Thursday, May 7, 2009
Day 80: A Day
Today was a typical day at work. But your lazy narrator forgot to record the blow-by-blow, so you don't get to read about it! To make it up to you, dear reader, tomorrow I will bring my camera to work and thus record the day in both picture and word alike. Treats for everyone!
Day 81: The Day Off, or Child-less Children's Day
My goodness, dear readers, your humble narrator has been so distracted with work and other suchlike inconveniences that updating this blog has slipped temporarily to the bottom of the to-do list. But fear not! I am here to update you with what has gone on since I last wrote, day by day as usual.
Here is what has gone on since I last wrote: Not Much.
Tuesday was our day off, a day that I had looked forward to for a few weeks at least. I awoke early, quite early (9, the time I would have woken up anyway had I gone to work) and immediately got settled in to an LSAT practice test. After I finished the test, I decided it would behoove me to go to the gym before heading out into Seoul in the afternoon with John as planned.
Unfortunately, for some inscrutable reason the gym was closed on Children's Day, and I walked home disheartened but far from defeated. I did a few crunches and push-ups at my apartment, called it a day, and hopped in the shower.
Come afternoon, I met up with John and we rode the bus into the city. It was quite crowded, as Children's Day is a holiday designed to get school-loaded kids to spend time with their workaholic parents. So, everyone and their Dad (literally) was headed into Seoul for some quality time. John and I lunched in Jonggak, the 5500's first stop in downtown Seoul proper, after cutting through the lengthy Namsan tunnel (passing, of course, under Namsan mountain). After lunch we boarded the subway and rode over to Yongsan, the Mecca of Electronics in Seoul and, for that matter, probably anywhere. Think Akihabara without the Anime or comic books, focused only on electronics and probably 5 times as large. Also without the Cat Cafes and costumed cosplayers.
I was in to switch out my Playstation 2 for a smaller PS2 Slim that would be more durable and easier/cheaper to get home, but of course a visit to Yongsan always merits a few DVDs. I got some Kubrick, John got some war films, all went home happy. Cue dinner at Olive with Kaleisha and John, and cuddling up to Full Metal Jacket. Scene.
Here is what has gone on since I last wrote: Not Much.
Tuesday was our day off, a day that I had looked forward to for a few weeks at least. I awoke early, quite early (9, the time I would have woken up anyway had I gone to work) and immediately got settled in to an LSAT practice test. After I finished the test, I decided it would behoove me to go to the gym before heading out into Seoul in the afternoon with John as planned.
Unfortunately, for some inscrutable reason the gym was closed on Children's Day, and I walked home disheartened but far from defeated. I did a few crunches and push-ups at my apartment, called it a day, and hopped in the shower.
Come afternoon, I met up with John and we rode the bus into the city. It was quite crowded, as Children's Day is a holiday designed to get school-loaded kids to spend time with their workaholic parents. So, everyone and their Dad (literally) was headed into Seoul for some quality time. John and I lunched in Jonggak, the 5500's first stop in downtown Seoul proper, after cutting through the lengthy Namsan tunnel (passing, of course, under Namsan mountain). After lunch we boarded the subway and rode over to Yongsan, the Mecca of Electronics in Seoul and, for that matter, probably anywhere. Think Akihabara without the Anime or comic books, focused only on electronics and probably 5 times as large. Also without the Cat Cafes and costumed cosplayers.
I was in to switch out my Playstation 2 for a smaller PS2 Slim that would be more durable and easier/cheaper to get home, but of course a visit to Yongsan always merits a few DVDs. I got some Kubrick, John got some war films, all went home happy. Cue dinner at Olive with Kaleisha and John, and cuddling up to Full Metal Jacket. Scene.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Day 82: The Job
Today was actually a fairly atypical day at work, since we only had about half of our students present in the morning. We (the teachers) decided to take them out to Suji's largest park since tomorrow is Children's Day and there were so few students present, and of course the weather was gorgeous. So we threw all 15 of them in a van and drove over to the park.
Then, later, in the afternoon, we spent most of our classes administering standardized tests to track English improvement (maybe I'll rant about testing here later). In any case, the unusual nature of the work day prompted me to perhaps give a little more info about my job, for those that may be interested. Maybe on Wednesday or Thursday I will write a "Day in the Life" type entry, but for today I'll just introduce the skillz that pay my billz.
I work at a Private English Academy called "MYU 어학원" or "MYU English Academy." The name was previously "Wonderland," part of a franchise of English kindergartens across Korea, but when our old head teacher bought the school from the old director, thus becoming the new director in a much more civilized manner than assassinating him, she broke off from the franchise and we changed our name, losing a few students in the process. "MYU" stands for "Make Your dreams Unique," a slogan I had a small part in approving. I realized too late that "Make Your New Dream" would have been way cooler since we could have been "MYND HAGWON" which is awesome. But we are MYU, pronounced either M.Y.U. or "mew." Yes, like the pokemon, which none of my students seem to realize since even though they are all obsessed with pokemon they don't know who mew is and instead worship some creature called "Diaruga" or "Diagonal" or "Dialysis" or something.
I am the Head Teacher at MYU, which basically means in addition to all regular teaching responsibilities (and, up until recently, the school's heaviest teaching schedule), I am the go-to guy for any questions between the administration and the other teachers. I also handle scheduling, organizing activity days and student parties, coordinating field trips and all that other jazz. I am even the recorded voice of MYU, on the answering machine in both Korean and English because I am that cool.
In any case, a typical day sees me working from 9:30 to 7:15, teaching Kindergarten in the morning and Elementary students in the afternoon/evening. I'd typically see about nine or ten students in the kindergarten, and then anywhere from 15-30 depending on the day in the afternoon. It's generally a pretty laid-back gig, although the length of hours and the general demandingness of being a teacher do take their toll. As I said before, I'll probably update day-in-the-life style later this week.
Then, later, in the afternoon, we spent most of our classes administering standardized tests to track English improvement (maybe I'll rant about testing here later). In any case, the unusual nature of the work day prompted me to perhaps give a little more info about my job, for those that may be interested. Maybe on Wednesday or Thursday I will write a "Day in the Life" type entry, but for today I'll just introduce the skillz that pay my billz.
I work at a Private English Academy called "MYU 어학원" or "MYU English Academy." The name was previously "Wonderland," part of a franchise of English kindergartens across Korea, but when our old head teacher bought the school from the old director, thus becoming the new director in a much more civilized manner than assassinating him, she broke off from the franchise and we changed our name, losing a few students in the process. "MYU" stands for "Make Your dreams Unique," a slogan I had a small part in approving. I realized too late that "Make Your New Dream" would have been way cooler since we could have been "MYND HAGWON" which is awesome. But we are MYU, pronounced either M.Y.U. or "mew." Yes, like the pokemon, which none of my students seem to realize since even though they are all obsessed with pokemon they don't know who mew is and instead worship some creature called "Diaruga" or "Diagonal" or "Dialysis" or something.
I am the Head Teacher at MYU, which basically means in addition to all regular teaching responsibilities (and, up until recently, the school's heaviest teaching schedule), I am the go-to guy for any questions between the administration and the other teachers. I also handle scheduling, organizing activity days and student parties, coordinating field trips and all that other jazz. I am even the recorded voice of MYU, on the answering machine in both Korean and English because I am that cool.
In any case, a typical day sees me working from 9:30 to 7:15, teaching Kindergarten in the morning and Elementary students in the afternoon/evening. I'd typically see about nine or ten students in the kindergarten, and then anywhere from 15-30 depending on the day in the afternoon. It's generally a pretty laid-back gig, although the length of hours and the general demandingness of being a teacher do take their toll. As I said before, I'll probably update day-in-the-life style later this week.
Day 83: It was Sunday afternoon, and there were a few things that I had to do
Day 83 was a bit of a letdown, folks. After work ramping up the past week, what with one of three foreign teachers home in America on vacation, I was very much in need of a no-frills, relaxed kind of weekend. Sunday delivered on the promise. I studied LSAT, cleaned my apartment, packed up stuff to ship home, and played some video games. I even got to catch up mit mein brother on Skype, it had been criminally long.
In any case, it's days like this Sunday that make me think leaving Korea won't be so bad. Don't get me wrong - nothing about today made me think any less of Korea, it's just a day that I could have just as easily had back home. Not better, not worse, the same, but different.
Anyhow, Monday will bring one day of "work" (we are expecting piddly turnout because Tuesday is Children's Day) that John and I will sleepwalk through, and then it's my last day off during my Korean teaching career (also my first day off this calendar year). As the exasperated Chinese zookeeper said to the last male panda on Earth, "screw that."
Inspiration for today's title: John LaJoie's hilarious youTube video.
In any case, it's days like this Sunday that make me think leaving Korea won't be so bad. Don't get me wrong - nothing about today made me think any less of Korea, it's just a day that I could have just as easily had back home. Not better, not worse, the same, but different.
Anyhow, Monday will bring one day of "work" (we are expecting piddly turnout because Tuesday is Children's Day) that John and I will sleepwalk through, and then it's my last day off during my Korean teaching career (also my first day off this calendar year). As the exasperated Chinese zookeeper said to the last male panda on Earth, "screw that."
Inspiration for today's title: John LaJoie's hilarious youTube video.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Day 84: On Saturdays
As mentioned in passing on Day 90, my Saturdays are usually spent in Gangnam, where I teach an English class for adults. As these classes, the other teachers and the students have become such a big part of my experience, I thought I'd talk about I got these classes and what my Gangnam Saturdays are usually like. Today was an exception, as class was canceled for Buddha's Birthday and I spent the day chilling with John and Cody in Suji.
I first was introduced to the Saturday English Class, or as it was known then, Matthew's Club, by my good friend Travis. Travis is sadly long-returned to the States by now, but this was just when he was about to leave. Travis, Blake and Heather deserve an entry all to themselves at some point, but we'll just say for now that they are three of the coolest people I've known, and are missed greatly.
Anyway, Travis pulled me aside at Exit one Friday and told me that he had an opportunity for me. Next day, I was in Sinchon with him meeting Ian and Bin. Two weeks later, I was in Gangnam teaching the Matthew's club class, and for the introduction I owe Travis a great debt. Eventually, Bin split the group off from Matthew's Club, renaming it "Bean's English" and running things himself.
A typical Saturday would see me leaving Suji around 1:00 in the afternoon, hopping on a bus to Gangnam, often with Jeff, another English teacher for the club. Then, we'd meet Ian, Ashley, Meghan, Rachel, Kevin and Haeran at Dunkin' Donuts for Korean lessons. Ian and Ashley would alternately praise me and make me feel stupid in Korean for about two hours, and then the English class proper begins on the other side of the subway station, in a facility rentable by the hour for classroom-type activities.
I originally taught the most advanced students, including Ian, in English, but since we've added new classes and teachers and shuffled everything around, I now teach one of the lower-level classes, as the first native English teacher after they graduate from Bin's class. It's a very enjoyable class, almost entirely discussion-based, and lots of fun to teach.
After class, we always go out for food and drinks, at a number of regular location. Sometimes we go for "second round," at another location after that, sometimes "third round" ... you get the picture. It is unfailingly a wonderful time and I consider these folks to be great friends of mine.
I first was introduced to the Saturday English Class, or as it was known then, Matthew's Club, by my good friend Travis. Travis is sadly long-returned to the States by now, but this was just when he was about to leave. Travis, Blake and Heather deserve an entry all to themselves at some point, but we'll just say for now that they are three of the coolest people I've known, and are missed greatly.
Anyway, Travis pulled me aside at Exit one Friday and told me that he had an opportunity for me. Next day, I was in Sinchon with him meeting Ian and Bin. Two weeks later, I was in Gangnam teaching the Matthew's club class, and for the introduction I owe Travis a great debt. Eventually, Bin split the group off from Matthew's Club, renaming it "Bean's English" and running things himself.
A typical Saturday would see me leaving Suji around 1:00 in the afternoon, hopping on a bus to Gangnam, often with Jeff, another English teacher for the club. Then, we'd meet Ian, Ashley, Meghan, Rachel, Kevin and Haeran at Dunkin' Donuts for Korean lessons. Ian and Ashley would alternately praise me and make me feel stupid in Korean for about two hours, and then the English class proper begins on the other side of the subway station, in a facility rentable by the hour for classroom-type activities.
I originally taught the most advanced students, including Ian, in English, but since we've added new classes and teachers and shuffled everything around, I now teach one of the lower-level classes, as the first native English teacher after they graduate from Bin's class. It's a very enjoyable class, almost entirely discussion-based, and lots of fun to teach.
After class, we always go out for food and drinks, at a number of regular location. Sometimes we go for "second round," at another location after that, sometimes "third round" ... you get the picture. It is unfailingly a wonderful time and I consider these folks to be great friends of mine.
Day 85: A good night's out in breaking the law
Apologies for the late posting, all two of you faithful readers, the weekend called and I responded. This entry, although late, will still address Friday night, which for the first time in several months was a good, classic-style Suji Friday.
Fridays have always been a special day for me in Suji. This town has a number of excellent restaurants and bars, but there is one in particular that has, for the duration of my time here, been the mecca of foreign entertainment. That bar is Exit, owned by Han and chock-full of English teachers and their friends every Friday night. Many a weekend has kicked off there, playing foosball, darts, Titanic, pool, or just sitting around drinking with friends. Han's a cool dude, the music has improved greatly since I first started patronizing the joint, and all in all it has been host to many, if not most of the memories I've made here.
The times, man! There was the time Cody broke the foosball table, the time John thought throwing 777 in darts for a special promotion meant he had to throw three sevens in a row, the old texas hold'em nights with Matt and Yakubu back in the glory days, the night Cody got kicked out, and of course all the memories with those who have already left for home.
This Friday was an exemplary night of Suji done right. It started off with leaving work early with the middle school students for a Chinese dinner party hosted by the school to congratulate them for finishing their mid-semester tests. Grace, Luke, Lucy, Andrew, Charlie, David and Jenny all went to a Jajang restaurant with John, Jene and I for grubs. We had Jajangmyun (black sauce noodles) and sweet and sour pork. Excellent, and quite filling. The conversation ranged from congratulating the students on their high marks to discussing Korean soap operas.
After the students left, John, Jene and I headed to WA Bar, a Seoul-wide franchise relatively new to Suji, for a few tall beers and odd choices in bar music. Jene was one of our Korean co-teachers, and Friday was his last day at work after a too short two months. We had gone out for dinner with him once before and he's a blast to hang out with, so we are quite sorry to see him go. We stayed at WA bar for an hour or so, then we wanted to play some Titanic.
Titanic is a Korean drinking game involving a large glass of beer and a shot glass of liquor (I have played only with Soju, although variations involving whiskey and other more intimidating alcohols apparently also exist). The game is quite simple. The players begin by floating an empty shot glass in a mug about 2/3 full of beer. Then, one by one, players must pour a stream of soju into the shot glass, sinking it lower and lower into the beer. The intensity of the game increases as the glass dips lower and lower, even passing just below the beer level, kept afloat by surface tension alone. As you could guess, the person who sinks the shot glass must consume the entire concoction, a drink known as 소맥, named for its parts: 소주 (soju) and 맥주 (mekju, beer).
While the plan was originally to play a few rounds and then meet some friends back at my apartment, we ended up just staying at Exit until our friends met us there. It was a typical night at Exit, filled with more drinking, me cleaning up in foosball (I am, after all, the much celebrated local champion, although as all the people who know that leave, my reputation diminishes) and general tomfoolery.
Finally, as a coda to the night, several folks (specifically, if memory serves, Kaleisha, Valerie, Sara, Ken and a gentleman that I did not know) headed to the Noraebang (singing rooms) for a good hour or so of belting out ridiculous 80s power ballads and long-loved hits of the 90s.
Also, somewhere along the line I lost my cell phone. Po-tweet.
Fridays have always been a special day for me in Suji. This town has a number of excellent restaurants and bars, but there is one in particular that has, for the duration of my time here, been the mecca of foreign entertainment. That bar is Exit, owned by Han and chock-full of English teachers and their friends every Friday night. Many a weekend has kicked off there, playing foosball, darts, Titanic, pool, or just sitting around drinking with friends. Han's a cool dude, the music has improved greatly since I first started patronizing the joint, and all in all it has been host to many, if not most of the memories I've made here.
The times, man! There was the time Cody broke the foosball table, the time John thought throwing 777 in darts for a special promotion meant he had to throw three sevens in a row, the old texas hold'em nights with Matt and Yakubu back in the glory days, the night Cody got kicked out, and of course all the memories with those who have already left for home.
This Friday was an exemplary night of Suji done right. It started off with leaving work early with the middle school students for a Chinese dinner party hosted by the school to congratulate them for finishing their mid-semester tests. Grace, Luke, Lucy, Andrew, Charlie, David and Jenny all went to a Jajang restaurant with John, Jene and I for grubs. We had Jajangmyun (black sauce noodles) and sweet and sour pork. Excellent, and quite filling. The conversation ranged from congratulating the students on their high marks to discussing Korean soap operas.
After the students left, John, Jene and I headed to WA Bar, a Seoul-wide franchise relatively new to Suji, for a few tall beers and odd choices in bar music. Jene was one of our Korean co-teachers, and Friday was his last day at work after a too short two months. We had gone out for dinner with him once before and he's a blast to hang out with, so we are quite sorry to see him go. We stayed at WA bar for an hour or so, then we wanted to play some Titanic.
Titanic is a Korean drinking game involving a large glass of beer and a shot glass of liquor (I have played only with Soju, although variations involving whiskey and other more intimidating alcohols apparently also exist). The game is quite simple. The players begin by floating an empty shot glass in a mug about 2/3 full of beer. Then, one by one, players must pour a stream of soju into the shot glass, sinking it lower and lower into the beer. The intensity of the game increases as the glass dips lower and lower, even passing just below the beer level, kept afloat by surface tension alone. As you could guess, the person who sinks the shot glass must consume the entire concoction, a drink known as 소맥, named for its parts: 소주 (soju) and 맥주 (mekju, beer).
While the plan was originally to play a few rounds and then meet some friends back at my apartment, we ended up just staying at Exit until our friends met us there. It was a typical night at Exit, filled with more drinking, me cleaning up in foosball (I am, after all, the much celebrated local champion, although as all the people who know that leave, my reputation diminishes) and general tomfoolery.
Finally, as a coda to the night, several folks (specifically, if memory serves, Kaleisha, Valerie, Sara, Ken and a gentleman that I did not know) headed to the Noraebang (singing rooms) for a good hour or so of belting out ridiculous 80s power ballads and long-loved hits of the 90s.
Also, somewhere along the line I lost my cell phone. Po-tweet.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Day 86: Yoga and Ben Folds
A large part of my Korean saga has been my various abortive attempts at getting myself in shape - be they short-lived, infrequently used gym memberships, misguided promises to do calisthenics at home, or the more serious contracts with personal trainers. The latest (and probably final, as I've found a routine that seems to be working) addition to this lengthy list began today with my first ever experience with yoga.
It. Hurt.
Let me back up a bit. I was first appraised of the fact that my gym offers free yoga classes with membership about a month ago, when I re-signed with the gym for my final three-month contract. I didn't think much of it. However, last week I saw my friend and gym buddy Bek in there, flopping around on the floor with the best of them. I talked to him afterwards, and he said it was not only an intense workout, but it had helped him with his back problems, too. Now, ever since switching to my new bed last summer, I have had a kink in my back that just never got worked out. I also have noticed a seriously decreased flexibility in recent months, probably due to the rigid mostly lifting-based nature of my workout. So I decided to give it a shot.
The instructor got caught up in traffic and was thus an hour late. I passed the time by running for a little bit, then lifting muscle groups I didn't think I'd be using for yoga (Fact: you use ALL THE FRIGGIN MUSCLE GROUPS for yoga). When the instructor arrived, the yoga group had diminished significantly. There were only six of us: Bek, one woman, three other Korean dudes, and your humble writer, the only white person in the room. Probably also the only person in my weight class (by a couple classes).
The instructor was a pretty 30-something who looked like she enjoyed others' pain. We started with some deep breathing, then moved on to leg stretches and torso rotations and that sort of thing. So far, so good, although I couldn't really get the timing right because everything was said in Korean and I had to either have Bek translate or just try to imitate what was going on around me. What I could pick up from Korean alone still took me a few extra seconds to assimilate.
I found it quite impossible to properly do the stretches that involved sitting on my feet. It felt like I was breaking my ankles, but I guess that will come with practice. I am also pretty sure the instructor was making fun of me the whole time. Things really got intense with these things where we laid on our stomachs and lifted all four limbs into the air at the same time, grabbing left foot with right hand and so on. I was sweating about twice as much as I would have during a 5k, plus I had to lower my face into it every count of ten.
I redeemed myself at the end, I think, and surprised myself, by pulling off and holding a full-extension back bridge, shoving my stomach upwards while supporting myself with my arms and legs fully extended. I haven't been able to do that since I was ten.
In other news, two of my favorite things musical have come together in one lovely little package that surprises and delights: BEN FOLDS HAS CURATED A GREATEST HITS ALBUM. A GREATEST HITS ALBUM OF HIS SONGS COVERED BY COLLEGIATE A CAPPELLA GROUPS. It is fantastic and, while some of the arrangements disappointed me a little (I liked Con Brio's covers of "Army" and "Brick" better, although the soloist on the latter was amazing), the vast majority of them were amazing.
Bonus Jealousy Point: The A Cappella groups that were chosen for the final album got to meet and work with the man Himself for the recording sessions. AND SOME OF THEM GET TO GO ON TOUR WITH HIM. AASGIASAEWGASNHG.
It. Hurt.
Let me back up a bit. I was first appraised of the fact that my gym offers free yoga classes with membership about a month ago, when I re-signed with the gym for my final three-month contract. I didn't think much of it. However, last week I saw my friend and gym buddy Bek in there, flopping around on the floor with the best of them. I talked to him afterwards, and he said it was not only an intense workout, but it had helped him with his back problems, too. Now, ever since switching to my new bed last summer, I have had a kink in my back that just never got worked out. I also have noticed a seriously decreased flexibility in recent months, probably due to the rigid mostly lifting-based nature of my workout. So I decided to give it a shot.
The instructor got caught up in traffic and was thus an hour late. I passed the time by running for a little bit, then lifting muscle groups I didn't think I'd be using for yoga (Fact: you use ALL THE FRIGGIN MUSCLE GROUPS for yoga). When the instructor arrived, the yoga group had diminished significantly. There were only six of us: Bek, one woman, three other Korean dudes, and your humble writer, the only white person in the room. Probably also the only person in my weight class (by a couple classes).
The instructor was a pretty 30-something who looked like she enjoyed others' pain. We started with some deep breathing, then moved on to leg stretches and torso rotations and that sort of thing. So far, so good, although I couldn't really get the timing right because everything was said in Korean and I had to either have Bek translate or just try to imitate what was going on around me. What I could pick up from Korean alone still took me a few extra seconds to assimilate.
I found it quite impossible to properly do the stretches that involved sitting on my feet. It felt like I was breaking my ankles, but I guess that will come with practice. I am also pretty sure the instructor was making fun of me the whole time. Things really got intense with these things where we laid on our stomachs and lifted all four limbs into the air at the same time, grabbing left foot with right hand and so on. I was sweating about twice as much as I would have during a 5k, plus I had to lower my face into it every count of ten.
I redeemed myself at the end, I think, and surprised myself, by pulling off and holding a full-extension back bridge, shoving my stomach upwards while supporting myself with my arms and legs fully extended. I haven't been able to do that since I was ten.
In other news, two of my favorite things musical have come together in one lovely little package that surprises and delights: BEN FOLDS HAS CURATED A GREATEST HITS ALBUM. A GREATEST HITS ALBUM OF HIS SONGS COVERED BY COLLEGIATE A CAPPELLA GROUPS. It is fantastic and, while some of the arrangements disappointed me a little (I liked Con Brio's covers of "Army" and "Brick" better, although the soloist on the latter was amazing), the vast majority of them were amazing.
Bonus Jealousy Point: The A Cappella groups that were chosen for the final album got to meet and work with the man Himself for the recording sessions. AND SOME OF THEM GET TO GO ON TOUR WITH HIM. AASGIASAEWGASNHG.
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