bit of power and allows him to receive positive recognition from his peers.

The second thing I have been struggling with is the cultural and developmental expectations. The kindergarten classroom that I left in LA at The Oaks was a rare environment. The kids came first and there was a major attempt to reach each individual child's developmental needs. The curriculum was flexible and could be manipulated to flow with the student. It was ultimately a developmental learning space that one of my most inspirational teachers (Bean) created. Culturally and developmentally the classroom that I am in now seems like two different worlds. Our curriculum now is very traditionally structured and makes my skin crawl having to do this odd dance of actually doing the workbooks with the kids, and doing things that are developmentally appropriate for 6 year old kids. My first week in class one my own I made an honest attempt at running the show like they wanted me to. The only problem was at the end of the day both the kids and I were miserable. I've decided, with the kids help that if we get our work done in the end, then it doesn't matter how we get it done. If that means not sitting like drones and not going through the motions then so be it. Some people just learn better if the are laying upside down and working.

Here are some pictures of pizza day from about 2 weeks ago.

Phew.... Sorry about that. Just had to vent, and where better than on here.

Listening to The Maccabees Wall of Arms.

FC Seoul

2009-09-01T02:10:00.000-07:00

Saturday evening 7 of us made the journey to the World Cup Stadium in Seoul to watch FC Seoul host Ulsan. We got a late start but made it to the stadium at the end of the first half. The stadium itself was beautiful. It was built when Korea and Japan co-hosted the 2002 World Cup.

The stadium was about half full and we sat in the general admission section near the FC Seoul supporters. The supporters section was a sea of black and red and had an awesome amount of energy. They stuck around for the entirety of the game and showed their passion even when Ulsan took a 2-0 lead.

The game ended in a 2-0 loss for Seoul. Something that I found really cool was the team made a point of going to each section of the stadium and acknowledged the fans who were there.

Overall it was an entertaining adventure. We decided that next time we needed to find a bus that would take us out to the stadium because in the end we spent more time traveling then we actually did at the match.

Thanks Andy!

After the game there was an intense kawi bawi bo (rock, paper, scissors) match that took place. Loser had to lay down at the subway door before it opened. It was pretty silly.

"Come on out. Oh, the weather outside is weather." Make's me laugh every time.

Gyeongbok Palace

2009-08-29T22:50:00.000-07:00

Saturday afternoon I took a trip from Bundang to Gyeoungbokgung. It was a 1.5 hour subway ride to the northern part of Seoul. The main reason for the excursion was to see the Gyeoungbok Palace. Gyeoungbok was originally built in 1394 and was the largest palace built by the Joseon Dynasty. In the early 20th century it was heavily destroyed by the Japanese. As of today it has been restored to about 40 percent of its original outfit.

The palace itself is a located on a huge plot of land with a ton of different buildings through out the complex. When I arrived, I exited the subway and found myself standing in front of the main gate of the palace. There were a few guards directing foot traffic because the changing of the guard ceremony was about to take place. It began with a drum solo followed by a processional of guards.

After watching the ceremony I made my way to the ticket office. Admission was ₩5,000 ($4.00) and included a English audio tour of the complex. The tour took me through a huge courtyard and stopped at one of the many buildings the king worked in.

Inside the building was a throne and a great deal of art work. The structure was mainly built of wood with a large amount of detailed art carved right into the structure.

The next area of the palace was my favorite. Gyeonghoeru was the royal banquet hall of the Joseon Dynasty. Moving out from the hall was a man made lake that surrounded the hall. There are lotus plants scattered throughout the lake. Outside of the lake was a great deal of greenery. There were a variety of Willow trees that were really cool to see.

The last stop on the tour was an area filled with different sculptures. This was my favorite one of the group. I wasn't able to figure out he significance of this guy but he looked like a cartoon character of some sort.

As I made my way back to the main gate I was approached by two goofy looking men. They had a pretty fancy video camera in tow and explained to me they worked on a variety show in Seoul. The segment was about the host who spoke very broken English was was looking for help from foreigners in the country. We chatted on camera for a bit, and the were very appreciative of my time. It was pretty silly and for all I know it could be an entire segment mocking me. I guess I'll never know.

Going to an FC Seoul soccer game later tonight, so I'll have an update on that in a few days.

Missing some of the finer things from home like Diet Coke and a normal pizza (without corn).

Listening to Matt and Kim Don't Slow Down.

Gyeongbok Palace

Finally Moved!

2009-08-27T04:35:00.000-07:00

Finally in my permanent apartment!!! The new place is about 1/2 a block from the apartment I was in before. One of the most amazing things so far is the air conditioning. Things are starting to cool down a bit here in Korea but the humidity still hits hard.

The place is a studio apartment and pretty tiny. It feels like a dorm room to be completely honest but it will definitely work. I've put most of my things away and just need to pick up a little nightstand.

I'm still really impressed by the fact that getting to work takes all of 2 minutes. I have to be in class by 9am and can leave my house at 8:55am and still have time to grab a coffee on the way.

I'll post some pictures of the place in the next few days.

Listening to Arctic Monkeys Pretty Visitors.

First Full Day and More

2009-08-24T05:33:00.000-07:00

I had my first full day of teaching today. Things went pretty smoothly. There was a good amount of testing the waters from the kids in my Morning Kinder class, but any self respecting child should test the waters. My 2 afternoon classes both breezed by and 6:00pm came much quicker then I expected. The 2 afternoon classes have a monthly exam coming up this week so the next day or so will mostly focus on reviewing for the test.

I got my Alien card today, and was informed that after lunch I would get to open my bank account! For lunch today the director Mr. Kim took Jessica (who I'm replacing), some Korean staff, and myself out. We went to a Chinese food restaurant about 10 minutes from school and I could already feel myself gagging. Picky eating aside I knew I would have to stomach it, or at least attempt to stomach it. We got there and Mr. Kim did all the ordering. First up was a sea food soup, and I wanted to cry. The soup looked more like someone had grabbed handfuls of creatures from the bottom of the ocean and then threw in a few vegetables. There were mussels, octopus, shrimp, and so on. I made it through a bit of the vegetables and some broth but that was all I could do. Next up was some kind of super sized shrimp. It looked as though it had been zapped by the enlarging machine Wayne Szalinski had created in Honey, I Blew Up the Kid. It was breaded, fried, and then dipped in some kind of sweet and sour sauce. The super shrimp was the most manageable of the plates Mr. Kim ordered. Following the shrimp was a huge plate of fried pork, causing another internal sad face to take over. I was able to stomach a few piece but felt myself gagging so I called it quits with this plate. At this point I was done sampling food and wanted to run back to LA and get a hot dog from Brent's Deli. Little did I know there was one more dish making its way out. This dish was a noodle bowl, mixed with more sea food (oh goody!), a few veggies, and some super spicy runny red sauce. I got through a bit of the noodles and some of the sauce, before Mr. Kim asked what my favorite kind of food was. At first I thought he was just making conversation but he followed with laughter and commented on the fact that I had drank much more water compared to the amount of food I had eaten. We all laughed and and wrapped things up.

After lunch I went to the bank with P.S. (he takes care of the foreign staff) and opened an account. There was a lot of paperwork to fill out and the majority of it was in Korean. I was super thankful that P.S. was there to help out. We got things squared away and now the school will direct deposit my checks and utilities will be directly debited from the account.

Wednesday I move into my permanent apartment. Tomorrow evening will be packing up time and then around the corner I will go on Wednesday. Looking forward to air conditioning and internet!

Listening to Passion Pit Sleepyhead.

Hongdae

2009-08-23T04:09:00.000-07:00

Saturday night after the horse races we went out to Hongdae for a going away evening for Jessica, Tara, and Joel. This was my first time in Hongdae and it had an interesting feel to it. Hongdae is located right next to Hongik University and it had a very cool vibe. The mixture of people was a very cool mix of foreigners and Korean university students. There were tons of bars and clubs similar to Mexico, but there were cool boutique shops and restaurants like you would see on Melrose. Another super cool thing about the area was the fact that there were tons of street vendors throughout the area. The vendors sold things like Goodwill style sunglasses, jewelry, food, and there was even a lady that had set up a mixed drink stand.

The bestest meal I have had since I arrived!!!

We went to a variety of different places varying from a lounge atmosphere, to an open mike hip hop club, to a dance party. The first place we went to was a very mellow laid back lounge bar. Bar snacks are a bit different then at home and at this place they resembled packing peanuts disguised as Fruit Loops.

There were about 20 people there hanging out including us. Later in the evening a DJ came out along with a guy playing a didgeridoo. We hung here before retiring to a different watering hole.

Our next stop was to a little underground bar that was hosting an open mike hip hop night. The scene was pretty laid back and the guys on stage were decent. We were in and out quickly before moving along.

Next on the list was a place call 500. It had a super cool Middle Eastern vibe going on and each group of people got their own cave area to sit. The caves were lined with cushions to sit on.

500 was a really cool concept and had a dance floor for dancing and starting your own drum circle. There weren't very many people at 500 but it was a lot of fun.

Monday is my last day of official "observation" and then the class will be mine. Wednesday I'll be moving into my new apartment (which has air conditioning), so I can finally unpack and start settling in. It will be nice to not have to pull my clothes out of a suitcase. Also this week my alien card should arrive which will allow me to get a cell phone, bank account, and other important stuff like that. Other than that it should be a quite week. Maybe I'll go check out a palace or something cool like that later in the week. I'll keep you posted.

Listening to the Bird and the Bee polite dance song.

Hongdae Pictures

Seoul Racecourse Park

2009-08-22T22:35:00.001-07:00

Saturday afternoon a group of us piled onto a packed bus to headed to Seoul Racecourse Park. I had no idea what to expect but was amazed at how passionate Korean's are about horse races. The bus didn't take us all the way to the track so we had to transfer to the subway to get us there. There was a specific stop for the track called Seoul Racecourse Park.

We got there about halfway through the 12 race afternoon and stopped to check out the horses before making our way to the lounge.

The complex was pretty enormous and had a section specifically dedicated to Foreigners. The Foreigner Lounge housed about 50 leather La-Z-Boy's and had all of the race materials translated into English. Everyone got a very official badge to wear also.

We watched a few of the races from the lounge and then decided to head down to ground level for the last 2 races. There were tons of people milling around between races. The stairs were littered if losing betting slips and cigarette butts. As we were waiting in between races a Korean man walked right over to us and wanted to have a conversation in Korean. No clue what so ever what he was trying to communicate, but it was entertaining to say the least.

After our stimulating conversation with the Korean guy we wandered to the finish line for the last race. The odds board was a bit different then home but I ended up doing something right because I won 10 bucks on the race!

Seoul Racecourse Park pictures

In General So Far

2009-08-19T08:12:00.001-07:00

Things have started to level out for the most part. My observation days are coming to an end and I will be teaching full days very soon. The teacher I am replacing (Jessica) will be leaving next week and then things are pretty much in my hands. As of now I am still waiting for my Alien Registration Card, and to move into my permanent housing. Once I get my Alien Card I will be able to do things like get a bank account, cell phone, and officially get the internet. One of the super cool things about Korea is things are close enough to walk to, so that means I can throw my Ipod on and wander. I've been able to listen to lots of new album like the Arctic Monkeys - Humbug, Good Shoes - Good Shoes, and rediscover some quality albums like The Strokes - Is This It and some of The National's older stuff. In constant rotation have been The Airborne Toxic Event, Henry Clay People, and Castledoor (all three because the remind me of home and they are awesome albums.)

I've met some really awesome people so far and I am only 1.5 weeks in. Looking forward to things to come.

I'll leave you with some random pictures so far.

Can't even get away for American Apparel on the other side of the world.

These are some of the Korean bug catchers in my neighborhood. Found these guys at the park.

Random Korean public restroom

A little inspiration after having to use the random Korean public restroom

Samcheok (Haesindang Park ,Hwanseongul Cave)

2009-08-17T05:29:00.000-07:00

Friday we left Bundang to a town called Samcheok about 4.5 hours south east of Seoul. We took the subway to the express bus terminal which is about 10 stops from home.

We got to the bus terminal bought our tickets for the 11:10pm bus and had about 1.5 hours to kill so we went found a place for dinner. It was one of many restaurants at the terminal but one of the only ones that was actually open. I ended up ordering a beef plate of some sort, and had real mixed feelings about it. After dinner we hung, chatted for a bit, and took some pictures.

We finally boarded the bus for what seemed like it might be the longest ride in the world. On a positive note I was pretty wiped so I ended up sleeping for most of the ride. We ended up getting into Samcheok around 4:30am and found a motel in the area. The motel ended up being super cheap and we were able to get 2 rooms for $160 for both nights total. Now the motel wasn't a 4 star AAA approved establishment but it was 5 million times better than any motel you would find back home. Everyone claimed a spot and crashed for a few hours. Saturday morning we all showered up and wandered out for food and to grab another bus to Haesindang Park. The ride to Haesindang Park took about 20 minutes and dropped us in the small fishing village. I had read a bit about the park but knew it would be an entertaining trip when I saw the street vendors selling these.

The legend of the park goes as follows "Once upon a time, in a coastal village there lived a beautiful girl who used to gather seaweed. In the distance there was a rock called Aebawi where plenty of seaweed grew. One day, this young girl was taken out to the rock by a man in a boat. The man, who had a pact to marry her, promised to return to the rock to pick her up after she had collected seaweed there and he went back to the village. At dusk, she waited for the man to come and take her home, but he was unable to come and fetch her due to wild waves. That very night a terrible storm arose and a large wave struck the rock, drowning the ill-fated girl. From the time of her death, the fishing catches turned bad for the village and so a rumor started circulating among the villagers that it was due to the dead girls bitter soul. Finally, the people of the village decided to offer carved wooden phallics as a sacrifice inside Haesindang to console the bitter soul of the unmarried girl. Mysteriously, after that, the village again enjoyed a good catch."

So the entire park was filled with beautiful scenery and penises. It was pretty entertaining all together.

We spent a few hours at the park and took the bus back to Samcheok. The public transportation in Korea is pretty awesome. Subway, buses, trains, or taxis are readily available pretty much throughout the country. We got back to the motel and discovered there was a huge sauna/spa complex that was free to people staying at the motel. We went to the complex for about a hour, and then went out for dinner, the beach, and noraebang.

We got back to the motel pretty late, slept for a few hours and got ready to go to the Hwanseongul Cave.

The cave was another 20 minute ride but this time we went by taxi. I didn't know what to expect on our way there, but I can tell you one thing... I didn't expect a mile hike up a steep Korean mountain to the cave, a mile trip inside of the cave, and then a mile back down. Again though the surrounding area of Hwanseongul had some beautiful scenery.

The cave itself was super massive. It felt as though it went forever. At some points it felt a bit repetitive but overall it was pretty cool to see. Also to think that on the outside was nothing but trees and life growing while on the inside was this whole other world.

My first Korean road trip was a solid one. Looking forward to much more to come. Sorry for the super long post, there was just so much that was going on. More pictures from the trip are on my flickr page.

Song Festival and Random Stuff

2009-08-13T15:40:00.000-07:00

Song Festival was Thursday morning/afternoon. Staff met at school at 9am and was shuttled to the hall for the performance. The kids had just got there and were exiting the buses as we pulled up. We gathered our class and wandered into the building for a quick rehearsal. The building was pretty large about 4 stories all together and is usually used as a wedding hall. A-J classes piled into the main room and each class did half of their song and was then shuffled down to the basement where tables and chairs were set up. Jessica and I had brought paper and stuff for the kids to use while we waited. Classes were broken up into 3 groups with ours being the last of the final group (lots of sitting for little people). As we waited the kids changed into their costumes for the performance. When it was our turn we scaled the 3 flights of stairs back to the main hall. The whole performance lasted about 5 minutes included a paparazzi line of parents taking tons of pictures. After the kids were done there was more waiting. Each group took a class photo and posed for more pictures. We wrapped up about noon and the kids left for the day.

In the afternoon I got to observe another classroom for a bit and then did some planning.

For dinner I met up with one of my coworkers and some of her friends for Korean BBQ. It was super delish and there was tons of food. The whole table was covered with different things.

I Have A Feeling...

2009-08-12T20:43:00.000-07:00

That the two of us are going to be very good friends!

Song Festival and Butterfinger Pancakes

2009-08-12T05:19:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow the kids from all the Morning Kinder classes are putting on a Song Festival for all the parents. Each class A-J will be singing a song in English to show the parents. I guess the parents are paying a ton of money for the school so they want to see what they are paying for. So there is no Morning Kinder just the Song Festival. The school rented out a huge hall and and the kids are singing songs that vary from Disney stuff to the Beatles. From what the other Foreign teachers have said any opportunity to take pictures is always jumped upon by the parents and the school. I was looking at the schedule and the performance is scheduled to run for about and hour and photo time is scheduled for an hour also. Kind of interesting if you ask me.

I met the last group of kids today that I'll be teaching over the course of the year. They are a 4th grade class and are absolutely hilarious. One of the boys Charlie is the string bean of a boy with goofy glasses. The first thing he did when he walked in was get right up to my face with his nose almost touching mine, and let out the biggest chuckle I had heard in a long time. There are 9; I believe in this group and they have such a mix of personalities that its going to make for a fun class.

After work today I went out to dinner with 2 of the other teachers Jessica (whom I am taking over for) and Amanda. We were going to go to a sushi restaurant, (I know, I know, I know. Sushi and Stuart don't usually go together but I was feeling adventurous.) but it ended up being super expensive so we left. We ended up walking around a bit and they pointed out some of the places around ton, until we ended up at Butterfinger Pancakes. This place would not only survive in LA but it would thrive. It was an American style restaurant that specialized in breakfast foods. I was so relieved to have found it. Mitch Hedberg sums up just how I felt about this place, "In Kilkenny Ireland, they don't have anything American over there, it's very cool. But they did have a Subway sandwich shop. That was the one thing they had American, and that became the American Embassy to me. I would go out into a bar and
piss off an Irish dude and have him chase me into a Subway. I said, "Dude, I'm sorry, but you're out of your jurisdiction. But you can have a cold cut combo to go."

Song Festival tomorrow and hopefully I'll get some pictures up in the next few days.

Medical Exam and Alien Card

2009-08-12T05:02:00.001-07:00

I went for my medical exam on Tuesday. The school utility guy P.S. came and picked me up from my apartment to go to the Bundang hospital for my medical examination. It was about a 10 minute drive and was right next to Seongnam 2 Stadium where the Seongnam Ilhwa play. The hospital was pretty massive and there were tons of people there. It didn't feel like a hospital does in the States (sickly and diseased) it just felt like an office building. The exam consisted of checking my teeth, blood work, a vision test, and a chest x-ray. There was also a form I had to fill out stating I didn't have swine flu because for some reasons the Koreans are super paranoid about it. The exam was super quick and painless.

After the medical exam P.S. came back to my house to collect my passport and ₩15,000 ($12) so I could apply for my alien registration card. The alien card allows me to get utilities, a cell phone, INTERNET (very important), and a bank account. P.S. said the process takes about a week so I'm counting down the days till then.

Totally off topic but on my brain. There's lots of football (soccer in the US, been yelled at twice already for calling it that) coming up and I'm super stoked for it. Wednesday the US has Mexico in Mexico City which will be an awesome match, and the EPL starts Saturday. Fulham takes on Portsmouth which should be a solid start to the season.

First Day at LCI

2009-08-11T03:50:00.001-07:00

My first day of classroom observations went really well. I got to LCI at 9am and there was a staff meeting scheduled. Literally 15 of us (10 foreign teachers and 5 Korean teachers) sat around a table and discussed kids and curriculum for 30 minutes. This is a huge change from the last few years of staff meetings I've grown accustomed to. The foreign staff seems super cool and I look forward to exploring Korea with them. There was a solid mix of fresh off the boat teachers and ones who had been at the school for a good period of time. The teacher I'm taking over for is named Jessica and shes just about done with her year in Korea. She was very helpful in breaking things down about the program and answered the millions of questions I had for her. Our first class (J Class) went from 9:30am-2:20pm, and is a advanced English speaking morning kindergarten class. The kids have some of the most energy I have ever seen. The session was broken up between English dialogue lessons, lots of work books, story time, and an activity time. There were 10 kids in this class and they are a lot of fun. One boy Junu, was particularly interested in the fact that I had facial hair. He was amazed by the fact that it matched the color of the hair on my head. The next class came in at 2:30pm after a full morning of Korean school. We had them for a little less then two hours. This group was very busy and very curious about this new person in the room. Towards the end of the second group I began to notice little heads popping up next to the window along with tons of waving. This went on for about 10 minutes, until the bell rang and they were allowed in. The last group came in at 4pm and was awesome. They also had had a full day of Korean school before attending language school at LCI. This group was the mellowest out of the three and was a nice shift from the first two groups. The group was bright and very curious. Again their session consisted of workbook time but there was also a bit of creative writing. One boy in particular Jaheo was amazed by the fact that I was so tall. Now for the record I'm not abnormally tall by any stretch of the imagination but this boy was in awe of my size. He asked at the end of the session if I was born as a giant or if I grew into one. On that not I'm going to call it a day. I haven't been posting many pictures because I don't have my own internet yet and I have been stealing it from the Flying Unicorn connection somewhere in my building and its a bit sketchy. So more pictures once I have internet that is reliable.

Lotte Mart

2009-08-10T02:08:00.001-07:00

I finally found my way to the elusive Lotte Mart. Lotte Mart is a super crummy version of Target but it was a relief to be able to purchase some groceries. I had narrowed down the location of Lotte Mart online but still got lost. I ended up at Samsung Plaza and ran into a French gentleman that was able to point me in the right direction. On the way to Lotte I found the local movie theater that shows both foreign and Korean films. I noticed they were showing Up, GI Joe, and Harry Potter.

Lotte Mart ended up being directly on the other side of the theater. They had a variety of foods there. Lots of fruits and sea food, but lots of Korean versions of stuff from home.

Starting observations of the different grades I'll be teaching tomorrow morning. Should be insightful to what the next few months have to hold.

White Devil, Metro, and Internet Friends

2009-08-09T03:00:00.000-07:00

So I've been exploring the city I'm living in (Bundang which is a suburb or gu of Seongnam City) and have encountered a wide variety of things. First the actual city seems to go forever and the buildings are large and plentiful.

As I was walking out of the local 7/11 (yes they have them in Korea also) there were 3 older Korean men that began shouting something at me while throwing up devil horns above his head. Don't really think it was a term of endearment. I just put my Ipod back on and continued walking.

Sunday morning I left my apartment about 9am to meet some friends I had met online in Seoul for the UFC fight. I'm not a super fan of UFC but the idea of actually speaking English for a bit was very very appealing. I had downloaded 2 mapping program to my Ipod Touch that helped decode the Korean subway system. I stopped at the 7/11 again to pick up a phone card and a T Money card which is a rechargeable subway pass. This is pretty important if you plan on riding the subway often because you get a nice discount on fares with it. I boarded the metro at the Sunae station bound for Noksapyeong and off I went to Seoul. There were two transfers to different lines that went very smoothly. On one of the lines I came across a boy who kept growling at me. He must have been 6 years old and was very entertaining, not only was he growling but he was rocking a beautiful mullet. This was my first mullet sighting in Korea.

I arrived at the Noksapyeong station and met up with Frank who was waiting at the top over the 3 story station for me. We walked over to Josh's place which was in Itaewon. His place is right in the middle of a ton of embassy's which was cool to see. We hung for a bit and watched the UFC fight, ate pizza, and they gave me the run down of how things worked for a few hours. After we left we walked down to Itaewon where they have a westerner market that was owned by 2 Indian men. The place was packed and had a lot of imported goods. I stocked up on lots of diet coke, shampoo, peanut butter, and crackers. After a bit of exploring I got back on the metro and began the journey home.

It took about a hour to get back to the Sunae station. Outside of the station was a guy selling bootleg movies which struck me as funny. It reminded me of the Santee alleys in Downtown LA.

Thats about it for today. Tomorrow I go for my medical check up to make sure I didnt bring the swine flu with me. Should be entertaining.

First Few Days

2009-08-08T16:23:00.001-07:00

Construction sign in the subway

Blues Brothers selling sunglasses

Park near my apartment. There is a track and a river.

Long night of drinking?

Daewoo building near my apartment.

First Night in Korea

2009-08-07T17:23:00.000-07:00

After a 13 hour flight I was pretty much ready to curl up and go to bed, but the 3 people waiting for me at my apartment had other plans. As we left the apartment they inquired about my favorite food.... I told them I really liked pizza so off we went down an alley for about 300 yards and we popped out in the middle of a busy street lined with huge signs and lots of young people walking around. On the third floor of what appeared to be a random building was a room labeled billiards and darts. We walked in and it looked like a cool bar from back in the states. The jukebox might as well had been a feed from KROQ because there was lots of Weezer, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters. My new Korean friends explained this bar was known for the pizza and beer selection. The pizza ended up being a bit crummy but the Guinness hit the spot. We played darts for a bit and left to find a taxi.

The taxi took us to AK Plaza which is a courtyard littered with eateries and shops. We went to an awesome Korean restaurant for soju and more food. We ordered a super delish spicy chicken plate and played and interesting drinking game. After food and soju we were off to norebang (karaoke). A long flight, lack of sleep, and soju made norebang an entertaining adventure.

Wandering the city on my own today. Ill post some pictures in the next day or two.

LAX to ICN

2009-08-07T17:03:00.000-07:00

I got to LAX around 10:30am and said my see you laters to my family and walked through the doors at the terminal to check in for my 2pm flight. I had two super heavy bags and didn't know what the weight charge would be. I checked the bags and handed over $120 for the two bags. They were about 50kg over weight. After I had my ticket I milled around for a bit and then for a comfy place near a outlet to hang and watch Mad Men while waiting for the flight. The flight left about 2:30pm and off we went. I slept on and off during the flight and got to watch some awful films along the way (She's Just Not That Into You, Wolverine, and some Korean film with English subtitles. Airplane food is Airplane food regardless of where you are going. I had a choice of a Korean meal or some stale American meal. I opted for the one with the better looking fruit bowl.

When I finally landed at ICN I had to fill out paperwork saying I didn't have the swine flu, and proceeded to get my bags and head to customs. Once I had everything in order I found a large sign with my name on it and followed the guy to a SUV waiting outside. We loaded the car and off we went. It was about 7pm Korean time once we left the airport and starting to get dark. The hour ride was done in complete silence which was fine because I was pretty tired from the day. There were about 4 toll booths along the highway but I have no clue what it cost.

I arrived at my temporary apartment and was greeted by three smiling faces. We took the bags upstairs and I was allowed to breathe for minute. I threw on a pair of jeans and off we went for the evening.

Useful Websites

2009-08-03T10:18:00.000-07:00

Here are some useful stuff to check out before heading to Korea and sites I'm hoping will be helpful once I get there.

Before going to Korea
Keep in touch with people at home
English language blogs related to Korea by Koreans and Foreigners
Concert guide in Korea
Useful info about Korea
Movie times in Korea

1 Week Left

2009-07-30T20:15:00.001-07:00

One week left from today before I leave. My room is just about empty and ready to go. Almost as excited as this kid is for his ice cream.

Garage Sale pt. 1

2009-07-25T15:07:00.003-07:00

Phase one of the garage sale went well. I made about $100 bucks on things that have been collecting dust. Garage sale people are a bit strange and the concept of time doesn't matter to them for some reason. We posted signs saying the sale was from 7am-12pm, and the first person showed at 6:30am and the last at almost 2pm. Round 2 happens next week. Hope I can sell my car by then.

Jumped Through the Last Hoop While Still in the US

2009-07-24T12:58:00.000-07:00

I picked up my passport yesterday that included a 1 year E2 visa allowing me to teach in Korea. On the drive home I got a call from a 212 number with a Korean gentleman that spoke the fastest English I had every heard, it was a bit hard to understand what he was saying. It was very similar to when Billy Madison is trying to learn Spanish and the gardener is going a mile a minute, looks at him dead pan and says “slooowww down”. In the end he was a booking agent from Asiana Airlines that helped to finalize my flight to Korea. We booked it for August 6^thleaving LAX at 2pm. That’s little less then two weeks from now. Having a yard sale tomorrow to unload some of the things I have accumulated over the last few years.