One of the more popular songs in Korea these past few months has been SHINee’s Ring Ding Dong. I’m not that big of a fan of that little tune and the chorus just doesn’t make any sense. In fact the whole fantastic – elastic switch is just strange.

But…

In class the other day, one of the kids pointed to a cheerleader on screen. (The cheerleader was jumping up and down… looking quite happy). “Teacher, she’s elastic!”

All I could think to myself was…. I’m sure she is…

Over the past few months, I’ve received a handful of requests to make a video and blog about racism in Korea. I’ve resisted to post on this topic, since I really don’t have a good handle on the situation, because I don’t see it coming from the Koreans I interact with. However, today in one of the blogs I follow, The Korean tackles that question head-on. I think he took a look at the issue and did a fair job at looking at both sides of the racism card.

I will add one thing to the topic: while in Korea, I find the most racist people here are not Koreans, but rather  foreigners who have come here to teach English or serve in the US military. Most often, they look down on those here and think of Koreans as a lesser people.

It’s something that I really dislike, since I’ll see one foreigner complain about how they (foreigners) are treated and then in the next breath say something negative and racist about Korea or the Korean people. One of the things that Jo and I worried about when coming here was how she would be treated. A Korean friend of the family kept on saying, “Don’t go to Korea. They hate other Asians.”

When Jo got here, we found out just the opposite: She is warmly welcomed by everyone in this country and the only racism she finds comes from white foreigners. I (and The Korean) think the attitude stems from not knowing what it is like to be a minority in a new land. That being said, I’m really thrown for a loop when I see someone from the west (who would be classified as an ethnic minority) make racist comments. I would  think they would know better.

I really hope that in the years to come, the world does become a smaller place and these outdated notions of superiority will go the way of the Do-Do.

When you work with children, especially during the winter, you’ll undoubtedly come down with a little cold. This is exactly what happened this weekend. All week, I had been looking forward to two whole days with Jo… exploring the sights and sounds of Seoul. However, when Saturday morning rolled around, we found ourselves moving a little slower and feeling the effects of a cold come on.

Since my plan was to be outside all day, I thought it a wiser move to stay indoors and catch up on some movies and enjoy some pizza. I also took the opportunity to have a few naps in the afternoon. I have to say, it was well worth it. By the evening I was feeling much better and ventured out for some tasty pizza. There was a bit of a SNAFU with the order and instead of getting two bulgogi pizzas with cheese bites, I somehow ordered two bulgogi AND two rich bite pizzas.

Jo was quite surprised when I arrived back home with four pizzas, but we made a good dent into them while watching our movies. In fact, there was enough left over for the following day and I enjoyed pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Something I haven’t done since college.

Since I was still feeling a but under the weather, I slept most of Sunday and stayed in bed until 11am today. I’m just now feeling better, which is good news, since I have to teach today. I have a feeling that Jo and I will be having many early nights this week, so we can take full advantage of the three-day weekend that is quickly approaching.

One of the more interesting discussions that Jo and I had this weekend is on the topic of cold pizza. Now I will admit, popping pizza into the oven to reheat it is great. But I really do enjoy cold pizza for breakfast. Am I alone in that? Come on… Let me know what you think!

Working the Camera

February is here and it is CRUNCH TIME!

It’s hard to believe, but I’m entering the 8th month of my contract this go-round. In four weeks, I’ll finish the third term here at school and start my final term. It also means that it will be time to start looking for opportunities to renew with the school or for something new. It also marks the second full month that Jo has been here and the final month of her tourist visa extension. Finally, as you can see from the picture, it marks the resumption of filming for the YouTube Family Feud.

So lets take things in reverse order.

The Feud filming was a blast, and I’ve just now started to edit the show. I hope to get things done in the next couple of days and have the episode posted by Friday. While I’ve often posted the details of editing the show, I don’t think I’ve ever posted a behind the scene image of the show. It’s a great deal of fun… all one needs is a green screen, camera, mic, and Skype. I really love it and hope this episode will turn out well. The two contestants were a blast to work with.

Jo’s visa is set to expire in a month. That being said, we’re hoping that all the final pieces are slipping into place to get married later this month. We’re eagerly awaiting some documents to arrive, and once we get them, we’ll be making some mad dashes to our respective embassies to get the required authorizations for the Korean Government to marry us. Then we’ll be heading over to Immigration once again to get her visa status changed from a Tourist to Spouse. Luckily, we know how to do this. One of the more humorous thing in the whole process, was that I found out that the number I have for the Ward Office isn’t a general number, but one of the managers in the Marriage department. That should really smooth things over.

Other than that, Jo and I had a relaxing weekend. Her Hen’s Party Saturday was fun (and then even allowed me to come out with them at 2am. Jo and I stayed until 6am and caught the bus home after an early morning meal at the Suwon Station 24hr Lotteria.

How was your weekend?

Darker Skies

The past few days in Dongtan have been quite nice. The weather’s been moderate, but that all changed today. When I woke up, it looked like it was going to be another shiny day, ready to welcome me into the weekend… but alas Mother Nature seems to have other plans in store. I’m not sure what she’s going to do, but when I was out getting a few groceries this afternoon I noticed two distinct things:

1) The ambient temperature dropped significantly accompanied by a brisk wind.

2) I was bombarded with small blobs of white stuff.

I don’t think it’s nearly cold enough to actually snow, but I will admit that I’ve enjoyed the warmer temperatures these past few days. In fact, the forecast for the weekend is a dream: Partly Cloudy with a high of 42F/6C. I hope it sticks to that, since I’d like to spend a little time outside on Saturday with Jo before I lose her for the night.

Lose her isn’t really the right term. A few friends are taking her out for a Bachelorette/Hen’s Party. It should prove to be a very fun outing, bringing together several foreign teachers and a few Korean instructors as well. While she’s out with the girls, I’m planning either to christen the noraebang in our apartment building or visit the jjimjilbang. Heck, I may even just sit back in the flat and watch Star Trek again.

If you have any suggestions as to what to see or do as I pass the time until my beloved returns Sunday morning? please drop a comment below. I’m always looking for things to do. Until then, I hope you have a great weekend and are able to not only make the most out of it, but get some rest and completely recharge before the week starts again on Monday.

Cheers!

Dobongsan

It’s widely known that the academic schedule for students here in Korea is ruthless: Up early in the morning… off to school, then home for a bit, then off to one or more academies, then back home for more homework until the wee hours of the evening… hoping to get a few hours of sleep before repeating five or six days a week. The children do this throughout the year, and when they hit school holidays, many private academies host special intensive classes.

My school is one such place, and for an extra two hours each day, I teach a speaking class to young English Learners. I’m fortunate in the fact, that I was able to select one of the three options available. My choice: Backpack 4 – the same class I taught in the summer. I did this for two reasons: 1) I am intimately familiar with the material and needed no more preparation time for the class; and 2) it’s the highest level speaking class (so I get the oldest and most advanced students).

Monday’s snow day put a hitch in my schedule, but I’ve resumed my teaching schedule and I’m on track to finish within the time alloted. One change my school made this session is the requirement to produce two UCCs. My eyes lit up when I heard that news, since I love making movies (duh!) and know how to get the best from my students. We’re slated to film the fist film on Monday and then I’ll spend the next few days editing that movie. It should be a blast and the kids in class are genuinely getting excited for it, since I’ll be using some special effects (green screen).

One thing I have noticed in my regular classes is that many of the students are getting a bit lazy being on break. I saw (and heard about the same phenomenon) back in the United States when kids were on summer/winter break. Here I’m often greeted with the phrase, “Teacher, I’m sorry. I didn’t do my homework. I didn’t have any time.”

Now let’s see.

1) You’re on school holiday.

2) I gave you two pages to read.

3) You had to answer 2 questions.

4) You had 2 weeks to get it done.

Yeah… I’m not buying it.

So this week has been a little lacking in the educational development stage for some of the classes. In others, students have gone above and beyond the call of duty to make sure they had all their work complete and papers signed. It wa a joy to come into those classes.

The other thing that was pretty cool today was that I got mail from GMarket today I was awarded a “Top Blogger” for the month of January… and as a result given a W50,000 gift certificate. I can’t wait to go shopping there again. In fact, I may just have to pick up a coffee grinder so I can buy whole bean coffee.

mmmmm Coffee.

… well sort of. It seems Mr. Jack Frost visited Dongtan last night while were sleeping and dropped 15cm on the city… and it hasn’t stopped. The forecast is for continued snow through the afternoon and into the evening. Today also marked the first day of our winter intensive classes. As a result, I woke up early, climbed the stairs, ate breakfast and then went out to the bus stop.

I waited a good 20 minutes at the bus stop for nothing. Still I was still thinking class was a go… I huffed it to school. That’s a good 2.5km in the falling snow, up hill…

I arrived at school to find no one there. Then I got the call. Morning classes were canceled due to snow. Since I had trekked all the way up there, I decided to make use of the time and do some prep work for some other classes and spent the next hour doing paper work. Then I made my way out to the bus stop and taxi stand for a return trip home.

There were no taxis and the buses were running really slow. Buses that run every 10 minutes were running once an hour and cars were still rolling along at a stand still. There was no choice but to walk home again, since I didn’t fancy waiting 50 minutes in the snow and a trip home was less than 30 minutes.

Once home, I de-snowed (and chortled as Jo took some great pictures of my feet and coat). I also finally got around to shooting the video of the enhancements Jo made to the apartment.

Just as we finished filming… I got the call. Classes tonight will be canceled too. So today, I get to spend with my bride-to-be. I think we’ll have to watch a movie or two… and Top Gear.

Today is quite a nice day… because for once it is nearly above freezing. Two weeks ago, the weather here in the Seoul area was wonderful… that all changed last week when winter descended on the Land of the Morning Calm with a vengeance.

For the past week, the weather has been below freezing and past week the overnight lows have been in the single digits (Fahrenheit) and just crazy when you look at the Celsius scale (perhaps I should change everything in to Kelvin to make it seem warmer?).

While I went to college at Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff, AZ), it has been a long time since I’ve lived where it snowed. I really like it, but have forgotten what steps need to be taken to ensure reliable warmth when walking and exploring the outdoors.

For example, I have a great coat and beanie that do a fantastic job of keeping me warm. However, even though I have some thick gloves, there are times when I walk home that my hands still go numb from the cold. Jo and I have been looking for some thicker handwear… but nothing I’ve found even comes close to what I currently have. So I guess, I’ll just keep on the look out and visit a ski shop. The other thing I’ve had to do is keep my feet warm. My single layered socks just don’t cut it… so I’ve returned to the practice of doubling up. It’s been quite effective on the 2km walk to school in the cold and snow.

What I am missing are some long johns. There are times when I’m out walking and the wind just cuts through my jeans. I’ve been out looking for something to wear, but Korean sizes are just too small. The only thing I’ve found in my size thus far are some cooling slicks (which would be great in the summer, but not now). I think Jo and I will have to venture out to Itaewon and do a little shopping for some thermal pants.

On another note, yesterday was the first day back at work. As expected, some of the kids didn’t do their homework. That is to be expected, since they are on school holidays… but at the same time, it is quite frustrating when trying to teach a lesson and no one has read the story… so most of the time is reviewing materials from two weeks ago. That will be the same with today’s classes. I shudder to think what will happen Wednesday when I meet with my class that never does any work.

Oh… to be teaching classes of students who would rather be someplace else…

One of the things I’ve been looking forward to the most is having Jo here to help me decorate and organize the New, New Digs. This OfficeTel has so much more potential than a standard one-room apartment, thanks to the loft, that Jo and I had a lot of ideas. Here is a link to the original blog post for this apartment.

So what did we change?

Enhanced Kitchen

The kitchen has been greatly enhanced with hooks in various locations. We affixed several hooks to the tiles using wax so that we could hang our pans. This was a joy, since it allowed us to free up space in the bookshelves and to the side of the burner.

The one thing that was a huge problem was the rack for the utensils. Originally we wanted to put additional hooks behind the sink for them, but none of the hooks we had fit them. So we tried something else… a suction hook.

It was a great idea, but because the tile has an embossed floral pattern, there was no way to get a good seal. Sure the bar would stay up, but as soon as we put any weight on it, it would come crashing down. And let me tell you… sharp scissors falling through the air is not a good thing.

So we decided on putting the bar is S-hooks on the fume hood. It stuck and hasn’t created any problems for us. Plus it achieves everything we need in terms of improving cooking efficiency!

We also added a toaster oven from G-Market. It’s a convection oven that does a great job of cooking meat and toasting bread. Best of all, there’s three racks inside and cooks at a maximum temperature of 250C (482F). I don’t think there’s anything we can’t cook in there! It will be awesome to grab some steaks, season them and put them in there!

Jo moved the coat rack into the hall, something that I originally objected to, since I like nice, clean lines. But after three weeks of having it there (in true Korean style), I’ve come to love it there. See, Jo is perfect for organizing things!

Extra Bar

Curtain

In the bathroom, we made two changes. First we hung a shower curtain (right) to protect the toilet from splashes while we shower. It’s a great little addition to the space. The second thing we added an additional towel rack. We placed some hand towels on it, since the original rack is just big enough for our two bath towels. The best thing about these to additions, is that when we eventually leave this apartment, we can take them with us.

Sofa

By far, the best addition to the apartment has been our new sofa. It was a great find on G-Market by Jo. It’s a 5-fold mattress that folds up into a couch. It sits on the floor, so it’s perfect for lounging by the window having a cup of coffee and talking with friends. Since there are several folds, it also lends itself to other modes. We call this “Movie Mode” since we pull out the bottom layer and use the extra cushion to relax and lay back when watching a movie on the TV. However, the best part about the sofa is this:

Nap Time and Guest Bed

NOT Korean

It’s finally here. The last week of 2009. Just think, in just a few days we’ll be starting a new era- 2010! I’m really looking forward to seeing what the new year will bring Jo and I.

This also marks the third full week of Jo being here and the end of my winter vacation. Jo and I have been busy enjoying the local sights and exploring Seoul’s mass transit system. Since she’s been here, we’ve been taking more and more buses, since we’re both ecstatic to have such a great system to use. It’s also meant that we’ve been going to Gangnam quite often for a wide variety of things… and “forced” to have lunch or dinner at Dos Tacos.

Oh darn.

But let’s talk about Jo.

It’s widely known that Korea is largely a homogeneous country and that there isn’t much diversity. As Korea continues to expand in business and grow, that’s changing at a rapid pace and causing some problems, as many people are not used to seeing foreigners. In some cases, Koreans harbor more negative feelings towards other Asians than they do toward those of European descent. It was an area of concern when we were planning on coming out here for a foreseeable future, since a close family friend is Korean and he gets harassed when he visits his family here.

But what we’ve experienced is really odd.

Everyone we meet think Jo is Korean. Even when we tell them that she isn’t, they insist that we’re wrong. Many times we’ll be out and a random person will come up and start speaking to her in Korean, and she’ll tell them that she doesn’t understand Korean and that she’s American. I’ll repeat the statement in Korean for her… but they just ignore me and continue to try to communicate with her.

When we’re out shopping, I’ll pay for our goods, and the cashier will bypass me and look at Jo and ask, “Point Card?” I’ll respond that we don’t have one (in Korean), but the employee’s gaze never returns to me.

I have to say that I’m very pleased that she is accepted so easily here, since I was concerned for her.

But Jo does love things here in Korea. During our vacation, we stopped by the new Jjimjilbang for a lazy afternoon. It was heaven. We both enjoyed the spas and dry saunas, not to mention the scrub. Jo is really sold on the experience and we’ll be returning soon.

The one thing that was comical about the jjimjilbang visit was how the front desk staff treated us. I walked up to the counter and said, “안녕하세오. 두 명 찜질방. (Hello. Two for the jjimjilbang.)” Again, they bypassed speaking to me and tried speaking to Jo. I countered with, “여자가 미국. 한글 멊어요. (The woman is American. No Korean Language.)” The staff then broke out into some very broken English sentences for our benefit and giggled the entire time. We both found exchange quite humorous. In fact, as I’m typing this recount, I can hear them laughing and it brings a smile to my face.

Over the past week, Jo has been making the rounds at various stores, looking for what is needed to make this OfficeTel a home. Her favorite site (and mine as well) has been G-Market. It’s a Korean website owned by EBay. It allows internet sellers to sell directly to the public as well as hold auctions. In fact, if you could merge Ebay and Amazon, you’d have G-Market!

While many have commented on the flower wall paper (sorry, there’s nothing I can really do to get rid of that), we actually kind of dig the old school feel it has in the place. The transformation that has taken place here is amazing, and I can’t wait to shoot the new video.

Now, some may be wondering why I want to do this. Well, the answer is simple. We’ve made some huge changes to the apartment. First, the cooking area is a little different and hold more goods and is better organized. The sitting area also boasts a unique sofa-bed that we both love. Finally, we’ve added a new cooking device (or will – it still needs to ship) that I can’t wait to show everyone!

All that has made our life in this flat amazing. We’re really looking forward to having a few friends come over this weekend to check out the sofa. What makes it so grand, is that it rests on the floor, presenting a perfect viewing angle for the PAVV (Samsung) LED TV that’s affixed to the wall by the staircase.

But let’s get back to G-Market. The site is expansive and you really can find anything you’re looking for (even water delivery service). But the main drawback, is that while there is an English version of the site… once you elect to order something, it dumps you into come complicated Korean text. That’s all right, since I normally have a list of things to purchase and bring it to my manager. Then he can input the order, call the seller if there are any questions, and pay (since he has an account already). I just give him the cash and it’s all done.

The great thing about it is we purchased the sofa on Tuesday, paid W3,000 for delivery, and received the sofa the next day. It was an amazing experience. In addition, I was able to purchase two 7.5v adapters for my iPhone. I’m thankful for that too, since today, Jo was online with her sisters via Skype and I was able to take two phone calls on the Linksys phone at the same time. All using the same Skype Account. It was brilliant.

Here's Jo!

Thursday night I left work and hopped onto the M4403 to Kyobo tower. From there I got on the express Metro Nine Line. It was my first time using that metro line, and I have to say, I’m quite impressed with operator. Once at Gimpo Airport, I transferred to the A’REX line to make it to my final destination of Incheon International Airport. I wound up getting there before midnight and hunkered down for my stay.

Thankfully there were several restaurants open (McDonald’s, KFC, Subuko Noodles, etc) and a ton of 24 hour markets, so I was able to get som late night burgers and soju to snack on.

I did manage to get some sleep by laying on the benches in front of the exit as I waited for her… it wasn’t a lot of sleep, but there was some. I simply was too excited to rest at all.

As the morning hours progressed, I saw the flights on the big board announce the all the flights coming in 20-30 minutes earlier than posted.. Except for Jo’s. I was really pissed, since I didn’t know why her flight wasn’t coming early. Then, about an hour before she was schedule to land, the board changed to announce a 20 minute early arrival. I jumped up and down.

Once Jo touched down, it seemed to take for ever (or at least it seemed) before it was time for her to clear customs. Most of the passengers cleared the doors before I got my first glimpse of her. There she was, at the baggage carousel, trying to get her four heavy bags onto the trolley. I have to say, she looked very cute and I wish the guards would have let me pass the gates so I could have helped her.

Finally she made it through the gates and I was complete once more. I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a lovely kiss. It was fantastic!

It wasn’t too long before we made or way to Exit 7 and purchased out Airport Limo tickets back to Dongtan. Without a hitch (other than some longer than expected traffic delays), we made it to the Ramada and checked in. That’s when things started to go wrong.

Between the flight and the breakfast sandwich Jo had, her stomach decided to rebel… This forced her to stay in bed the rest of Friday. I popped back and forth in between classes to make sure she was doing ok and to bring her snacks. After work, I brought home some rice porridge for dinner. She was slowly getting better.

Saturday morning, I started moving things to the apartment and made one trip without her. It was bloody cold. the second trip found us taking all the suitcases to the New, New Digs. Jo then spent the rest of the day unpacking and reorganizing the apartment. We rounded out the day with a trip to Lotte Mart for some groceries and supplies. Sunday we lounged around and mare it out to Emart.

Today, I have work… which Jo will also come and enjoy that experience. Everyone at school (especially the kids) is really looking forward seeing her.

The one problem we now have is that my beloved Skype Phone isn’t working. The 110 power supplies don’t want to work out here (even with converters), so I will be going out to buy two 7.5V DC plugs to activate them. Once we get the apartment settled, then  Jo wants to shoot a new video of everything… That I’m really excited to do with her!

Time flies when you’re busy, and I hope that is the case today! In just a few hours, Jo will be making her way to PHX and then onto LAX before hopping on a Korean Air Flight to the Land of the Morning Calm. She arrives bright and early Friday morning, meaning that in less than 24 hours, I’ll be seeing her in person, rather than through the camera lens on Skype.

I’m very excited and have already begun packing for tonight. Since she gets in so early in the morning, there’s no way for me to stay home tonight and take a bus or train to get to ICN when she touches down… so, I’m headed there tonight after classes to stay in a Love Motel or jjimjilbang on the cheap. Then once she clears customs, we’ll hop on the airport limo back to Dongtan for some relaxation before I go into work in the afternoon.

I’ve booked the hotel for the night, so it will be a great place to crash and chill before moving all her things into the New, New Digs on Saturday. Thankfully, the new apartment is close and just a short taxi ride away. Once we’re settled, it will be time to head to the market to get some food and then maybe go out and explore the village, since I haven’t had time to do that yet.

It’s hard to believe that she’ll be here tomorrow!

In other news, I’ve finally filmed the New, New Digs video and have it edited. It’s exporting right now and I’ll post that later today on YouTube. It was fun to do that little video, since I’ve been getting a lot of questions about the place. One thing I am not happy about is the way the camera continue to auto focus throughout the video… the damn clicking noise really got to me. I love my little camera, but it may have to go if that keeps up. I would have used my HD camera, but for something like this, a little AVI file is so much easier to work with.

Have a great weekend and I’ll see you all in a few days!

안녕하세요.

As of last night, the Apartment is fully furnished. While the table and chairs I received wasn’t quite what I was looking for, I’ll take it and work with Jo to see what she wants to do with them. The reason I’m not exactly ecstatic about the new furniture, is that since the TV is so low to the ground, I was hoping to get some floor seats and a coffee table to make things flow easier. What I got was a small dining table and two chairs.

I will say that after watching The Amazing Race last night, I did like sitting up higher (eg, not on the floor) and having a real table to eat on is a gem. I think it will work out well. It also fits well in the space I created against the wall. But the thing I enjoy the most is not having to sit on the floor or stairs. Let me tell you, my buttocks were really getting sore from that!

Once Jo gets here (Saturday), I’m really going to enjoy transforming this studio into a home. While she arrives Friday morning, I’ve reserved a hotel for us in Dongtan for the day/night. This way she can rest if needed while I’m at work and we don’t have to stress about getting to the apartment. Plus we can explore the downtown area a bit before work. Saturday, after we get settled, I have a few ideas of what to do around town, but we’ll have to see how she feels. Traveling half-way across the world can take its toll on a body, and the last thing I want to do is over-tire her on her first day here. Heck, even if it’s just lounging around in the apartment, I’ll be as giddy as a kid on Christmas Day.

Yesterday (December 1) was the first day of the new term, which meant whole new classes for me. Well at least in theory. My teaching load went from three classes to two classes on T/Th. The classes that I have are two that I’ve had for the past six months, so nothing was really “new” except the information discussed in class. Unfortunately, the classes did not grow, and in one case, a third of the students were out sick due to A/H1N1. The flu is really hitting schools hard, since overall our school grew by only a hundred since the start of last term (a lot of parents have been pulling kids out from private academies due to the flu). I really hope that the fear subsides, as some of the kids that benefitted most need the extra attention private academies provide.

Today, I have three new classes. My last class, I recall need to psych my self up for, as it is a low-level Grade 6 class that lasts 70 minutes. I struggled for six months with a similar class – and that was for only 50 minutes. I’m not really looking forward to trying to fill the extra 20 minutes. I feel even worse for Naomi (my Korean co-teacher), who has to teach the class the entire 140 minutes on Monday and Friday.

In other news, I’ll be filming my apartment today for the YouTube channel. I’m actually excited to show this apartment, since it is so different from anything else I’ve ever had in Korea. I will also most likely be trekking to Lotte Mart (롯데 마트) to do a little shopping before work. I also need to do a little packing, since I won’t be spending the night here tomorrow, but rather at a hotel near the airport. I’ll go into that in more detail tomorrow… because this is the last night I’ll be alone in the apartment!!!

One last item: I’ve funded a new loan over at Kiva. You can check out Dominador Gonzales’ business by clicking on the link. This loan marks my sixth through the site and also my first loan (picked by Jo) has now been paid back in full!

Whooooo!

For the past week, I’ve been living in what I’ve called the New, New Digs. Like Office Tower, this place is an OfficeTel, designed for a single person to live and work on the cheap. It is, in every way an efficiency apartment. However, unlike Office Tower, it does have a loft and features that lend itself having more than one person staying there.

Here's the entry hallway. What's nice about this location is that there's a mirror on the shoe closet door. Best of all, the motion sensor light won't keep me up all night.

This place also has more shoe storage that I could ever dream of. Perfect for two people.

The bathroom is about half the size of the one in Office Tower, but on the plus side, there are two shower wands AND a large downward shower head. In fact, there's more water that I know what to do with. Another great feature, is that I have pretty much unlimited hot water here, as opposed to the 5 minute showers I used to have to take.

The kitchen is about the same, although this does have a gas stove, which is a Godsend. The washer also has a dryer function too. The pull out island makes up for the otherwise lacking counter space.

It did come with a built-in LCD TV, that I hook up to my computer to watch movies on. That is a gret feature!

Stairs going up...

... to the loft.

This is why I moved. The apartment has two distinct living areas and it makes all the difference in the world.

So there you have it… the tour of the new place. I’ll be posting a video tomorrow!

I am down-right giddy.

That’s right, I said it. I can’t believe that in four days Jo will be here. There’s still a lot to do on both our ends, but for the most part, we’re ready to settle down for the next six months here in Dongtan. Tomorrow, KT is stopping by to assist with the installation of my Apple Airport Router.

Since I come from an IT background, it is hard for me to call technical support for something so easy, but the net here in Korea is a little bit different. Each connection is tied to a single MAC address, so every time you change a computer, you have to enter a UserID and Password to access the Internet. Up until now, I’ve had no problem using the connection on my Macbook Pro; however, I’m starting to set things up for the future when we’ll have multiple devices online at the same time.

I tried to get the information that was needed to log onto the KT network with the router, but alas, it took me to a new screen that requested additional information. Information that I was not in possession of.

So tomorrow at 10am, they’ll come to my apartment and spend about 30 seconds typing in passwords so that I can access the net wirelessly. Oh the joy of sitting up in the loft and chatting on Skype! I can’t wait.

Tomorrow is also the day that I’ll be receiving some much-needed sitting equipment. Up until now, I’ve been sitting on the tiled floor or stairs… and quite frankly, my buttocks can’t take it any more. I need something soft to rest my cheeks on. What’s supposed to arrive is some sort of futon that will sit on the floor and allow us to be comfortable. We need this because the TV is bolted into the wall (a flat panel LCD) at such a low-level that anything higher would cause neck problems. A dining table should arrive by the middle of next week.

Once I get the ’sofa’ installed, then I take some pictures and a video to show you where we’ll be living.

Have I mentioned how excited I am to have Jo come??? I can’t wait!

Admiral Yi

One of the things I never understand about some who come to Korea to teach is why they don’t ever take the time to discover the cultural wonders that are in their own back yards. This week, I had the pleasure of meeting two new English Teachers to Dongtan and they were excited to come out and explore a little of Seoul with me. While my adventure was nothing special, it did show these two newbies some of the wonders that await in their 12 months to come.

King Sejeon

What I had wanted to do was check out Gwanghwamun (광화문) Plaza, since so much time and effort was taken to build the plaza while reconstruction of the gate is being carried out. What once was 18 lanes of traffic, is now 12, with the center island a beautiful park with statues devoted to Admiral Yi and King Sejong. In fact, underneath the statue of King Sejong is an elaborate museum dedicated to Korea’s greatest ruler.

Since Gwanghwamun (광화문) Plaza serves as the southern entrance to Gyeongbokgung (경복궁), I decided to take these two lovely teachers into the palace to let them experience a little of Korea’s history. It was a lovely fall day, and while it was overcast, the colors came out and provided some great sights.

Hyangwonjeong (향원정)

I especially enjoyed coming back here, since it gave me a few new ideas for some future videos about the palace once the gate opens in 2010. It was also fun revisiting the palace, as there’s always something new to learn and see. I especially enjoyed seeing fall colors reflected in the lakes.

I can’t wait to return here with Jo. She has a passion for exploring these places as well, and the next time we go, I’ll have more information to share with her as well as a better plan on how to get there quickly so we can take advantage of the Korean National Folk Museum that is adjacent to the property and Blue House.

The trip was also a good way for Brook and Tonita (the new teachers) to get used to traveling in Seoul. We took an express bus into Seoul and then transferred to a City bus to get to our destination. On the way home we took a cab, train, subway, and city bus. It provided a great learning experience on how anyone can get anywhere without a car here. Plus it also showed them a lot of Dontan, Gangnam, and Seoul.

I hope your Saturday was a fun-filled as mine. Tomorrow, I’ll be putting the final touches on the documentary I’ve been working on and hope to have it live on YouTube in two weeks. Until then, i’ll leave you with this:

Click the Image to see more

As the person who first coined the term “Eco-city”, Ecocity Builders founder Richard Register questions the interpretation of the term in such places as the upcoming Abu Dhabi World Future Energy Summit in January of 2010. Register has been an advocate for the idea of ecologically healthy cities since 1965, and he started using the word variously spelled ecocities, eco-cities and EcoCities in 1979. According to Register, the ecocity is designed on the measure of the human being, not the car, powered by solar energy, fed by organic farming and designed to build soils and restore biodiversity and climate stability. He says we know it can be done because he knows people who are doing it.

The Abu Dhabi conference will feature engineering firm Arup’s design of Dongtan, China (on hold for three years now) and San Francisco’s Treasure Island, as well as Abu Dhabi’s Masdar eco-city.   The conference ventures to design the whole city a little differently, using renewable energy systems, better recycling, rooftop gardens and shade roofs over building in hot climates, and more pedestrian-oriented streets. Register says these goals are virtuous, but he also says that the emPHAsis is on the wrong syllAble.  The talk is more about massive new renewable energy supplies than energy conservation by city redesign ­ and Masdar’s so-called “pods” look suspiciously like a different design for cars after all.  Biofuels are also problematic, as it requires

According to Register, the Abu Dhabi conference attempts, once again, to make cars a central feature of the ecocity. Register believes this is a contradiction.  The automobile, he says, is on average about 30 times heavier than a human being and takes up about 60 times the volume standing still.  Moreover, car accidents kill a million people every year and contribute heavily to climate change. In Register’s view, the car is intrinsically incorrigible. When designing cities on the demands of automobiles, you have to invest billions of extra dollars on streets, parking lots and parking structures, freeways and interchanges, police and ambulance services, insurance, hospital bills and on and on. What if you put that money instead into designs based on the dimensions of the human body supported by bicycles and transit? Register suggests that car companies switch to a different product line building streetcars, trains, elevators, bicycles and the mixed-use cities that bring jobs, commerce and social life close together on much smaller areas of land.  “It’s a full employment, planning and intelligence-rich strategy for green jobs,” says Register.

Register is not alone in his interpretation of the “ecocity.”  The term has similarly been defined by the likes of Arizona architect Paolo Soleri, Curitiba Mayor Jaime Lerner (Brazil), Chinese ecocity theoretician, Congress member and Director of the Research at the Research Center for Ecological and Environmental Studies at the Chinese Academy of Science Rusong Wang, and climate scientist Stephen Schneider who accepted the 2007 Nobel Prize on behalf of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes.

“I met Arizona architect Paolo Soleri in 1965,” Register recounts, “in the early years of his talking about the disasters of the sprawl/automobile/paving/cheap energy way of designing and laying out cities. Soleri’s comment that no complex living organism is flat and spread out like a sheet of paper or the suburbs ­ two-dimensional rather than thee-dimensional in his words ­ and that cars are intrinsically an anti-city anti-human and ultimately anti-nature invention struck me as absolutely fundamental to understanding what human civilizations should be building.”

Register calls the relationship between complex living organisms like our own bodies and the complex built environment of cities, towns and villages “The Anatomy Analogy.”  He believes it prescribes a much more compact city like those of Europe as compared with those of the United States. But he and Soleri take the idea farther in proposing cities with buildings linked by bridges and the full range of community life and economy organized in much smaller spaces, leaving much more land and water for nature and agriculture while demanding far less in resources for life in the city. The lean and frugal city is Soleri’s term for such design.

Register’s organization – Ecocity Builders – along with Parantez Fair International in Istanbul, Turkey will hold the Eighth International Ecocity Summit in Istanbul this December. The world-renowned series follows the first, held in Berkeley in 1990, and five subsequent conferences in Australia, Senegal, Brazil, China and India. Ecocity World Summit 2008 will take center stage before a highly influential community of architects, planners, designers, policy makers, green businesses, political and nonprofit leaders, with the added participation of international experts and delegates.

Information on the upcoming Eighth International Ecocity Conference in Istanbul is available at www.ecocity2009.com and information on Ecocity Builders in Oakland, California is at www.ecocitybuilders.org

I can’t believe it. I’m sitting here on November 1st. the time has really gone quickly not that I’m back in the Land of the Morning Calm. For those not keep track of the time in-country, this marks five months teaching English in Dongtan. That’s right, I’m almost halfway through my contract.

That being said, I’m starting to look to the future and what next year will bring. I do love my job and the school. I’ve found Dongtan to be a wonderful place to live and work and really don’t want to move elsewhere. I have only one month left in my flat before I do move into a new, larger place… and I really don’t want to have to do it again.

But what will I be doing next year, or even in 2010?

I have a few ideas… some of them I will share here. First, I will continue to blog- recounting my experiences here in Korea in an effort not only to help those that wish to teach abroad, but to educate the world about what Korea really is. I will also continue to do some broadcasting from time to time for local media. Unfortunately, I can’t do it full-time, since I’m on an E-2 visa, and that prohibits me from getting a second job. I may look at trying to get another type of visa next year that would allow me to do other things.

By far the best and biggest change will take place next month. Jo will be arriving on December 3rd and then for the next 50 days, we’ll be running around to various embassies, ward offices, and immigration offices to get her visa status changed so that she can spend the remainder of my contract with me here in Korea. Each day builds the excitement. I can’t wait for her to get here and for us to start our life together in this wonderful country.

I’m not sure where our first joint trip will be (aka the honeymoon), since it looks like our school holidays will actually take place before we get married. I have a feeling we’ll jet down to Jeju or Busan for a short visit. At it turns out, it looks like we’ll take care of the final marriage documents on December 29th and then submit her paperwork to Immigration thereafter.

I’m also contemplating bringing back the QiRanger Report to YouTube in 2010, which means I’ll moste likely do some filming in Seoul for the intro to take advantage of the HD settings on the computer. I’m also thinking about migrating off the WordPress site and hosting my own blog next year. I’m not sure I really want to do that, but we’ll see what happens. I’ve found that I really do enjoy writing these days. I’ve also settled into making more and more of my videos as well.

One thing I am not happy about is the state of my eye infection. It’s been a month, and still not revolved. I’m hoping that it is done in the next two weeks, as I really miss wearing my contact lenses. But the nice thing is that I haven’t missed my sunglasses, which I lost at Bongeunsa (well, lost is such a hard word… I set them down and failed to pick them up). I should also be finishing the introduction work on the documentary work this next week, which then free up a lot of time to get back to exploring and writing about Korea. I will hold off on some locations, since I want to experience them with Jo. I think the first trip to a Korean Folk Village will be an awesome one… and I can’t wait to share that experience with Jo.

Pirate Steve

The sun has fallen here in the Land of the Morning Calm and while I wish I could report that the weather was frightful for little ghosts and ghouls, I’ll just say that it is frightful… and for once the weather forecasters were correct in saying that it would rain all weekend. The rain started earlier today around 10am and hasn’t let up. It will continue through tomorrow night, making it a rather damp weekend. I applaud all my friends that are venturing out this evening, but I will simply coil up in my room with some good tunes and finish off my book.

A frightful entrance

It may sound a little boring, but for the past two days, I’ve been inundated with so much Halloween, that the thought of going out again doesn’t appeal to me at all. You see, like most English Academies in Korea, our school exposes the kids to several cultural things related to America, Halloween being one of them. So for two days, the entire staff dressed up in costume and ran 100 minute Halloween games that included trick or treating through the halls of our school.

I was hard pressed to get a costume, because I’m 194cm tall and most of the costumes are only 180-185cm in height. I originally wanted to be Super Cow, but I couldn’t find a full-body cow costume to fit. It was going to epic is a big, red cape, mask, and the words “Udderly Fantastic” written on my chest. I may still do it next year. My second idea, was to get a giant banana costume and do a little “peanut butter jelly time” at the school, but the only way to get a costume that would fit was to order it from the States, and it would have wound up costing me a small fortune to get it to Korea. The final solution was an 11th hour Hail Mary pass that scored big.

John (the other native teacher at school) and I went to E-Mart after work Wednesday to look for something. I had been all around Dongtan that day but never found what I needed. Finally, we found a small assortment of masks and hats. I settled on the Pirate look, since I am bald. The set came with an eye patch, gold hoop earring, and a plastic head scarf. The look was pretty solid and I got some great compliments. I really appreciated the look, since it only cost me W1,400. What a steal!

To celebrate the Halloween event being over, John and I went out to Wa Bar for a few drinks and met up with a new addition to the Dongtan community. We also had the opportunity to meet up with some older friends and meet a couple of Brits and Germans in town on business. The night ended (as it usually does) with a trip to 에리스 노래방 (Alice Noraebang). We belted out the tunes until 3am when I called it quits. I was informed today by John that he and the others were at the Family Mart until 6am, drinking the night away. Now that is an all-nighter.

State of repair

I would have stayed up all night, but I had to get back and obtain a little shut-eye, since the repair folks were coming in the morning to work on the AirCon unit once more. They told me that they were coming at 10am… but the doorbell went off bright and early at 8:30am. I was not pleased. For two hours they worked on the unit, trying to salvage it. In the end, they gave up. I had thought they were going to replace it today, but that’s not the case. It seems that there are no replacement units available until APRIL 2010.

Seriously?

How can a company not have any kind of replacement until after the first quarter of 2010. That six months down the road before they’ll be able to get it functioning. I’m glad that the heater part of the unit works and that I’ll be moving out in four weeks. Just so there’s no confusion, the name of the brand of AirCon is Haier and is from China. It’s a worthless piece of crap. Never buy anything made by that company since their repair staff is useless and have no intention of honoring their support contracts. Not being able to offer a solution for eight months is pure incompetence.

Since the earliest part of this year, the world has been in a state of panic over the A/H1N1 “Swine Flu.” I remember people in the United States losing their mind, predicting that doom would descend and that there would be large-scale anarchy. Even with all reports indicating that the flu isn’t much stronger than the seasonal variety, people are still thinking that the A/H1N1 flu will bring on the apocalypse.

In Asia, the fears are even worse. I remember flying into Japan on my way to Korea and being scanned at the airport and then once more when I arrived here in Korea. In fact, over the past 5 months, several public schools have closed when a few students were confirmed to have the dreaded “swine flu.” CDI, one of the largest franchises of English Hagwons closed for 2 weeks this summer because of the flu. Several other schools put restrictions on staff (must wear masks, don’t go out in public, if you leave the country, you’re quarantined, etc.).

At my school, every student is rushed into a room, has their temperature checked, hands sanitized, and is told that they should wear a mask. Instructors are also told to be on the lookout for someone who may be ill and report it right away. They are even more cautious now, since three schools have been closed in our area for the A/H1N1 flu. and as a result, canceled a Halloween Party that for the kids on Saturday.

I really wish people would sit back and really think about the situation. Sure the flu spreads easily, but it isn’t more dangerous than any other flu. If you take normal precautions and are healthy, then there’s really nothing to be worried about. The news this morning is reporting the 33rd fatality from the flu in Korea, which is already stirring up more panic. When you think about the fatality rate in Korea so far 0.00006875% has died from the flu.

But with nearly 48,000,000 people here, I do understand some of the concern. Not because the disease is fatal, but because it can be easily transmitted. Korea is a cramped country. Many foreigners spend most of their initial months saying, “I’m sorry,” when they bump into someone as they walk the crowded streets or subways… Koreans don’t. It’s not because they are rude, but rather that they are accustomed to not having that much personal space, so a little bump doesn’t register as an invasion of your own personal bubble. That being said, if a large number of people get infected, then the A/H1N1 could easily spread throughout the country and impact the work force and overload the medical system.

That is the concern people should have. Imagine no one showing up for work or overloaded clinics addressing those flu cases, rather than addressing more serious cases. People need to stop focusing on the death aspect of the flu, because the flu (the normal variety) causes death every day and this one will too.

One of the great things about living in Dongtan, is that there are so many things close to where I live. On Saturday, I hopped on a few buses and found myself at Yongjusa Temple (용주사). It serves as the head of Jogye Order in Korea, and unlike many other Buddhist temples in Korea, Yongjusa isn’t situated on a mountain or in a city, but rather on the outskirts of Suwon on a main road.

The temple was originally built in 854 during the 16th year of King Munseong of the Silla Dynasty. It was destroyed during the second Manchurian invasion (Byungjahoran).

During the Josen Dynasty, King Jeongjo had this temple commissioned out of respect for his father. This is significant, since during most of the Josen Dynasty, Buddhism was repressed. However, King Jeongjo was so moved by a sutra that he heard regarding parents’ sacrifices for their children he had the temple re-built. It’s this rebuilt temple that garners the name Yongjusa.

The name is derived from a dream that King Jeongjo had the night before a celebration commemorating its completion. He dreamt of a dragon flying in the sky with a magic ball in its mouth. Thus, Yongjusa translates to “Temple of the dragon with a magic ball.”

In the main courtyard is the Beomjong, one of two sacred bells that date back to the Unified Silla period. This one is designated National Treasure 120.

Visitors can also find the Bumeounjunggyeong (부머은중졍) books that discuss the topic of filial affection.

Yongjusa is just a few minutes outside of Suwon and well worth your time. The complete album can be viewed here.

If you’ve never tried learning a new language, you can’t possibly know the frustration of trying to put together a coherent thought in one’s non-native tongue. The children I teach do this time and time again, and I applaud their efforts.

However, being an adult and a fan of the double entendre, I am easily amused when something innocent can be taken another way. Friday night had once such moment for me.

Vocabulary word: closet

Sentence: I came out of the closet.

I love getting a little chuckle out of the day.