Continuity Break

Hey there sports fans!

This month has been intensely busy (giving it the well-deserved name of "busy season" by the SLI powers-that-be) and it's been really tough finding time to make time for thinking about preparing to do things that are important to me, like keeping in touch with, oh I don't know, the world outside of the approximately 7 people I hang out with here.

So I thought I'd finally update this again, and while I'm sure many have stopped bothering to check it and read it, to the five (read: three) of you who are still around, thanks for your patience! I'm very, very slowly getting better at this teaching thing and thus I'm finding that prep doesn't take as much time. Also I've been growing bored with the ways in which I usually squander my precious free time so there you have it! Justification and rationale for both my lengthy sabbatical and my sudden return to the worldwide intarwubs.

I have a few pictures to share, and precious few interesting stories to tell about my life here. Fear not, there is still at least one more part of the North Korea saga rolling around in the empty parts of my head, so that update will hopefully follow in less than a week, although I make no promises to its expediency. So without further ado, a much overdue update on life here in Suji.

December flew by really, really quickly, and I don't honestly remember much of it. I've picked up several early-afternoon tutors, small groups of 2-4 young kids with fairly limited English but very sweet dispositions. They are a lot of fun and I always end up enjoying the classes, even though I usually dread getting up the extra few hours early. One of my classes has even given me a Korean name, since "Tyler Stokes" doesn't translate well into Korean. Let me give it a shot here... 타일라 스톣 Yeah, not really working out. Therefore, I present my new, Korean name!

신준일
Shin Jun-il

I like it. I have no idea what it means, but my students don't laugh when they hear it, so that's a good sign, and they seemed to be matching up letters from the Hangul-ified version of my English name to compose this shorter, better version.

In other news, my parents came to visit over the holidays. Getting to the airport to meet them on Christmas Day was quite a chore, but it was definitely worth it. Finding their hotel nestled in the woods in the middle of Jeongja was another hassle, but as it turns out their hotel was approximately 4.2 times as nice as my apartment so I think it was a good choice. I had lots of fun hanging out with them between shifts at work and catching up with the little bro, he kicks my butt at Guitar Hero but I'm catching up. We saw the city, Namdaemun market, the Suwon Fortress, the Korean Folk Village, and all sorts of other touristy things that I had been saving for their visit. Dad lost his passport, so we also got to see the Embassy! Fun for the whole family, unless you forgot to bring a book and didn't wear layers and for some reason they keep the waiting room thermostat set to "extra crispy."

After seeing them off (actually, I didn't get to see them off, I had to work, but after saying goodbye in any case), busy season at the Hagwon started in earnest. I've had my fair share of 13-hour days, granted with a few hours scattered in there for lunch and maybe a trip to the gym, but all in all a thoroughly unpleasant experience that I wish to avoid in the future. We're over halfway through the session now (which ends on the 28th), so the end is in sight! I also had the misfortune of my every-other-month Saturday writing class coincide with busy season, so in addition to the packed weekly schedule I also have three extra hours on Saturday morning. Needless to say, what with being exhausted from all the extra classes, not having Saturday mornings or afternoons or even Sundays free (rescheduled tutoring sessions), my social life has taken a serious hit. But February is soon, and returning to the regular evening school schedule will feel like quite the vacation.

Speaking of vacation, Matt, Alex, Ryan and I are headed to the electric city of Shanghai for our upcoming bi-annual less-than-a-week-of-break (yes, we really get that little vacation). Needless to say I am very excited to return to what was one of the coolest cities I've ever been to, this time with more personal freedom and time to actually explore what I want to see. Although it won't be quite the same without Engel as the roommate, it should be a pretty good time anyway.

Other than that, there's in truth not much to share about goings-on here. I haven't been into Seoul much since the family left, and in my limited spare time I've been reading and going to the gym. I'm up to 6-8 km on the treadmill, depending on how much sleep I got the night before, and I'm really starting to actually enjoy it. This is a new thing for me. Also when I don't think it'll disturb the neighbors I shred on some Guitar Hero.

Well, it's late on Sunday night and I've morning TOEFL class tomorrow, so I should turn in. I'll hopefully be updating much more frequently these days, so y'all come on back now, y'hear?

On an unrelated note, I just watched Juno, and it's highly recommended. It's a sweet, quirky independent film blissfully free of pretension (although the soundtrack was a bit heavy on the twee). The acting was excellent, and if anything, I was sorry that the film didn't spend more time with the very interesting and well-written characters. Ellen Page is going places, and she delivered the typical indie-styled "quips to hip to actually be real" with serious panache. She was also spectacular in her portrayal of a very mature and confident girl who, underneath, is just barely hiding some very lifelike insecurities. She was so balanced in her portrayal. However, I think there were too many well-written characters for the film's short running time, and in particular I feel that Michael Cera and Allison Janney were a bit underused (don't even get me started on Rainn Wilson's hilarious but way-too-short cameo). Similarly, Jason Bateman's place in the movie never really resolved, and I would have liked to see his complicated character get at least some kind of nod in the end. In any case, it's a good film, and I recommend you see it if you're into that kind of quirky, awkward thing. Plus, I'll recommend any movie set in Minnesota. Except Jingle All the Way. Screw Jingle All the Way. But when you've got Drop Dead Gorgeous and, of course, Fargo, you could do far worse as a state.

I also went out to the movies last night and saw Sweeny Todd. If you're a fan of the musical, skip it. If you've never seen the musical, skip it. If you really love Johnny Depp, eh, skip it. I would recommend it if you're a big fan of Tim Burton, because, as you would come to expect, it is chock full of his typically lavish Victorian eye candy. The visuals in this film were excellent, but not more so than any of his other work (in fact, they're a noticable step down from Big Fish or Edward Scissorhands). The acting is also quite able (and what else would you expect from Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman and Sacha Baron Cohen), but here's the real problem with Sweeny Todd: it's a musical.

That, in itself, is not a problem. I actually quite like musicals, and while I've never seen or heard the original Broadway version of this one, this movie doesn't even seem to be a particularly awkward adaptation. Many musicals lose something in the translation to a general-audience film, maybe it's the choreography or the energy or just simply the plausibility of people bursting into ridiculous arpeggio'd exposition with nobody batting an eye. There are of course several notable exceptions. Chicago was excellent, and, while this is a controversial statement, I will always hold a soft spot in my heart for Moulin Rouge.

Here's what made those films work: 1) the energy practically jumped off the screen, electrifying the entire first row. The choreography in Chicago was over-the-top, and the quick editing made it seem like I was actually watching it at a theatre, my eyes jumping from the singer to the backup dancers and back again. Moulin Rouge did exactly the same thing, except even more so, adding to the visual feast an insanely lavish spectacle, both in costume and set.

2) The actors could sing. While the casting was hit-or-miss in Chicago (I was particularly unimpressed with Renee Zellweger's too-hollow attempts at jazz), there were three shining stars whose voices made that musical sing (pun most certainly intended). While Queen Latifah and John C. Reilly were absolutely fantastic in their one-song appearances (I believe that "Mr. Cellophane" was easily the best number in the movie and I don't know why he hasn't sung more often), Catherine Zeta-Jones anchored the movie with a strong, beautiful voice. Moulin Rouge
's Ewan MacGregor and Nicole Kidman probably offered the best musical performance from stars primarily known for their acting that I've ever seen. As a sometime singer, MacGregor's voice in particular is extremely enviable and he nails every song in the movie.

This, sadly, is not the case with Sweeny Todd. The performances of a few of the supporting cast were great. Alan Rickman was excellent but sorely underused, and Sacha Baron Cohen's solo was hilariously operatic. Antony was also quite good. In particular, the young boy who comes into the employ of Ms. Lovitz had a striking voice, clear and versatile. However, the four leading cast members left much to be desired. The young unknown who played Joanna had a voice too shrill for her part. I have a theory that Burton selects his actors based primarily on appearance. See for evidence Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Winona Ryder and Christina Ricci. They all look like they should be siblings. This young girl also looks very similar. Furthermore, Bonham Carter turns in a decent performance, although not strong. The same can be said of Depp. This is a problem. Sweeny Todd is a musical. It is a musical about a man named Sweeny Todd. Sweeny Todd sings a lot. While Johnny Depp is an able actor and, ok, I'll admit it, a very pretty man, he is not much of a singer. Musicals have very basic and obvious plots, and next to no character development. Musicals sink or swim based on the strength of the music. Based on this criterion, Sweeny Todd tries to keep its head above water, but it eventually drowns under the gallons and gallons of blood that earned it its R rating. Bottom line: It wasn't horrible, but I wouldn't pay to watch it again.

North Korea Part 1: Mr. Kim's Wild Ride

Approximately one month ago, from November 2nd through November 4th, my coteacher Matt and I joined an Adventure Korea trip to Kumgangsan Mountain, just on the North side of the DMZ, in the Eastern part of North Korea. The trip was chaperoned by Adventure Korea, a group that plans and leads a number of English-language trips to various destinations in and around South Korea. I intend this entry to be primarily photo-based, but, seeing as how North Korea is, well, North Korea, I'm afraid you'll have to use your imagination for much of it as we weren't allowed to take pictures during many of the most interesting parts of the trip.

The trip began at 11:30 on Friday night. Matt and I left Suji at about 9:30 and hopped on the 1550 bus to Yangjae station. From there we rode the train to the Nambu Express Bus Terminal, located inside the Shinsegae department store in Gangnam. We didn't know exactly where the bus was going to pick us up from this point, so we waited around for quite a while until Matt finally managed to see the bus a bit down the road from where we were waiting, so we were able to get on board. I sat next to an Irish girl named Keri, and off we went.

The bus ride was quite long. It took us about six hours to get to our first destination, and during that entire time, I could not make myself get to sleep. It became nearly-painfully warm inside the bus, and anyone who knows me will tell you I cannot sleep when it's too hot. I spent most of the trip instead listening to music that I thought would get me to sleep but unfortunately did not.

After a few rest stops, we finally arrived at our first destination: a beautiful beach near the Eastern part of the DMZ (still on the South side).
As you can see, the sun was just starting to light up the sky out over the sea. We loitered on the beach for about an hour, watching the sun rise and eating a quick breakfast (mine was a delicious dish I call "M & Ms with water").
We left the rest stop at the beach and continued North. We stopped to change buses at what appeared to be some sort of tourist stop not far from the beach, and after that short interruption, we headed for border control. Our tour guide talked us through the events of the trip as we neared the border. When we finally got there, we had to leave the bus and walk through metal detectors, passport checks and the usual rigamarole on the South Korean side of the DMZ. Then, we finally left South Korean land.

The first thing I noticed about the DMZ was that it is strikingly beautiful. There is obviously very little development (other than the road we were traveling on, a series of fences and the aborted inter-Korean railroad), and the scenery was breathtaking. What surprised me was how much it reminded me of the Badlands in South Dakota. Lots of exposed, bleached rock outcroppings, scrubbly brush growth, and dusty ground. The ocean to our right as we traveled North, our tour guide announced our official entry into North Korea - or at least the North Korean side of the DMZ.

Getting through customs on the North Korean side of the DMZ was another matter altogether. We were approximately halfway through a long line of buses (probably 40 in all) creeping slowly toward the customs tent. Here the scenery was even more stark and beautiful, and I got a good long view of it because eventually the line of buses came to a complete halt. About every 50 meters along the side of the road were posted North Korean soldiers, almost completely motionless, holding red flags in their right hands. Our tour guide told us that if they saw any tourists in the buses taking photographs, they would raise the red flag and stop the entire line of buses. This was what we assumed had happened. However, much to our surprise, soon other soldiers came over and instructed us to get out of the buses.

We grabbed our luggage and started walking toward the tent, in front of the stationary soldiers who were watching us carefully. As it turns out, two of the buses ahead of us in line had had a minor collision, which brought the whole process to a standstill. When we finally got to the customs tent, our entry was actually fairly straightforward and uneventful. We lined up and waited for what was probably about 40 minutes while the same song played over and over (some hokey tune with lyrics that translated to "Welcome!" over and over again). Apparently, there was also somebody dressed up in a bear suit, but that particularly wonderful detail escaped my attention.

We got on another set of buses and continued to Onjunggak, our destination and the location of the hotel, restaurants, and branching-off points for the two trips we would take during the rest of the weekend. It was very strange to have such a spread-out little oasis of South Korean business in the rugged mountain landscape, which was just as striking as it had been in the DMZ. And finally, I was once again allowed to take pictures:
The large building on the left of the picture is our hotel. It was ultramodern and seemed very out of place with the rest of the experience. However, in this shot you can see the rugged landscape that surrounds Onjunggak.
And here's me representing the Alma Mater in North Korea.

From the plaza at Onjunggak, we didn't even have time to unpack and move into the hotel before they loaded us onto a smaller set of buses and we began what I have since referred to as "Mr. Kim's Wild Ride."

The buses first drove us North out of Onjunggak Plaza and past the hotel available for North Korean visitors to the plaza. While I was not allowed to take any pictures at this point, I should mention that this hotel was shockingly reminiscent of the Tower of Terror at Disneyworld. While at some point it was clearly a very nice establishment, the cobblestones in the parking lot were overgrown with grass, and vines crept up the pillars in the facade of the building. The windows looked dusty and unwashed, and there was absolutely no sign of life save a very short and sharply dressed Doorman who approached our buses as we slowed to a stop.

On the other side of the buses from the hotel was a rather large mural of Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il, the father and son legendary leaders of North Korea. Our tour guide announced that these two were referred to as "Dear Leader" and "Great Leader," respectively. We also weren't allowed to use their actual names while in North Korea, so we had to adopt these names as well. Our entire tour group assembled for a photograph in front of the mural, a photograph we weren't allowed to take ourselves. This was the tiny doorman's job, apparently, to handle all the photo-taking of the sacred mural. Our South Korean tour guide couldn't find room to squeeze in, so he lay casually in front of the group, something which caused us all to laugh. This apparently made the doorman very angry, as he refused to take the picture until our guide assumed a more dignified position.

This little stop over, we began to ascend the mountain to our first hiking destination. Again, I wasn't allowed to take pictures during this part of the tour (although I could have easily managed it), but I will try to encapsulate the experience for you.

First, imagine the weirdest carnival music you've ever heard. Take a calliope and play it backwards, add in highly-synthesized piano and a cheap drum machine 2-4 march beat. Now play it at double speed, through crappy speakers, and way too loud. This is the music that was pounding through the bus as we caromed up the mountainside. It was like a low-budget Disneyworld run through with a fine-toothed Communist comb to remove anything of musical value.

Second, the bus was traveling about three times faster than any sane bus driver would take this mountain road. The road was about 70% switchbacks, and so I felt like a pinball improbably bouncing uphill through dense woods and out over questionably-stable stone bridges over a dry riverbed. I'm sure the scenery outside was beautiful, but I was too busy holding myself into my seat to really enjoy it. I swear the bus was up on two wheels at least three times.

Third, there were these... statues occasionally popping up along the side of the road. They depicted a number of "friendly" forest friends, anthropomorphic animals along the lines of Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck. But let me tell you, friends, these animals came not from the mind of Walt Disney, but instead from the depths of Hell. I sadly couldn't take pictures of these horrors (we were moving too fast, anyway), but at the top of the mountain there was a little tableau of three of them. These pictures are not for the weak of heart.
So, that's a... raccoon-bear thing missing his hand, an overweight pig with what appears to be a stein of beer, and a slightly menacing rabbit with green panties. I have no idea what the significance of these concrete and long-faded paint statuettes are, but they lined our ride up to the top. And is it just me, or does the bouquet of flowers the rabbit is holding look a lot more like a mace? Add to that the fact that all three have RED EYES and the menace is complete.

After that bizarre nightmarish carnival ride, we arrived at our first destination: Manmulsang. Despite the forbidding spectre of those three animals at the foot of the path, Manmulsang was strikingly beautiful. The hike was very difficult, at times quite steep and winding, and rather long, but the view from the top was definitely worth it. Allow me to share a few of the highlights.
This was just beginning up the trail. I'll just shut up for a bit and let the pictures speak for themselves.
Hey, who's that sweaty creep at the summit? But nice glasses!

So, after a much easier and less eventful descent (although it did involve a stop at a spring blessed by Dear Leader himself and guaranteed to extend your life by thirty years per eight onces, it was running very slowly so I figure I only got about 3 extra years out of it), we rode the buses back to Onjunggak and checked into the hotel. Bear in mind I still had not got more than about an hour of sleep in the last 48 hours, so I was wiped out. Rather than hit the natural hot spring spa, Matt and I decided to get a good three-hour nap to prepare for nighttime activities.

Thus concludes part one of my North Korea entry (finally)! Expect a faster turnaround rate for the next two parts, as well as perhaps a few interloping entries about what I'm actually up to these days (over two months after my trip to NK). Bis dann!

Goal Disclosure

I've been getting on my own case for a while now trying to make some changes in my recently lax lifestyle here in Korea. I've already successfully implemented one big change - my lessons are now much more carefully planned than they had been in the past, with varying levels of success.

I figure the only way to really make myself do these things (I've had several "this is the day" moments already) is to publicly hold myself to these changes I'm looking to enact:

~I will get to bed earlier and wake up earlier. This will probably take a while but baby steps here, people.

~I will be all about breakfast. I miss it.

~I will get to the gym four times a week. Since I'm switching over to the YMCA when my contract at Prime Gym runs out, the inclusion of a swimming pool and squash court should provide added incentive to get my slothful behind out there.

~I will resume reasonable progress on writing projects. These include letters and this here blog.

Well, I'm publicly accountable now.

The Story of How I, Tyler Stokes, Quite Nearly Saved a Dog

Gather round, friends, and listen to my tale!

This is The Story of How I, Tyler Stokes, Quite Nearly Saved a Dog.

I was walking home from Lotte Mart, my arms burdened with creative metaphors for heavy objects, when I espied not five feet in front of my lumbering legs a 20-something Korean woman holding in her arms a dog quite miniscule.

The dog was garbed in regalia most fantastic! It sported a gray cotton sweatshirt, complete with hood, and over that a rather stylish red sweater vest. Its eyes were quite protuberant, but as we walked the little fellow did not seem to notice your humble storyteller.

When we the weary travelers arrived unto an intersection, yea, the young Korean maid placed yon dog upon a sturdy stone pedestal inscribing the corner of the intersection. The young chap was quite well-behaved and stood steadily upon the pedestal, casting his vision this way and that.

Finally his bulging eyes alighted upon your humble storyteller, and into my own eyes deeply he stared. His smallish doggy mouth began to move, as if it were forming the words, "help me." Small mournful moans escaped his canine lips. His eyes testified unto me untold mortification, the unbridled shame of being a dog in a sweater vest. "Help me," his eyes said, "Yea, for I know I am but a dog, but even a dog such as myself must surely be learned enough in the ways of the world to understand that a sweater vest belongs not on anyone, but indeed it is especially ill-suited for the likes of a dog such as myself."

"I know not what I might do to help thee," mine own eyes replied unto the mongrel. "Your owner wears heels sharp enough to punch a hole straight through my abdominal wall."

At this juncture in our wordless communion, the dogly chap's owner noticed his unwavering stare in the direction of your humble fable-weaver, and she straightaway bent down and hoisted the fellow back into the smothering grasp of her arms.

Delightfully, the small lad was undeterred, and swiveled his head around to resume eye contact. His eyes pleaded more strongly than before. "You have the power to stop this!" they exclaimed.

"I'm sorry," was all the reply my cowardly self could muster.

When his beheeled captor noticed his attempt to reestablish eye contact with your unworthy narrator, she immediately shifted his weight until his head was facing forward-ways again. Each time she did this, the indefatigable mongrel turned his head so his eyes again were staring deep into mine. This small struggle occurred five or six times, yea, and with each occurrence the beleaguered beagle's plea grew fainter and yet somehow more desperate. "You have the power to stop this."

Finally, the smartly-dressed maid won out, and repositioned the pooch so that he could not see your humble storyteller. Frustrated, the wee mongrel nipped the vixen smartly on the nose! I inwardly cheered the small victory of my captured companion, but outwardly maintained a strict aura of indifference to avoid the unpleasant possibility of a three-inch heel swinging sideways upside my brow.

This has been The Story of How I, Tyler Stokes, Quite Nearly Saved a Dog.

Well, it's been another good while, but guess who's back again? I can't stay mad at you forever, Blogger, and even though last time I tried to use your photo feature you basically crashed my computer, I'm willing to give it another shot. I guess I can't blame you. The pictures my new camera takes are so powerfully awesome that you couldn't handle it. It's ok. I'll give you another chance.


Ahh, there we go! Much better. This is my feeble attempt at an "art shot" based on our near-weekly poker game at Music Cafe. I'd call it "friendly," but the competition gets pretty fierce, especially considering the buy-in is 5,000 won. That's only five bucks, folks. But it's always a good time. Matt, Yakubu and I are the regulars, with occasional participation from Ryan, Alex and Ashleigh (which would then comprise the entire foreign teacher population of Seoul Language Institute - Suji). Also in this wonderful picture you might notice a rather fantastic-looking potation. That's a bottle of Grape Soju cocktail, a delicious confection that has more sugar in it than alcohol - actually, that's true of most drinks in Korea. But this is a particularly enjoyable drink to share among friends, and the bottle looks like something straight out of a comic-store magazine cover.
Here's what may be my most prized purchase so far here in Korea. When I first rummaged through my cabinets upon arrival in my apartment, I noticed straightaway that I didn't have any glasses. Oh, sure, I had cups, but I lacked a true and proper glass. You know, a glass made of... well, glass. The kind of glass milk was made for. This was a situation that demanded rectification.

Then, one lonely evening on a grocery trip to Lotte Mart, when I was browsing through the dregs (read: the bargain corner) I found this precious glass, among mugs that said "We Are Wildmen" and discolored ceramic figures of Yorkshire Terriers. "Vitamin Your Life!" it commanded me. The giddily bouncing carrot promised me the ecstatic existence available to me if I took heed of the glass' sage advice. So I bought this glass. And, while I'm currently sick and not quite in a giddily-bouncing mood, I must admit that that cute lil' carrot does make me feel like I am vitamining my life, no matter what nutritionally-challenged drink I might happen to place in it.

Lately I have found many occasions to travel into Seoul, be they accompanying Matt while he gets his suit tailored, picked up the aforementioned digital camera, or even just going into Hongdae to hang out. The most memorable recent trip was a Sunday excursion to meet up with Dylan, a friend of mine from college, and his girlfriend Naomi in Seoul for some good old-fashioned wanderin'. We met up in Hongdae and had a delicious lunch at a real taco joint (a rarity here!) that they new about. We cruised the neighborhood for a while, then headed over to Namdaemun Market where the real shopping was. Namdaemun Market is a crowded jumble of already narrow alleys split in twain by food stalls, clothing stands and hundreds and hundreds of people who are apparently quite happy to plow through you if you're standing in front of them, even if it's not that crowded. I managed to take a few pictures above the heads of the passerby:

Ginseng!

Whoa, a picture with people! Dylan took this one of Naomi and I showing off our polearm purchases. I plan to use my giant foam pointing hand to call on students in class, but I haven't mustered the mustard to bring it in to school yet. Finally, here's an interesting juxtaposition I saw by the ancient city gate (in the middle of downtown):
Good stuff! A night trip into Seoul this past weekend yielded somewhat different picture opportunities...
These "ghostmen" rolled through the crowded neighborhood of Hongdae in their tricked-out Mini-Coopers dropping some serious bass and handing out flyers for an upcoming dance party at one of the local clubs. I have decided I have a new future profession. Forget teachin'. I want to ride around in a little convertible dressed like a mistranslation of the Blue Man Group.

Finally, one last picture to share tonight, as it is getting a bit late and my sickness demands that I get some sleep for once.
This is the fine fare available at my favorite place to eat in Itaewon: Smokey's Saloon. Maybe it's just the fact that these are the only real burgers I've had since I left America, but man, this was a tasty burger. Yes, it is as big as it looks. Those are onion rings on top. It's called Kiss Me Later, and it was filled with tobascoey garlicy goodness. Accompanied by seasoned potato wedges and washed down by a tall bottle of Cider, it was truly a meal for kings.

Well, in non photo-supported news, my spoken Korean is still nonexistent, but I can almost read the language fluently. Granted, I have no idea what most of what I can read means, but I can finally order from a menu without just pointing at it! I'm still a little shaky on some of the compound vowels, but my goal is to have a fully-functional understanding of Korean by the time my folks get here so I can impress them. That goes double for if/when Elise comes to visit.

Upcoming things I'll probably write about: tomorrow I'm going mountain climbing with Matt and my new weekend employer, one Mrs. Bo Daniels, and in a week and a half I will be going to North Korea. That's right. North. Korea. The final frontier of the Cold War! One third of the "axis of evil!" Needless to say my first opportunity to set foot in a Communist country excites me greatly. I'll be sure to write as soon as I get home so you know I didn't get detained for being a capitalist pigdog.

A Cascading Cavalcade of Catching Up

Well, gentle readers, it has been a good long while again since I updated with anything actually directly relevant to my personal life, so here I am! Life continues as usual here in Suji, teaching has been picking up gradually since the Chuseok holiday, and now we're back up to full speed and full class sizes. I must confess that it's been more difficult as of late, a little bit of that "new-job enthusiasm" is waning and my stockpile of Creative Teaching Ideas has begun to dwindle, many of those ideas having been proven ineffective for the students I've been teaching.

In terms of actual events affecting my life here, it is a very interesting and important time to be here in Korea, as I'm sure everyone has heard. Here's a great BBC article discussing some of the potential implications of this historic meeting. Having polled several of my students, I've been surprised at the variety of reactions these events have triggered. One of my more outspoken and articulate students, Jason, is strongly in favor of reunification with North Korea, because he feels that rejoining the Korean Peninsula would greatly improve the country's economic standing in what is becoming an increasingly competitive and important theatre - Eastern Asia. It's hard to argue with him when nearby economic Cinderella Story China is putting its vast resources to great use. Other students weren't as optimistic, indicating a long-held bitterness toward the North Korean government. As for myself, an my outsider's opinion, I'm cautiously optimistic about these peace talks. While I am 100% behind finally ending the stalemated war along the 38th parallel, and in that respect I wholeheartedly endorse the actions of the summit, I also believe that reunification would be a sticky and expensive matter. For South Korea, reunifying with North Korea would be an economic sinkhole, and the tremendously high standard of living enjoyed here in the south would take a hit as the government would be forced to split up very uneven contributions between the very wealthy and very impoverished nations. In other words, South Korea would be contributing the lion's share of the money.

However, Jason makes a good point, and in the long run, South Korea has a lot to gain in terms of international standing by reabsorbing its wayward Northern brother, despite initial financial setbacks. Reunification aside, as I mentioned before I still think the economic shows of good faith are an excellent idea and will hopefully assist the people who really deserve help - the average citizens of North Korea.

Moving on to more personally current events, the most salient where this blog is concerned is the latest addition to my pantheon of consumer electronics - a new camera! I have named him Hermes (after the messenger of the Gods, naturally):


Taken with my old camera, here is Hermes in all his tiny little glory. He's an Olympus (of course) 790 SW, which means I can take him underwater up to three meters, and even drop him from my full height and he'll probably be ok (I'm not taking any chances, though). Best of all, he boasts some pretty incredible video capabilities. Excellent framerate and sound pickup. One of these days I'll find something worth taking a video of, and I'll post it on youtube and get it up here.

Well, I had planned on sharing some more pictures and stories, but it seems that Blogger's Photo App. is a little under the weather at the moment, so I shall return later and try again. In the meantime, on a musical note, my favorite band as of late has been the irresistibly catchy, American Indie-pop dynamo The Format. In the interest of sharing them with you, a quick YouTube search turned up several of their music videos, which I hadn't seen and which are very creative and enjoyable.

This is the music video for "Dog Problems," the title track of their second and latest CD. I always thought it sounded like The Format was channeling Queen a little bit in this song (it has moments that sound quite like "Somebody to Love" and moments that sound a bit more like parts of "Bohemian Rhapsody"), and this music video, in a very strange way, confirmed it. Watch the formation of the hands during the bridge and tell me it doesn't remind you of the iconic formation of Queen during Boho Rhapsody:


And this is "She Doesn't Get It," which I think quite nicely illustrates just how catchy the band is:


In any case, they're an excellent band, just hitting their stride, and they've got a third album on the way. If you like what you heard, try searching YouTube for "Inches and Failing" or "The First Single." Those are two of my favorite songs by the band, and there are many fan-made videos for them.

I shall return when I figure out what's going on with the photo app. (the error message is, due to my IP, in Korean) I fear it may be the rather large size of my photos, but that's never been a problem before, so I'm not sure.

A break in the hiatus for a good cause

Hey, just a quick update to let you know of a good cause I think you should support!

Don't worry, this isn't turning into one of those blogs, although I think a bit more social awareness could definitely perk things up around here. Plus, this cause is definitely related to the theme of East-West interaction I'd really like to start integrating in amongst the more mundane details of my everyday life.

I have a friend from college, one Mr. David Degeest, who has been selected as a potential torch runner for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing! David will be running for his adoptive host mother, Ms. Yue, who took him in, fed him and helped him with his Chinese when he was in China for a fellowship after he graduated from Grinnell. Now, David is still in China, and he's started a really fascinating project. He calls it the China Dreamblogue, and you can read all about it here. It's a pretty impressive project.

So what do I want you to do about it? I would love it if you would head here to vote for David's bid to carry the Olympic torch. This is a fantastic opportunity for a friend of mine and an excellent way to spread awareness about his charitable project. The other Expat contestants got a little bit of a head start on him, but I think he's due for a last-minute rally! The voting only lasts for the next four days, so get to it! Oh, I should also mention that the website only accepts one vote per IP, so tell a friend or two! It's an excellent cause and it'll only take you about 30 seconds to support it.

Oh, and if you made it through all that, I have a free gift for you! Well, that's not quite accurate. Radiohead has a free gift for you. If you're me, and you like music, check out Radiohead's new LP, "In Rainbows." The band, being those crazy Limeys that they are, have released the album 100% free on this website. That's right, 100% legal and free. While I can't say it's as good as their earlier work, it definitely is a good album worth your time and (no) money. However, you have the option to donate money with your purchase. Being the philanthropist I am, I threw three pounds their way (like they need it) because I feel like CDs should really cost about $6, which I would be willing to pay for nearly any disc I really liked. So check it out. Also, Lucid-TV made a funny comic about it.